Burnidge Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
323 acres8.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Elgin Township
8% of Elgin Township’s land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Burnidge Forest Preserve (8.2 mi), Otter Creek Forest Preserve (1.3 mi), Tyler Creek Forest Preserve (1.2 mi). 8% of Elgin Township’s land is conserved, about 1,703 acres. 1,581 acres are parks and preserves, 15 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
8%
1,703 acres · of 31.9 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,581 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
42 mi
3.2 mi lanes · 36 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
5 boat launches
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Burnidge Forest Preserve, with 8.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Otter Creek Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
122 acres1.3 mi of trail
Main LoopCenter Conn. TrailWest Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Otter Creek Forest Preserve
Tyler Creek Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
50 acres1.2 mi of trail
Westwood Trail (0.35 mi)Southwest Woodland Trail (0.14 mi)North Hill Trail (0.14 mi)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
71 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hawthorne Hills Nature Center
Nature preserve
41 acres0.9 mi of trail
Eagle Scout LoopBlue Heron LoopVolunteer Appreciation Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Trout Park
Managed by Elgin Parks & Recreation
44 acres0.7 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Burnidge Woods Park
Park
22 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
All 65 parks & preserves
Burnidge Forest Preserve323 acres · 8.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Otter Creek Forest Preserve122 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsTyler Creek Forest Preserve50 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsElgin Sports Complex148 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKenyon Farm Forest Preserve71 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsHawthorne Hills Nature Center41 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsTrout Park44 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Elgin Parks & Recreation
DirectionsBurnidge Woods Park22 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsJim Hansen Park16 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMarie Grolich Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Elgin Park District
DirectionsShamrock Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Eagle/Burnridge Park38 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsChanning Park12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRobert Sperry Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsClifford/Owasco Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Panton Mill Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWalton Island Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCounty Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTrinity Terrace Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Elgin Park Dsitrict
Wing Park130 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEagle Heights Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Elgin Park District
Lions Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFox Meadow Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCopper Springs Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
College Green Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Veterans Memorial Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Elgin Parks & Recreation
DirectionsSEBA Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGifford Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Elgin Parks & Recreation
DirectionsKiwanis Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGrant School Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
College Park83 acres
DirectionsJames "Pate" Philip State Park61 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSpartan Meadows43 acres
DirectionsElgin Shores Forest Preserve38 acres · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsPoplar Creek Forest Preserve33 acres · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Bartlett/Dundee Park31 acres
DirectionsMeier Park14 acres
DirectionsSlade Avenue Park9 acres · Elgin Park District
DirectionsBlackhawk Park8 acres
Elgin Academy Athletic Fields7 acres
DirectionsDrake Field Park6 acres
Pickeral Point Park6 acres
DirectionsFestival Park6 acres · Elgin Parks & Recreation
DirectionsLongcommon Park6 acres
Mulberry Grove Park6 acres
Settlers Park6 acres
Heritage Park6 acres
Heron Woods State Habitat Area5 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsLords Park5 acres · Elgin Parks & Recreation
DirectionsCentral Park4 acres · Elgin Parks & Recreation
DirectionsFoundry Park4 acres · Elgin Parks & Recreation
DirectionsRandall Ridge Park4 acres
Mable Avenue Park4 acres
DirectionsCentury Oaks Park4 acres
Thornwood Grove Park4 acres
Waterford Entry Park3 acres
Powder River Park3 acres · Elgin Park Dsitrict
Saint Francis Park2 acres · Elgin Parks & Recreation
DirectionsRobin Glen Park1 acres
Cornerstone Park1 acres · Elgin Park District
Millenium Park1 acres
DirectionsAbbott Park1 acres
DirectionsRyerson Park1 acres
DirectionsUnity Park1 acres
Frazier Park1 acres · Elgin Park District
DirectionsWho protects it
1,703 conserved acres
8% of Elgin Township’s land. Who manages Elgin Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency916 ac
Town or city746 ac
State natural resources97 ac
State conservation30 ac
Private owners22 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5 ac
Local Conservation Area · 726 acLocal Park · 640 acUnknown · 145 acConservation Easement · 140 acLocal Recreation Area · 116 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 37 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnidge/Paul Wolff Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 397 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 152 | Open |
| Otter Creek County Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 108 | Open |
| Otter Creek Greenway Unknown | Regional agency | 93 | Open |
| Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 70 | Restricted |
| Wing Park/Wing Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Fox River Trail Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 61 | Open |
| Hawthorn Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| College Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Eagle/Burnidge Park Local Park | Town or city | 55 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
86 places to go in Elgin Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Elgin Township
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Elgin Township
Bumblebee Play CafeFee
DirectionsElgin Sports Complex - PlaygroundIn Elgin Sports Complex
DirectionsSEBA ParkIn County Park
DirectionsSalvation Army Playground
Directions75 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Elgin Township
South Elgin Dog ParkIn County Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Elgin Township
River Mile 73.3 - Trout ParkIn Trout Park
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Elgin Township
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Elgin Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.1 miHorses · 2.4 miUnpaved · 10.1 mi
Main Loop0.8 mi
Eagle Scout Loop0.4 mi
Westwood Trail (0.35 mi)0.3 mi
Center Conn. Trail0.2 mi
West Loop0.2 mi
Blue Heron Loop0.2 mi
Southwest Woodland Trail (0.14 mi)0.1 mi
North Hill Trail (0.14 mi)0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
42 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
36 mi
off-road bike paths
3.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
49Baseball
47Tennis
18Soccer
13Basketball
8Pickleball
5Beach volleyball
3Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Elgin Township: April and September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
January is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Elgin Township →
Next door
Elgin Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dundee Township55 miSt. Charles Township40 miRutland Township34 miHanover Township30 miElgin Township25 miElgin20 miPlato Township5.2 miSouth Elgin2.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| St. Charles Township | 12% | 1.2 | 42 | 97% | A |
| Plato Township | 10% | 0.2 | 120 | 54% | B+ |
| Elgin | 7% | 0.5 | 14 | 95% | A− |
| Dundee Township | 21% | 1.6 | 56 | 98% | A+ |
| South Elgin | 9% | 0.4 | 17 | 99%+ | A− |
| Hanover Township | 6% | 0.9 | 11 | 99% | A− |
| Rutland Township | 16% | 0.9 | 116 | 88% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Elgin Township
Where can I hike in Elgin Township?
The longest trail networks: Burnidge Forest Preserve, 8.2 miles; Otter Creek Forest Preserve, 1.3 miles; Tyler Creek Forest Preserve, 1.2 miles; Elgin Sports Complex, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Elgin Township’s trails?
Burnidge Forest Preserve and Otter Creek Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Elgin Township?
42 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of painted or protected lanes, 36 of off-road paths and 3.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Elgin Township?
33,049 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elgin Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,725 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Elgin Township neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →