Panfish Park
Managed by Village of Glen Ellyn
29 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Schiller, Alfred A.,House · Photo: Teemu08 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Glen Ellyn
9% of Glen Ellyn’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
11 miles of mapped trail cross Glen Ellyn, 1.5 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Panfish Park (1.3 mi), Village Green Park (1.1 mi), Maryknoll Park (0.8 mi). 9% of Glen Ellyn’s land is conserved, about 381 acres.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #82 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
381 acres · of 7.0 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
446 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.6 mi
0.7 mi lanes · 2.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Glen Ellyn?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Glen Ellyn have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Glen Ellyn is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #82 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Glen Ellyn’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (446 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 89%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
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 Panfish Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Village Green Park
Managed by Glen Ellyn Park District
61 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Maryknoll Park
Managed by Glen Ellyn Park District
27 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Churchill Park
Managed by Glen Ellyn Park District
22 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Willowbrook Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
42 acres0.4 mi of trail
Safari TrailEscape Route
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 30 parks & preserves
Panfish Park29 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Village of Glen Ellyn
DirectionsVillage Green Park61 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsMaryknoll Park27 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsChurchill Park22 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsWillowbrook Forest Preserve42 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Ackerman Park50 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsNewton Park27 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsGlen Oak County Forest Preserve17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Churchill Woods Glacial Ridge Forest Preserve3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsLake Ellyn Park28 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsPraire Path Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsChurchill Woods Forest Preserve31 acres · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsSunset Park8 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
Memorial Park8 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsSurrey Park5 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsGlen Ellyn Manor Park4 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsStacy Park3 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
George Ball Park2 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
Main Street Recreation Center2 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
Walnut Glen Park2 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
Marie Uhlhorn Presidents Park2 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
Glen Oak Park2 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
Danby Park2 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsPerry Nature Preserve2 acres
Co-Op Park2 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsBabcock Grove Park1 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
Frank Johnson Park1 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsAsa Douglas Harmon Wild Flower Preserve1 acres
DirectionsEllynwood Nature Preserve1 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
Pfuetze Park1 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsWho protects it
381 conserved acres
9% of Glen Ellyn’s land. Who manages Glen Ellyn’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency323 ac
Town or city39 ac
Joint15 ac
Local Park · 367 acLocal Conservation Area · 7 acConservation Easement · 3 acLocal Resource Management Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ackerman Park Local Park | Regional agency | 66 | Open |
| Village Green Park Local Park | Regional agency | 61 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Willowbrook County Forest Preserve Local Park | Regional agency | 42 | Open |
| Newton Park Local Park | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
| Lake Ellyn Park Local Park | Regional agency | 25 | Open |
| Panfish Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Illinois Prairie Path Local Park | Joint | 15 | Open |
| Spring Avenue Recreation Center Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Regional agency | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Glen Ellyn
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Glen Ellyn
Sunset PoolIn Sunset Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Glen Ellyn
Practice Scoccer Fields
DirectionsSplash PadIn Maryknoll Park
DirectionsPlus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Glen Ellyn
Spring Avenue Dog ParkIn Glen Oak County Forest Preserve
DirectionsDisc golf in Glen Ellyn
Maryknoll Disc Golf CourseIn Maryknoll Park · Glen Ellyn Park District
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.7 mi
Safari Trail0.2 mi
Russel R. Kirk Path 10.2 mi
Russel R. Kirk Path 20.1 mi
Russel R. Kirk Path 30.1 mi
Russel R. Kirk Path 4 (rustic path)0.1 mi
Escape Route0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
32Tennis
15Baseball
11Soccer
7Basketball
3Football
2Skate park
1Pickleball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Stacy's TavernBuilding · listed 1974
About itGlen Ellyn Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itSchiller, Alfred A.,HouseBuilding · listed 2008
About itGeorge Baker HouseBuilding · listed 2010
About itGlen Ellyn Downtown North Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2013
About itGlen Ellyn Downtown South Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2013
About itLake Ellyn ParkDistrict · listed 2017
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Glen Ellyn: April, July 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 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Glen Ellyn →
Next door
Glen Ellyn and its neighbors
Glen Ellyn has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Ellyn | 9% | 1.5 | 16 | 99% | A |
| Wheaton | 7% | 0.7 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Lombard | 7% | 0.8 | 11 | 90% | A− |
| Carol Stream | 7% | 0.7 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Glen Ellyn
Where can I hike in Glen Ellyn?
The longest trail networks: Panfish Park, 1.3 miles; Village Green Park, 1.1 miles; Maryknoll Park, 0.8 miles; Churchill Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Glen Ellyn is conserved land?
9% of its land, against a typical 4% for an Illinois town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Glen Ellyn’s trails?
Panfish Park and Village Green Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Glen Ellyn?
3.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of painted or protected lanes and 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Glen Ellyn?
22,267 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Glen Ellyn or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 446 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Glen Ellyn have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #82 of 768 in Illinois. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Glen Ellyn 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 →