East Branch Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
109 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Glendale Heights
6% of Glendale Heights’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 4.4 miles of mapped trail cross Glendale Heights, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: East Branch Forest Preserve (1.1 mi), Siems Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #240 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
193 acres · of 5.4 sq mi of land
Trails
4.4 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
191 ac
5.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.8 mi
2.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Glendale Heights?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Glendale Heights have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Glendale Heights is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #240 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Glendale Heights’ overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land5.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (191 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13CParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 69%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 East Branch Forest Preserve, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ollman Park
Managed by Village of Glendale Heights
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 14 parks & preserves
East Branch Forest Preserve109 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsSiems Park16 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsOllman Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Village of Glendale Heights
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsNazos Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGladstone Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Village of Glendale Heights
DirectionsAmericana Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Village of Glendale Heights
DirectionsGreenbriar Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Glen Ellyn Park District
Millenium Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Village of Glendale Heights
DirectionsCamera Park73 acres
DirectionsHarold Reskin Park6 acres
DirectionsHighland Park3 acres · Glen Ellyn Countryside Park District
Circle Park1 acres · Village of Glendale Heights
DirectionsGlen Hill Park1 acres · Village of Glendale Heights
DirectionsWho protects it
193 conserved acres
6% of Glendale Heights’ land. Who manages Glendale Heights’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city193 ac
Local Park · 170 acUnknown · 23 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park, Safety Town & Sports Hub Unknown | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Mill Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Siems Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Nazos Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Ollman Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Harold Reskin Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Gladstone Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Americana Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Glendale Heights
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Glendale Heights
23 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Glendale Heights
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.7 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
7Basketball
6Tennis
4Soccer
3Baseball
1Skate park
1Multi-sport
1Softball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Glendale Heights: 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 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 47 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Glendale Heights →
Next door
Glendale Heights and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glendale Heights | 6% | 0.8 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| Bloomingdale | 7% | 0.6 | 12 | 98% | A− |
| Carol Stream | 7% | 0.7 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
| Addison | 12% | 0.7 | 18 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Glendale Heights
Where can I hike in Glendale Heights?
The longest trail networks: East Branch Forest Preserve, 1.1 miles; Siems Park, 0.7 miles; Ollman Park, 0.3 miles; Veterans Memorial Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Glendale Heights is conserved land?
6% 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 Glendale Heights’ trails?
East Branch Forest Preserve and Siems Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Glendale Heights?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Glendale Heights?
19,889 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Glendale Heights or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 212 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Glendale Heights have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #240 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 Glendale Heights 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 →