Boone Creek Conservation Area
Managed by McHenry County Conservation District
696 acres3.1 mi of trail
Entire Trail (1.98 mi)Horse Trail Loop (1.35 mi)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Greenwood Township
Greenwood Township has 1,782 acres of parks, 122 for every 1,000 residents
9% of Greenwood Township’s land is conserved, about 2,148 acres. The biggest trail networks: Boone Creek Conservation Area (3.1 mi), Bates Park (1 mi), Wolf Oak Woods Preserve (0.9 mi). 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #199 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
2,148 acres · of 35.3 sq mi of land
Trails
9.3 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,782 ac
122 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.0 mi
5.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Greenwood Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Greenwood Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Greenwood Township is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #199 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Greenwood Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land122 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,782 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home82% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 74%
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 Boone Creek Conservation Area, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wolf Oak Woods Preserve
Nature preserve
30 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Silver Creek Nature Area
Nature preserve
47 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
129 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 12 parks & preserves
Boone Creek Conservation Area696 acres · 3.1 mi of trail · McHenry County Conservation District
DirectionsBates Park25 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsWolf Oak Woods Preserve30 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSilver Creek Nature Area47 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge129 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsBystricky Prairie873 acres
Jacobson Park26 acres
Sontas Park7 acres
Banford Road Park4 acres
DirectionsSweetwater Park4 acres
Harvey Park3 acres
Woodside Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,148 conserved acres
9% of Greenwood Township’s land. Who manages Greenwood Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,045 ac
State natural resources393 ac
State conservation363 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits233 ac
Town or city219 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service133 ac
Private owners93 ac
Conservation Easement · 882 acState Recreation Area · 598 acState Conservation Area · 386 acPrivate Conservation · 236 acLocal Park · 172 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 644 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Anne Macrosite Private Conservation | Regional agency | 405 | Open |
| Queen Anne Macrosite 7 State Recreation Area | Regional agency | 277 | Open |
| Queen Anne Macrosite 6 State Recreation Area | Regional agency | 148 | Open |
| Queen Anne Macrosite 9 State Recreation Area | Regional agency | 126 | Open |
| Bull Valley State Fish & Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 126 | Open |
| Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 121 | Restricted |
| Merryman Fields Park Local Park | Town or city | 80 | Open |
| Queen Anne Macrosite 10 State Recreation Area | Regional agency | 48 | Open |
| Silver Creek Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Nippersink Creek Private Conservation | Private owners | 28 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Greenwood Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Greenwood Township
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 1.4 miUnpaved · 7.6 mi
Entire Trail (1.98 mi)1.5 mi
Horse Trail Loop (1.35 mi)1.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Tennis
12Baseball
11Soccer
3Football
3Basketball
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Greenwood Township
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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Greenwood Township →
Next door
Greenwood Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
McHenry Township21 miDorr Township20 miWoodstock12 miHartland Township11 miGreenwood Township9.3 miBull Valley2.9 miHebron Township2.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwood Township | 9% | 0.3 | 122 | 82% | A− |
| Dorr Township | 7% | 0.6 | 54 | 85% | A− |
| McHenry Township | 5% | 0.5 | 18 | 81% | B+ |
| Hartland Township | 11% | 0.3 | 842 | 19% | B+ |
| Woodstock | 9% | 0.9 | 23 | 94% | A |
| Hebron Township | 5% | 0.1 | 345 | 71% | B |
| Bull Valley | 9% | 0.3 | 15 | 42% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Greenwood Township
Where can I hike in Greenwood Township?
The longest trail networks: Boone Creek Conservation Area, 3.1 miles; Bates Park, 1 miles; Wolf Oak Woods Preserve, 0.9 miles; Silver Creek Nature Area, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Greenwood Township 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 Greenwood Township’s trails?
Boone Creek Conservation Area and Bates Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Greenwood Township?
5.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Greenwood Township?
19,475 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Greenwood Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,794 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Greenwood Township have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #199 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 Greenwood 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 →