Photo: Kman2005 · CC BY-SA 4.010% of Gurnee’s land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
15 miles of mapped trail cross Gurnee, 1.1 per square mile of land. 10% of Gurnee’s land is conserved, about 828 acres. The biggest trail networks: Viking Park (1.5 mi), Hunt Club Park (1.2 mi), Esper Petersen Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #92 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Gurnee?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Gurnee have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gurnee is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #92 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Viking Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Esper Petersen Park
All 19 parks & preserves
828 conserved acres
10% of Gurnee’s land. Who manages Gurnee’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 332 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Village Of Gurnee Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 111 | Open |
| Lake Carina Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 85 | Open |
| Hunt Club Park Local Park | Regional agency | 47 | Open |
| Viking Park Local Park | Regional agency | 39 | Open |
| Gowe Park Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 29 | Open |
| Churchill Hunt Park Local Park | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
| O'Plaine Community Park Local Park | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
| Betty Russell Park Local Park | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
| Pembrook Woods Local Park | Regional agency | 15 | Open |
| Ravinia Park Local Park | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
36 places to go in Gurnee
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 23 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
5 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Plus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail and 6 lakes & rivers
8.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The best walking months in Gurnee: July to 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 45 | 57 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Gurnee →
Gurnee and its neighbors
Gurnee has the second most mapped trails of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gurnee | 10% | 1.1 | 18 | 97% | A |
| Waukegan | 16% | 0.3 | 18 | 99% | A− |
| Gages Lake | 9% | 1.1 | 11 | 98% | A− |
| Park City | 1% | 0.1 | 1 | 99%+ | C+ |
| Warren Township | 12% | 0.5 | 32 | 96% | A |
| Waukegan Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Third Lake | 6% | under 0.1 | 22 | 99%+ | B |
| Wadsworth | 11% | 0.4 | 109 | 65% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Gurnee
Where can I hike in Gurnee?
The longest trail networks: Viking Park, 1.5 miles; Hunt Club Park, 1.2 miles; Esper Petersen Park, 0.8 miles; Ravinia Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gurnee is conserved land?
10% 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 Gurnee’s trails?
Viking Park and Hunt Club Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Gurnee?
8.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.0 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Gurnee?
27,850 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gurnee or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 551 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Gurnee have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #92 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 Gurnee neighbors.
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 →