Photo: Cosmo1976 · CC BY 3.0Harvard has 114 acres of parks, 12 for every 1,000 residents
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Harvard’s land is conserved, about 113 acres. 2.5 miles of mapped trail cross Harvard, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #436 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Harvard?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Harvard have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harvard is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #436 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
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 Milky Way Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 7 parks & preserves
113 conserved acres
2% of Harvard’s land. Who manages Harvard’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milky Way Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Park Pointe Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Northfield Avenue Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Moose Field Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Country Brook Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Shadow Creek Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Mary D Ayer Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
20 places to go in Harvard
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
0.0 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.
September is the best month for walking in Harvard
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) | 28 | 33 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 46 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Harvard →
Questions about parks and trails in Harvard
Where can I hike in Harvard?
The longest trail networks: Milky Way Park, 0.4 miles; Northfield Avenue Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harvard is conserved land?
2% 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 Harvard’s trails?
Milky Way Park and Northfield Avenue Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Harvard?
5,344 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harvard or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 114 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Harvard have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #436 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 Harvard 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 →