Oriole Grove Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
46 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Teemu08 · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lake Bluff
26% of Lake Bluff’s 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. 26% of Lake Bluff’s land is conserved, about 680 acres. 5.8 miles of mapped trail cross Lake Bluff, 1.4 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
680 acres · of 4.1 sq mi of land
Trails
5.8 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
490 ac
81 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.7 mi
5.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Lake Bluff?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild26% of the land is conserved; a typical Illinois town, 4%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.A trail town1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 88% of U.S. towns.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lake Bluff have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lake Bluff is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs put Lake Bluff near the top nationally; the share of residents near a park ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lake Bluff’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land81 acres of park per 1,000 residents (490 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks 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)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)#1 of 768
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Oriole Grove Forest Preserve, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Skokie River Prairie Land and Water Reserve
Managed by Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
38 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Ravine Park
Managed by Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Prairie Preserve on Belle Foret Drive
Managed by Prairie Preserve on Belle Foret Drive
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 15 parks & preserves
Oriole Grove Forest Preserve46 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
Skokie River Prairie Land and Water Reserve38 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
DirectionsRavine Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
DirectionsPrairie Preserve on Belle Foret Drive5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Prairie Preserve on Belle Foret Drive
Artesian Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSanctuary Park8 acres
Carolyn Goetz Wetlands Preserve7 acres · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
Mawman Park3 acres
Blair Park3 acres
DirectionsRockland Wetlands2 acres · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
DirectionsMoffet Woods2 acres · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
Dwyer Woods2 acres · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
DirectionsSunrise Park2 acres
Village Green2 acres
DirectionsBirch Park1 acres
Who protects it
680 conserved acres
26% of Lake Bluff’s land. Who manages Lake Bluff’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city427 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits176 ac
Regional agency106 ac
State conservation24 ac
Private owners2 ac
State Conservation Area · 235 acConservation Easement · 200 acLocal Recreation Area · 149 acLocal Park · 104 acLocal Conservation Area · 47 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 145 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Bluff Golf Club Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 149 | Open |
| Blair Woods State Conservation Area | Town or city | 114 | Open |
| Tangley Oaks Woods State Conservation Area | Town or city | 81 | Open |
| Oriole Grove Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 45 | Open |
| Skokie River Prairie Reserve Local Park | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| Lake Bluff Woods State Conservation Area | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Sunrise Park And Beach Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| Artesian Park Local Park | Regional agency | 11 | Open |
| Blair Park Local Park | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Sanctuary Park Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
4 places to go in Lake Bluff
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lake Bluff
Sunrise Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Lake Bluff
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.9 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Tennis
10Pickleball
4Baseball
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Lake Bluff: 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) | 31 | 35 | 45 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 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 Lake Bluff →
Next door
Lake Bluff and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lake Forest35 miShields Township26 miLibertyville Township17 miNorth Chicago7.4 miLake Bluff5.8 miKnollwood0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Bluff | 26% | 1.4 | 81 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Shields Township | 14% | 1.5 | 25 | 99% | A |
| Knollwood | 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 96% | C |
| North Chicago | 9% | 0.9 | 20 | 99% | A |
| Lake Forest | 14% | 2.0 | 52 | 94% | A+ |
| Libertyville Township | 25% | 0.5 | 55 | 97% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lake Bluff
Where can I hike in Lake Bluff?
The longest trail networks: Oriole Grove Forest Preserve, 0.9 miles; Skokie River Prairie Land and Water Reserve, 0.8 miles; Ravine Park, 0.3 miles; Prairie Preserve on Belle Foret Drive, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lake Bluff is conserved land?
26% 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 Lake Bluff’s trails?
Oriole Grove Forest Preserve and Skokie River Prairie Land and Water Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lake Bluff?
6.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.9 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lake Bluff?
16,336 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lake Bluff or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 490 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lake Bluff have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 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 Lake Bluff 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 →