Sagawau Canyon Nature Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
162 acres2.1 mi of trail
Sag TrailPrairie LoopQuarry TrailRidge Run Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Oakus53 · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lemont Township
Lemont Township has 53 miles of mapped trails, 2.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Sagawau Canyon Nature Preserve (2.1 mi), Centennial Park (1.3 mi), Heritage Woodland Sanctuary (1.2 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 201 acres are parks and preserves, 8.9 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #260 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
447 acres · of 20.4 sq mi of land
Trails
53 mi
2.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
201 ac
8.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
1.3 mi lanes · 12 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
12
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lemont Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lemont Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lemont Township is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #260 of 768 in Illinois. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lemont Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails2.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (53 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land8.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (201 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home88% 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 74%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 66%
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 Sagawau Canyon Nature Preserve, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Heritage Woodland Sanctuary
Park
65 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sag Valley Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
411 acres0.8 mi of trail
Ridge Run Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Northview Park
Park
6 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 24 parks & preserves
Sagawau Canyon Nature Preserve162 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsCentennial Park71 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHeritage Woodland Sanctuary65 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSag Valley Forest Preserve411 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsNorthview Park6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Covington North Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve77 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve54 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsBlack Partridge Woods375 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsBlack Partridge Woods Nature Preserve69 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsJohn Husar I&M Canal48 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Lemont High School Sports Complex25 acres
Eight-Towers Climbing & Zipline Adventure9 acres · The Forge Lemont Quarries
DirectionsConnemara Park5 acres
Gleneagles Park5 acres
DirectionsNeighborhood Commons3 acres
Jaycee Park2 acres
Brown Park1 acres
Kettering Estates Park1 acres
DirectionsHilltop Park1 acres
Ashbury Woods Park1 acres
Boy Scouts Training Field1 acres
DirectionsLegion Park1 acres
Carriage Park1 acres
Who protects it
447 conserved acres
3% of Lemont Township’s land. Who manages Lemont Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation304 ac
Regional agency81 ac
Town or city60 ac
Conservation Easement · 304 acLocal Park · 141 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 304 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemont Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 54 | Open |
| Northview Park Local Park | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| Covington North Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Covington Knolls Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
| Mayfair Park Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
| Connemara Park Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
| Timberline Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| Amberwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Jaycee Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Lemont Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lemont Township
14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lemont Township
Central Bark Dog ParkIn Heritage Woodland Sanctuary
DirectionsBoat launches in Lemont Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Lemont Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Lemont Township
Centennial Hill
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.3 miHorses · 6.8 miUnpaved · 19.2 mi
Sag Valley Brown Unpaved Loop2.9 mi
Orange Single Track Trail2.2 mi
Red Single Track Trail1.9 mi
Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail1.4 mi
Sag Valley Red Unpaved Trail1.4 mi
Yellow Single Track Trail1.3 mi
Blue Single Track Trail0.9 mi
Ridge Run Trail0.8 mi
Sag Trail0.6 mi
Prairie Loop0.5 mi
5 more trails
Quarry Trail
0.4 miYellow Unpaved Trail
0.2 miPurple Unpaved Trail
0.2 miBlack Single Track Spur
0.1 miSag Valley Orange Unpaved Spur
0.1 miBiking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
12 mi
off-road bike paths
0.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Sag Valley Trail SystemBike route
4.3 miIllinois and Michigan Canal TrailBike route
2.2 miOrange LoopBike route
2.2 miCourts & fields
13Tennis
12Baseball
7Basketball
4Soccer
4Pickleball
1Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
St. James Catholic Church and CemeterySite · listed 1984
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Lemont Township: 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 36 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Lemont Township →
Next door
Lemont Township and its neighbors
Lemont Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Palos Township80 miLemont Township53 miDowners Grove Township51 miHomer Township25 miHomer Glen15 miLemont13 miWoodridge8.0 miWillow Springs1.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemont Township | 3% | 2.6 | 9 | 88% | B+ |
| Downers Grove Township | 13% | 1.0 | 26 | 99% | A |
| Palos Township | 15% | 2.4 | 6 | 84% | A− |
| Willow Springs | 1% | 0.3 | 6 | 95% | B− |
| Homer Township | 5% | 0.7 | 10 | 72% | B |
| Homer Glen | 5% | 0.7 | 11 | 59% | B |
| Lemont | 7% | 1.4 | 26 | 97% | A |
| Woodridge | 10% | 0.8 | 15 | 97% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lemont Township
Where can I hike in Lemont Township?
The longest trail networks: Sagawau Canyon Nature Preserve, 2.1 miles; Centennial Park, 1.3 miles; Heritage Woodland Sanctuary, 1.2 miles; Sag Valley Forest Preserve, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lemont Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Lemont Township’s trails?
Sagawau Canyon Nature Preserve and Centennial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lemont Township?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes, 12 of off-road paths and 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Sag Valley Trail System, Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail and Orange Loop.
Is there public land near Lemont Township?
19,474 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lemont Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 202 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lemont Township have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #260 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 Lemont 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 →