Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
291 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Oakus53 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Lemont
7% of Lemont’s land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
13 miles of mapped trail cross Lemont, 1.4 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (2.5 mi), Centennial Park (1.4 mi), Heritage Woodland Sanctuary (1.2 mi). 468 acres are parks and preserves, 26 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #73 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
419 acres · of 9.1 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
468 ac
26 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
1.3 mi lanes · 9.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Lemont?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lemont have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lemont is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #73 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lemont’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land26 acres of park per 1,000 residents (468 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 91%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 91%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Centennial Park
Park
57 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Heritage Woodland Sanctuary
Park
63 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Northview Park
Park
6 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 19 parks & preserves
Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve291 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsCentennial Park57 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Heritage Woodland Sanctuary63 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBambrick Park56 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthview Park6 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Covington North Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLemont High School Sports Complex25 acres
Eight-Towers Climbing & Zipline Adventure8 acres · The Forge Lemont Quarries
DirectionsSag Valley Forest Preserve6 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
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
DirectionsVirginia Reed Park1 acres
Who protects it
419 conserved acres
7% of Lemont’s land. Who manages Lemont’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency356 ac
Town or city60 ac
Local Conservation Area · 227 acLocal Park · 188 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterfall Glen Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 227 | Open |
| Lemont Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 55 | Open |
| Bambrick Park Local Park | Regional agency | 47 | 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 |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Lemont
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lemont
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lemont
Central Bark Dog ParkIn Heritage Woodland Sanctuary
DirectionsBoat launches in Lemont
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Lemont
SEPA Station weirs
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.0 miUnpaved · 5.8 mi
Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail1.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 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
9.2 mi
off-road bike paths
0.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Illinois and Michigan Canal TrailBike route
3 miCourts & fields
15Baseball
12Tennis
7Basketball
4Pickleball
3Soccer
1Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Lemont: 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 →
Next door
Lemont and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lemont Township53 miDowners Grove Township51 miPalos Park29 miRomeoville18 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 | 7% | 1.4 | 26 | 97% | A |
| Palos Park | under 1% | 4.7 | 5 | 54% | B− |
| Willow Springs | 1% | 0.3 | 6 | 95% | B− |
| Woodridge | 10% | 0.8 | 15 | 97% | A |
| Romeoville | 10% | 0.9 | 22 | 99% | A |
| Lemont Township | 3% | 2.6 | 9 | 88% | B+ |
| Downers Grove Township | 13% | 1.0 | 26 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lemont
Where can I hike in Lemont?
The longest trail networks: Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, 2.5 miles; Centennial Park, 1.4 miles; Heritage Woodland Sanctuary, 1.2 miles; Bambrick Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lemont is conserved land?
7% 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’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lemont?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes, 9.2 of off-road paths and 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail.
Is there public land near Lemont?
19,379 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lemont or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 468 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lemont have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #73 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 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 →