Reed Turner Woodland
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
22 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Long Grove
Long Grove has 15 miles of mapped trails, 1.2 for every square mile of land
441 acres are parks and preserves, 53 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Reed Turner Woodland (1.1 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #98 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
485 acres · of 12.4 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
441 ac
53 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.9 mi
2.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Long Grove?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Long Grove have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Long Grove is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #98 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 Long Grove’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land53 acres of park per 1,000 residents (441 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−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 88%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 87%
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 Reed Turner Woodland, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Heron Creek Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
123 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
65 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Reed Turner Woodland22 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsBuffalo Creek Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHeron Creek Forest Preserve123 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsBuffalo Creek Forest Preserve65 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsLong Grove Soccer Park7 acres
DirectionsCrossing Pond Park5 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Sullivan Woods4 acres
Who protects it
485 conserved acres
6% of Long Grove’s land. Who manages Long Grove’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency417 ac
State conservation65 ac
Town or city51 ac
Private owners4 ac
Local Park · 362 acConservation Easement · 77 acState Conservation Area · 53 acLocal Conservation Area · 43 acUnknown · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herons Landing Park Local Park | Regional agency | 59 | Open |
| Longview Meadows Park Local Park | Regional agency | 57 | Open |
| Reed-Turner Woodland Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Oak Hills Local Park | Regional agency | 48 | Open |
| Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 43 | Open |
| Gridley Farm Local Park | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
| Stockbridge Wetland Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
| Wehrenberg Woods Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
| Stonehaven Park Local Park | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
| Lemmon-Hill Park Local Park | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in Long Grove
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Long Grove
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Long Grove
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Long Grove
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
3Soccer
3Baseball
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Long Grove
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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Long Grove →
Next door
Long Grove and its neighbors
Long Grove has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Grove | 6% | 1.2 | 53 | 88% | A |
| Buffalo Grove | 8% | 0.4 | 12 | 99%+ | A− |
| Mundelein | 9% | 1.0 | 20 | 96% | A |
| Kildeer | 6% | 1.9 | 36 | 73% | A− |
| Vernon Hills | 12% | 0.8 | 28 | 99% | A |
| Hawthorn Woods | 4% | 0.2 | 24 | 95% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Long Grove
Where can I hike in Long Grove?
The longest trail networks: Reed Turner Woodland, 1.1 miles; Buffalo Creek Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Long Grove is conserved land?
6% 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 Long Grove’s trails?
Reed Turner Woodland and Buffalo Creek Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Long Grove?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Long Grove?
22,571 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Long Grove or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 444 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Long Grove have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #98 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 Long Grove 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 →