Photo: Dwatling98 · CC BY-SA 4.0McHenry has 619 acres of parks, 22 for every 1,000 residents
90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 7.7 miles of mapped trail cross McHenry, 0.5 per square mile of land. 3% of McHenry’s land is conserved, about 313 acres.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #283 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is McHenry?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does McHenry have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, McHenry is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #283 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
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 Fox Ridge Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 30 parks & preserves
313 conserved acres
3% of McHenry’s land. Who manages McHenry’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 8 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersen Farm Local Park | Town or city | 118 | Open |
| Cold Springs Park Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Millers Riverfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Knox Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Wheeler Fen Land and Water Reserve Private Conservation | Private owners | 27 | Closed |
| Stickney Run 16 State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 16 | Restricted |
| Hickory Creek Farm Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Liberty Trails Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Mchenry Shores Beach Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
50 places to go in McHenry
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
39 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
7 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
3 lakes & rivers
8.5 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.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in McHenry: 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) | 30 | 34 | 46 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in McHenry →
McHenry and its neighbors
McHenry has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McHenry | 3% | 0.5 | 22 | 90% | B+ |
| Wonder Lake | 3% | 1.3 | 15 | 83% | B+ |
| Johnsburg | 7% | 0.1 | 18 | 77% | B |
| Bull Valley | 9% | 0.3 | 15 | 42% | B |
| Prairie Grove | 6% | 0.3 | 5 | 16% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in McHenry
Where can I hike in McHenry?
The longest trail networks: Fox Ridge Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of McHenry 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 McHenry’s trails?
Fox Ridge Park and Petersen Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in McHenry?
8.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near McHenry?
23,740 acres of parks and open public land lie inside McHenry or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 619 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does McHenry have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #283 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 McHenry 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 →