MacArthur Woods Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
441 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Des Plaines River Trail Parking Access
Adlai E. Stevenson II Farm · Photo: Teemu08 · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Mettawa
More than half of Mettawa’s land is conserved: 50%
50% of Mettawa’s land is conserved, about 1,757 acres. 523 acres are parks and preserves, 789 per 1,000 residents. 1.9 miles of mapped trail cross Mettawa, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
50%
1,757 acres · of 5.5 sq mi of land
Trails
1.9 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
523 ac
789 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.5 mi
8.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Grainger Woods Conservation Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
314 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Old School Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
57 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Old School Shelter A&B LotWebsite ↗
Middlefork Savanna Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
55 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,757 conserved acres
50% of Mettawa’s land. Who manages Mettawa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,450 ac
State conservation839 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits197 ac
State natural resources53 ac
Town or city48 ac
Private owners11 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,121 acLocal Park · 578 acLocal Conservation Area · 452 acState Conservation Area · 408 acOther Easement · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 307 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granger Woods Forest Preserve Local Park | Regional agency | 578 | Open |
| MacArthur Woods Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 408 | Closed |
| Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 226 | Open |
| Old School Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 155 | Open |
| Middlefork Savanna Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 53 | Open |
| MacArthur Woods Private Conservation | Private owners | 11 | Closed |
| Oasis Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Old School Road Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Mettawa: 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 46 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Mettawa →
Next door
Mettawa and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mettawa | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Libertyville | 12% | 0.2 | 32 | 99%+ | A |
| Lake Forest | 14% | 2.0 | 52 | 94% | A+ |
| Vernon Hills | 12% | 0.8 | 28 | 99% | A |
| Green Oaks | 8% | 0.5 | 39 | 87% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mettawa
Are dogs allowed on Mettawa’s trails?
MacArthur Woods Forest Preserve and Grainger Woods Conservation Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mettawa?
8.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mettawa?
18,580 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mettawa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 523 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Mettawa 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 →