Photo: Teemu08 · CC BY-SA 3.06% of Mokena’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Hecht Park (0.7 mi). 5.3 miles of mapped trail cross Mokena, 0.6 per square mile of land. 6% of Mokena’s land is conserved, about 322 acres.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #220 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Mokena?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Mokena have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mokena is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #220 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident 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 Hecht Park, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hickory Creek Preserve
Buske Park
The Oaks Disc Golf Course
All 14 parks & preserves
322 conserved acres
6% of Mokena’s land. Who manages Mokena’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 60 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mokena Park Local Park | Regional agency | 80 | Open |
| Marley Creek Park Local Park | Regional agency | 53 | Open |
| Buske Park Local Park | Regional agency | 24 | Open |
| Hecht Park Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
| Grasmere Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Green Meadows Park Local Park | Regional agency | 11 | Open |
| Fox Ridge Park Local Park | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
| Willowview Park Local Park | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Mcgovney Park Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
11 places to go in Mokena
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
3 lakes & rivers
8.4 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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Mokena: April 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) | 32 | 36 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 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 Mokena →
Mokena and its neighbors
Mokena has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mokena | 6% | 0.6 | 16 | 96% | A− |
| Tinley Park | 4% | 0.8 | 10 | 93% | B+ |
| Frankfort | 5% | 0.1 | 26 | 99% | B+ |
| New Lenox | 6% | 0.1 | 22 | 95% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mokena
Where can I hike in Mokena?
The longest trail networks: Hecht Park, 0.7 miles; Hickory Creek Preserve, 0.3 miles; Buske Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mokena 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 Mokena’s trails?
Hecht Park and Hickory Creek Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mokena?
8.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mokena?
11,057 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mokena or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 324 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mokena have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #220 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 Mokena 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 →