Higginbotham Woods
Managed by Joliet Park District
234 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nlpictures · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in New Lenox Township
New Lenox Township has 1,565 acres of parks, 35 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Higginbotham Woods (0.8 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 8% of New Lenox Township’s land is conserved, about 1,782 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #304 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,782 acres · of 35.9 sq mi of land
Trails
3.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,565 ac
35 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
31 mi
31 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is New Lenox Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Lenox Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Lenox Township is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #304 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Lenox Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land35 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,565 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home89% 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 70%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 60%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Higginbotham Woods, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Crystal Springs Park
Park
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pilcher Park
Managed by Joliet Park District
455 acres0.1 mi of trail
Artesian Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 30 parks & preserves
Higginbotham Woods234 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Joliet Park District
DirectionsPalmer Valley Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCrystal Springs Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Schoolhouse Manor Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Sky Harbor Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Pilcher Park455 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Joliet Park District
DirectionsHickory Creek Preserve233 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Will County
DirectionsSharon's Bay Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hadley Valley Preserve385 acres · Forest Preserve District of Will County
DirectionsPotawatomi Woods118 acres · Forest Preserve District of Will County
DirectionsFox Ridge Park28 acres
Walker Country Estates Park13 acres
Walona Park9 acres
DirectionsLeigh Creek South Park8 acres
Haines Wayside Park8 acres
Freedom Park7 acres
DirectionsLions Park6 acres
DirectionsJacob Lowell Park6 acres
Wildflower Park5 acres
Fieldstone Park5 acres
DirectionsCorcoran Park5 acres
Wildwood Park4 acres
DirectionsLaurel Meadow4 acres
DirectionsTaylor Glen Park3 acres · New Lenox Community Park District
Lower Spring Creek County Forest Preserve2 acres
Royal Meadows Park2 acres
Spencer Park1 acres
Boulder Ridge North Park1 acres
Woodmere Tot Lot1 acres
Riivendell Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,782 conserved acres
8% of New Lenox Township’s land. Who manages New Lenox Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,053 ac
State conservation626 ac
Town or city338 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits92 ac
Local Park · 952 acConservation Easement · 719 acLocal Recreation Area · 230 acLocal Conservation Area · 113 acUnknown · 89 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 398 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilcher Park Local Park | Regional agency | 383 | Open |
| Higinbotham Woods Local Park | Regional agency | 237 | Open |
| Sanctuary Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 224 | Open |
| Potawatomi Woods Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 113 | Open |
| Woodruff Golf Course Unknown | Town or city | 88 | Open |
| Crystal Springs Park Local Park | Regional agency | 50 | Open |
| Bentley/ Tyler Athletic Fields Local Park | Regional agency | 50 | Open |
| Stonebridge Park Local Park | Regional agency | 27 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Regional agency | 27 | Open |
| Countryview/Royal Meadows Park Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in New Lenox Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in New Lenox Township
Taylor Glen Park PlaygroundIn Taylor Glen Park
Directionsschool playground
DirectionsPlus 13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in New Lenox Township
Hickory Creek Barrens Nature PreserveIn Hickory Creek Preserve
DirectionsBiking & sports
31 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
31 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
42Baseball
25Tennis
5Basketball
2Football
2Soccer
2Volleyball
1Skate park
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in New Lenox Township: 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 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 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 New Lenox Township →
Next door
New Lenox Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Homer Township25 miFrankfort Township22 miJoliet Township5.4 miNew Lenox Township3.9 miFrankfort2.1 miManhattan Township2.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Lenox Township | 8% | 0.1 | 35 | 89% | B+ |
| Frankfort Township | 6% | 0.6 | 20 | 98% | A− |
| Joliet Township | 3% | 0.2 | 8 | 91% | B− |
| Frankfort | 5% | 0.1 | 26 | 99% | B+ |
| Homer Township | 5% | 0.7 | 10 | 72% | B |
| Manhattan Township | 4% | 0.1 | 18 | 72% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in New Lenox Township
Where can I hike in New Lenox Township?
The longest trail networks: Higginbotham Woods, 0.8 miles; Palmer Valley Park, 0.4 miles; Crystal Springs Park, 0.3 miles; Pilcher Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Lenox Township is conserved land?
8% 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 New Lenox Township’s trails?
Higginbotham Woods and Palmer Valley Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in New Lenox Township?
31 miles of bike routes are on the map: 31 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near New Lenox Township?
26,259 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Lenox Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,657 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does New Lenox Township have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #304 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 New Lenox Township 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 →