Golf Mill Park
Managed by Niles Park District
10 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Miroslaw Mucha · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Niles
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Niles
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Golf Mill Park (0.8 mi). 4.0 miles of mapped trail cross Niles, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #375 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
103 acres · of 5.8 sq mi of land
Trails
4.0 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
111 ac
3.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.1 mi
0.7 mi lanes · 5.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Niles?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Niles have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Niles is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #375 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Niles’ overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land3.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (111 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13CParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 63%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 51%
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 Golf Mill Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
66 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Caldwell Preserves
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
145 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Ballard Park
Managed by Niles Park District
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 18 parks & preserves
Golf Mill Park10 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Niles Park District
DirectionsForest Preserve District of Cook County66 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsCaldwell Preserves145 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsPioneer Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Niles Park District
DirectionsOak Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Niles Park District
Oakton Manor Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Niles Park District
Ballard Park9 acres · Niles Park District
DirectionsJonquil Terrace Park5 acres · Niles Park District
DirectionsOasis Water Park4 acres · Niles Park District
DirectionsGrennan Heights Park4 acres · Niles Park District
Kirk Lane Park3 acres · Niles Park District
DirectionsCourtland Park3 acres · Niles Park District
Washington Terrace Park3 acres · Niles Park District
DirectionsFrank Bobrytzke Forest2 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Wetlands2 acres · Niles Park District
DirectionsNico Park2 acres · Niles Park District
DirectionsLeaning Tower Plaza1 acres
DirectionsPoint Park1 acres · Niles Park District
Who protects it
103 conserved acres
3% of Niles’ land. Who manages Niles’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency52 ac
Town or city51 ac
Local Park · 50 acUnknown · 42 acLocal Recreation Area · 9 acLocal Conservation Area · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf View Recreation Center Unknown | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Iceland Skate Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 9 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| Oak Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Jonquil Terrace Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Oasis Fun Center Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Courtland Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Golf Mill Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Grennan Heights Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| Kirk Lane Park Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Niles
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Niles
16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Niles
Bunker Hill Picnic Shelter Grove 2In Caldwell Preserves
DirectionsBunker Hill Picnic Shelter Grove 3In Caldwell Preserves
DirectionsBunker Hill Picnic Shelter Grove 4In Caldwell Preserves
DirectionsBunker Hill Picnic Shelter Grove 5In Caldwell Preserves
DirectionsBunker Hill Picnic Shelter Grove 6In Caldwell Preserves
DirectionsBunker Hill Picnic Shelter Grove 7In Caldwell Preserves
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Niles
Niles Community Rain GardenVillage of Niles
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.9 mi
off-road bike paths
2.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Tennis
9Baseball
8Basketball
6Pickleball
5Soccer
1Skate park
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Leaning Tower of Niles, TheStructure · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Niles: 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 46 | 58 | 70 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
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 Niles →
Next door
Niles and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chicago242 miNiles Township30 miGlenview27 miMorton Grove11 miSkokie9.8 miPark Ridge7.8 miNiles4.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niles | 3% | 0.7 | 4 | 99%+ | B |
| Morton Grove | 2% | 2.1 | 3 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Chicago | 8% | 1.1 | 4 | 99% | A− |
| Niles Township | 7% | 1.4 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| Park Ridge | 3% | 1.1 | 4 | 97% | B+ |
| Glenview | 10% | 1.9 | 16 | 96% | A |
| Skokie | 8% | 1.0 | 5 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Niles
Where can I hike in Niles?
The longest trail networks: Golf Mill Park, 0.8 miles; Forest Preserve District of Cook County, 0.4 miles; Caldwell Preserves, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Niles 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 Niles’ trails?
Golf Mill Park and Forest Preserve District of Cook County don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Niles?
9.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of painted or protected lanes, 5.9 of off-road paths and 2.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Niles?
11,861 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Niles or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 112 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Niles have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #375 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 Niles 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 →