Birchwood Park
Managed by Palatine Park District
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
George Clayson House · Photo: G LeTourneau · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Palatine
5% of Palatine’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
6.8 miles of mapped trail cross Palatine, 0.5 per square mile of land. 5% of Palatine’s land is conserved, about 449 acres. 508 acres are parks and preserves, 7.7 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #306 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
449 acres · of 14.1 sq mi of land
Trails
6.8 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
508 ac
7.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
23 mi
6.9 mi lanes · 15 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Palatine?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Palatine have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Palatine is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #306 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 Palatine’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land7.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (508 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 69%
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 Birchwood Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Community Park
Managed by Palatine Park District
17 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Margreth Reimer Reservoir
Managed by Palatine Park District
69 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Tom T. Hamilton Park
Managed by Palatine Park District
51 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 32 parks & preserves
Birchwood Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Palatine Park District
DirectionsCommunity Park17 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Palatine Park District
DirectionsMargreth Reimer Reservoir69 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Palatine Park District
DirectionsAspen Park17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Palatine Park District
DirectionsTom T. Hamilton Park51 acres · Palatine Park District
Birchwood Park South42 acres · Palatine Park District
DirectionsLindberg Park13 acres · Palatine Park District
DirectionsMaple Park10 acres · Palatine Park District
DirectionsOsage Park7 acres · Palatine Park District
DirectionsOak Park7 acres · Palatine Park District
DirectionsDeer Grove Forest Preserve5 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Willowwood Park5 acres · Palatine Park District
Chestnut Park5 acres · Palatine Park District
Eagle Park4 acres · Palatine Park District
Ashwood Park4 acres · Palatine Park District
Falcon Park4 acres
DirectionsSycamore Park4 acres · Palatine Park District
DirectionsHummingbird Park3 acres
DirectionsPaul Douglas Forest Preserve2 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsWinston Park2 acres · Salt Creek Rural Park District
Patridge Park2 acres · Palatine Park District
Mallard Park2 acres · Palatine Park District
Locust Park2 acres · Palatine Park District
Towne Square2 acres · Palatine Park District
DirectionsHeron Park1 acres · Palatine Park District
Whippoorwill Park1 acres · Palatine Park District
Wally Degner Park1 acres
Sparrow Park1 acres · Palatine Park District
Cedar Park1 acres · Palatine Park District
Peregrine Park1 acres · Palatine Park District
Rose Park1 acres · Salt Creek Rural Park District
Hawthorne Park1 acres · Palatine Park District
Who protects it
449 conserved acres
5% of Palatine’s land. Who manages Palatine’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency438 ac
Town or city10 ac
State conservation2 ac
Local Park · 305 acLocal Recreation Area · 91 acLocal Conservation Area · 52 acConservation Easement · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Lakes Recreational Area Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 72 | Open |
| Tom T Hamilton Park Local Park | Regional agency | 58 | Open |
| Margreth Riemer Reservoir Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 52 | Open |
| Palatine Prairie Local Park | Regional agency | 29 | Open |
| Plum Grove Reservoir Local Park | Regional agency | 21 | Open |
| Cardinal Park Local Park | Regional agency | 20 | Open |
| Dutch Schultz Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
| Community Park Local Park | Regional agency | 16 | Open |
| Celtic Park Local Park | Regional agency | 16 | Open |
| Doug Lindberg Park Local Park | Regional agency | 15 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in Palatine
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Palatine
Chickadee Park
DirectionsPlus 29 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Palatine
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
23 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
15 mi
off-road bike paths
1.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
53Tennis
31Baseball
13Soccer
6Pickleball
5Basketball
4Tracks
4Football
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Palatine
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) | 30 | 35 | 46 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Palatine →
Next door
Palatine and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Palatine Township52 miWheeling Township19 miSchaumburg18 miArlington Heights10 miPalatine6.8 miRolling Meadows2.4 miInverness1.5 miDeer Park0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palatine | 5% | 0.5 | 8 | 99% | B+ |
| Rolling Meadows | 4% | 0.4 | 7 | 93% | B |
| Inverness | 5% | 0.2 | 13 | 80% | B |
| Arlington Heights | 5% | 0.6 | 8 | 99% | B+ |
| Schaumburg | 8% | 0.9 | 15 | 99%+ | A |
| Deer Park | 20% | 0.2 | 41 | 99%+ | A |
| Palatine Township | 10% | 1.4 | 8 | 97% | A− |
| Wheeling Township | 5% | 0.5 | 9 | 98% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Palatine
Where can I hike in Palatine?
The longest trail networks: Birchwood Park, 0.4 miles; Community Park, 0.3 miles; Margreth Reimer Reservoir, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Palatine is conserved land?
5% 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 Palatine’s trails?
Birchwood Park and Community Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Palatine?
23 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.9 of painted or protected lanes, 15 of off-road paths and 1.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Palatine?
21,956 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Palatine or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 508 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Palatine have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #306 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 Palatine 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 →