Photo: David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA · CC BY 2.012% of Park Forest’s land is conserved: 373 acres
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Central Park (1.3 mi). 3.1 miles of mapped trail cross Park Forest, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #193 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Park Forest?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Park Forest have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Park Forest is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #193 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land 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 Central Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Krotiak Park
Keokuk Park
Winnebago Park
All 19 parks & preserves
373 conserved acres
12% of Park Forest’s land. Who manages Park Forest’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 166 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Keokuk Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Winnebago Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Somonauk Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Krotiak Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Indiana Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Park Forest Aqua Center Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Illinois Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Logan Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Onarga Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
14 places to go in Park Forest
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
7.7 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.
The best walking months in Park Forest: 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 | 63 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Park Forest →
Park Forest 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Forest | 12% | 0.6 | 12 | 94% | A− |
| University Park | 10% | 1.0 | 25 | 95% | A |
| Matteson | 4% | 0.3 | 8 | 99% | B+ |
| Richton Park | 3% | 0.4 | 8 | 99% | B |
| Olympia Fields | 7% | 1.6 | 30 | 99% | A |
| Chicago Heights | 3% | 0.3 | 8 | 97% | B |
| Monee Township | 5% | 0.4 | 14 | 79% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Park Forest
Where can I hike in Park Forest?
The longest trail networks: Central Park, 1.3 miles; Krotiak Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Park Forest is conserved land?
12% 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 Park Forest’s trails?
Central Park and Krotiak Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Park Forest?
7.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes, 1.6 of off-road paths and 4.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Park Forest?
7,061 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Park Forest or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 252 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Park Forest have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #193 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 Park Forest 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 →