Fox River Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
212 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Port Barrington
7% of Port Barrington’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
1.3 miles of mapped trail cross Port Barrington, 1.1 per square mile of land. 39 acres are parks and preserves, 27 per 1,000 residents. 7% of Port Barrington’s land is conserved, about 56 acres.
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
56 acres · of 1.2 sq mi of land
Trails
1.3 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
39 ac
27 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.8 mi
2.8 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Port Barrington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Port Barrington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Port Barrington is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Port Barrington’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land27 acres of park per 1,000 residents (39 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+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 91%
LessMore
Water is 12% of Port Barrington’s area (0 of 1 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
56 conserved acres
7% of Port Barrington’s land. Water is left out: Port Barrington has 1.2 square miles of land and 0.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Port Barrington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city37 ac
Private owners18 ac
Local Park · 37 acPrivate Conservation · 18 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Trail Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Lyons Prairie and Marsh Private Conservation | Private owners | 18 | Closed |
Things to do
3 places to go in Port Barrington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Port Barrington
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Port Barrington
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Port Barrington
Fox River Youth Group Camping AreaIn Fox River Forest Preserve · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsBiking & sports
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Port Barrington
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 | 34 | 46 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Port Barrington →
Next door
Port Barrington and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Algonquin Township52 miNunda Township38 miCuba Township11 miWauconda Township1.9 miIsland Lake1.4 miPort Barrington1.3 miLake Barrington1.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Barrington | 7% | 1.1 | 27 | 99% | A |
| Lake Barrington | 9% | 0.2 | 35 | 67% | B+ |
| Cuba Township | 9% | 0.5 | 31 | 72% | A− |
| Algonquin Township | 12% | 1.1 | 40 | 99% | A |
| Wauconda Township | 5% | 0.1 | 14 | 81% | B− |
| Island Lake | 16% | 0.4 | 10 | 96% | A− |
| Nunda Township | 16% | 0.8 | 63 | 73% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Port Barrington
How much of Port Barrington is conserved land?
7% 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 Port Barrington’s trails?
Fox River Forest Preserve doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Port Barrington?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Port Barrington?
15,968 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Port Barrington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 39 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Port Barrington have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Port Barrington 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 →