Bartel Grassland Land and Water Reserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
623 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rich Township
11% of Rich Township’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
11% of Rich Township’s land is conserved, about 2,468 acres. 29 miles of mapped trail cross Rich Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bartel Grassland Land and Water Reserve (2.2 mi), Central Park (1.3 mi), Bicentennial Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #155 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
2,468 acres · of 36.4 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
913 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
1.3 mi lanes · 14 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Rich Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rich Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rich Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #155 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rich Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (913 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home96% 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 83%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 80%
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
The longest trail network is Bartel Grassland Land and Water Reserve, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bicentennial Park
Managed by Olympia Fields Park District
13 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Glaeser Park
Park
30 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Tolentine Park
Managed by Olympia Fields Park District
11 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Notre Dame Park
Managed by Matteson Park District
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 44 parks & preserves
Bartel Grassland Land and Water Reserve623 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsCentral Park88 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBicentennial Park13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Olympia Fields Park District
DirectionsGlaeser Park30 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Klawitter Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsOakwood Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsTolentine Park11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Olympia Fields Park District
DirectionsNotre Dame Park8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Matteson Park District
Governors Trail Park33 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSergeant Means Park20 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Olympia Fields Park District
Krotiak Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Ballantrae Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Jones Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Wulf Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Flossmoor Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Homewood-Flossmoor Park District
DirectionsArcadia Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Marylakes Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Park Forest Rail Fan Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsButterfield Creek Headwaters Land and Water Reserve145 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Keokuk Park28 acres
Winnebago Park28 acres
Woodgate Park17 acres
DirectionsAllemong Park17 acres
Wildwood Park17 acres
Somonauk Park16 acres
Pierce Park12 acres
Memorial Park11 acres · Matteson Park District
Old Plank Road Prairie Nature Preserve9 acres
DirectionsLogan Park8 acres
Cypress Park7 acres
Indiana Park7 acres
Illinois Park5 acres
Goldberg Park5 acres · Homewood-Flossmoor Park District
Highland Park5 acres · Homewood-Flossmor Park District
Pinewood Park5 acres · Homewood-Flossmoor Park District
Leavitt Avenue Park5 acres · Homewood-Flossmoor Park District
DirectionsMarycrest Park4 acres
Maynegaite Park4 acres
Onarga Park4 acres
Marquette Park4 acres
Greenfield Park4 acres
Dewey Helmick Nature Preserve Addition to Old Plank Road Prairie Nature Preserve Buffer4 acres
Veterans Memorial Park2 acres
Shabbona Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,468 conserved acres
11% of Rich Township’s land. Who manages Rich Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation1,644 ac
Town or city570 ac
Regional agency236 ac
Private owners110 ac
Other state land3 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,644 acLocal Park · 652 acUnknown · 154 acPrivate Conservation · 91 acState Conservation Area · 19 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,552 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coyote Run Golf Course Unknown | Town or city | 140 | Open |
| Butterfield Creek Headwaters Land And Water Reserve Private Conservation | Private owners | 91 | Closed |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Keokuk Park Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Spirit Trail Park Local Park | Regional agency | 36 | Open |
| Glaeser Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Irons Oaks Park Local Park | Regional agency | 33 | Open |
| Dynasty Trails Local Park | Regional agency | 32 | Open |
| Winnebago Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Governors Trail Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
38 places to go in Rich Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Rich Township
McDonald's PlayPlace
Directions36 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Rich Township
Winnebago Dog ParkIn Winnebago Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Rich Township
Vollmer Road Grove Picnic Shelter Grove 1
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.0 mi
Tinley Creek Yellow Paved Spur0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
14 mi
off-road bike paths
5.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Olympia Fields Path SystemBike route
2.1 miCourts & fields
59Tennis
27Baseball
8Soccer
6Football
6Basketball
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rich 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 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 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 Rich Township →
Next door
Rich Township and its neighbors
Rich Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rich Township29 miBloom Township29 miBremen Township23 miFrankfort Township22 miHomewood5.2 miMatteson3.1 miFlossmoor1.1 miFrankfort Square0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Township | 11% | 0.8 | 12 | 96% | A− |
| Frankfort Township | 6% | 0.6 | 20 | 98% | A− |
| Bremen Township | 6% | 0.6 | 10 | 98% | B+ |
| Bloom Township | 3% | 0.6 | 10 | 92% | B+ |
| Matteson | 4% | 0.3 | 8 | 99% | B+ |
| Flossmoor | 8% | 0.3 | 21 | 99% | A− |
| Homewood | 5% | 1.0 | 18 | 99% | A |
| Frankfort Square | 11% | 0.2 | 20 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rich Township
Where can I hike in Rich Township?
The longest trail networks: Bartel Grassland Land and Water Reserve, 2.2 miles; Central Park, 1.3 miles; Bicentennial Park, 0.5 miles; Glaeser Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rich Township is conserved land?
11% 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 Rich Township’s trails?
Bartel Grassland Land and Water Reserve and Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rich Township?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes, 14 of off-road paths and 5.6 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Olympia Fields Path System.
Is there public land near Rich Township?
9,945 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rich Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 921 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rich Township have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #155 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 Rich 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 →