Commons Park
Managed by North Riverside Parks and Recreation Department
22 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nmaviano · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Riverside Township
Riverside Township has 7.4 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Commons Park (0.5 mi). 9% of Riverside Township’s land is conserved, about 222 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #124 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
222 acres · of 4.0 sq mi of land
Trails
7.4 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
146 ac
9.0 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.7 mi
1.0 mi lanes · 2.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Riverside Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Riverside Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Riverside Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #124 of 768 in Illinois. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Riverside Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land9.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (146 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home98% 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 86%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 84%
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 Commons Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
McCormick Woods Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
104 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto North Lion Lot
National Grove Woods Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
72 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Brookfield Woods Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
70 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
All 15 parks & preserves
Commons Park22 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · North Riverside Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsMcCormick Woods Preserve104 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsBrookfield Woods Preserve70 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsKiwanis Park20 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPatriots Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Riverside Park District
DirectionsCentennial Plaza1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNational Grove Woods Preserve72 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsVeterans Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · North Riverside Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsZoo Woods62 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsCallahan Grove Preserve10 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsRobinson Park7 acres · Riverside Park District
Big Ball Park5 acres
White Eagle Woods North3 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Blythe Park2 acres
Guthrie Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
222 conserved acres
9% of Riverside Township’s land. Who manages Riverside Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners123 ac
Town or city96 ac
Regional agency3 ac
Private Park · 123 acLocal Park · 99 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 123 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Veterans Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Swan Pond Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Commons Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Kiwanis South Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Harrington Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Big Ball Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Blythe Park Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
108 places to go in Riverside Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Riverside Township
Animal Homes Adventure Play
DirectionsPlayground - Esat
DirectionsPlayground - West
DirectionsTurtle Park
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Riverside Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Riverside Township
Den Viewing Area
DirectionsDulphin Underwater Viewing
DirectionsGolden Lion Tamarins Summer Treehouse
DirectionsUnder Water Viewing Area
Directions82 scenic views are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Picnic areas in Riverside Township
Andrew Toman Woods Picnic Shelter Grove 6In National Grove Woods Preserve
DirectionsBeer Garden
DirectionsBrookfield Woods Picnic Shelter Grove 1In Brookfield Woods Preserve
DirectionsMcCormick Woods Picnic Shelter Grove 1In McCormick Woods Preserve
DirectionsNational Grove Picnic Grove 2In National Grove Woods Preserve
DirectionsNational Grove Picnic Shelter Grove 1In National Grove Woods Preserve
DirectionsNational Grove Picnic Shelter Grove 3In National Grove Woods Preserve
DirectionsPicnic Areas - East
Directions2 more picnic areas
Safari Picnics North
DirectionsThe SpotIn National Grove Woods Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
8Tennis
2Basketball
2Soccer
1Beach volleyball
1Football
1Softball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Riverside Township: April, July 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 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Riverside Township →
Next door
Riverside Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lyons Township27 miProviso Township23 miRiverside Township7.4 miBerwyn2.2 miBerwyn Township2.2 miLyons2.0 miBrookfield1.7 miRiverside1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Township | 9% | 1.8 | 9 | 98% | A |
| Lyons Township | 3% | 0.8 | 7 | 98% | B+ |
| Lyons | 1% | 0.9 | 2 | 95% | B− |
| Riverside | 5% | 0.6 | 11 | 99%+ | A− |
| Proviso Township | 3% | 0.8 | 2 | 99%+ | B |
| Brookfield | 4% | 0.6 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Berwyn | 2% | 0.6 | 1 | 99%+ | B− |
| Berwyn Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Riverside Township
Where can I hike in Riverside Township?
The longest trail networks: Commons Park, 0.5 miles; McCormick Woods Preserve, 0.2 miles; National Grove Woods Preserve, 0.1 miles; Brookfield Woods Preserve, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Riverside Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Riverside Township’s trails?
Commons Park and McCormick Woods Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Riverside Township?
3.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of painted or protected lanes and 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Riverside Township?
10,518 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Riverside Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 146 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Riverside Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #124 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 Riverside 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 →