Zoo Woods
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
62 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nmaviano · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Riverside
5% of Riverside’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross Riverside, 0.6 per square mile of land. 5% of Riverside’s land is conserved, about 68 acres.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #206 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
68 acres · of 2.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
104 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.7 mi
0.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Riverside?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Riverside have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Riverside is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #206 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Riverside’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (104 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 73%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Robinson Park
Managed by Riverside Park District
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Big Ball Park
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Patriots Park
Managed by Riverside Park District
2 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Patriots Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Riverside Park District
Centennial Plaza1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBlythe Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Zoo Woods62 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsRobinson Park6 acres · Riverside Park District
Big Ball Park4 acres
Guthrie Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
68 conserved acres
5% of Riverside’s land. Who manages Riverside’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city65 ac
Regional agency3 ac
Local Park · 68 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Gardens Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Swan Pond Local Park | Town or city | 14 | 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 |
| Patriots Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Guthrie Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
23 places to go in Riverside
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Riverside
Playground - Esat
DirectionsTurtle Park
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Riverside
Dulphin Underwater Viewing
DirectionsPlus 12 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Riverside
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Tennis
6Baseball
3Soccer
1Softball
1Pickleball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Riverside: 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 →
Next door
Riverside and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lyons Township27 miRiverside Township7.4 miNorth Riverside5.4 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 | 5% | 0.6 | 11 | 99%+ | A− |
| Lyons | 1% | 0.9 | 2 | 95% | B− |
| Riverside Township | 9% | 1.8 | 9 | 98% | A |
| North Riverside | 14% | 3.3 | 6 | 96% | A |
| Lyons Township | 3% | 0.8 | 7 | 98% | B+ |
| Brookfield | 4% | 0.6 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Riverside
Where can I hike in Riverside?
The longest trail networks: Patriots Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Riverside 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 Riverside’s trails?
Zoo Woods and Robinson Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Riverside?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Riverside?
9,602 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Riverside or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 104 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Riverside have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #206 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 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 →