Photo: Busjack · CC BY-SA 3.0Riverwoods has 11 miles of mapped trails, 2.6 for every square mile of land
250 acres are parks and preserves, 62 per 1,000 residents. 13% of Riverwoods’ land is conserved, about 328 acres. The biggest trail networks: Discover Financial Park (1.6 mi), Edward L Ryerson Conservation Area (1 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #42 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Riverwoods?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Riverwoods have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Riverwoods is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #42 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park 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 Discover Financial Park, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Edward L Ryerson Conservation Area
Cahokia Flatwoods Forest Preserve
328 conserved acres
13% of Riverwoods’ land. Who manages Riverwoods’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deerfield Park District Golf Club Unknown | Town or city | 146 | Open |
| Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | County | 137 | Open |
| Cahokia Flatwoods Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 28 | Open |
| Edward L. Ryerson Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 13 | Closed |
2 lakes & rivers
3.8 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.
September is the best month for walking in Riverwoods
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) | 31 | 35 | 46 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Riverwoods →
Riverwoods and its neighbors
Riverwoods has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverwoods | 13% | 2.6 | 62 | 74% | A |
| Lincolnshire | 7% | 2.2 | 13 | 97% | A |
| Buffalo Grove | 8% | 0.4 | 12 | 99%+ | A− |
| Deerfield | 5% | 1.3 | 9 | 99%+ | A− |
| Bannockburn | 8% | 0.1 | 98 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Riverwoods
Where can I hike in Riverwoods?
The longest trail networks: Discover Financial Park, 1.6 miles; Edward L Ryerson Conservation Area, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Riverwoods is conserved land?
13% 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 Riverwoods’ trails?
Discover Financial Park and Edward L Ryerson Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Riverwoods?
3.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Riverwoods?
14,802 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Riverwoods or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 250 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Riverwoods have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #42 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 Riverwoods 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 →