Skokie River Nature Preserve
Managed by Lake Forest Open Lands
83 acres3.2 mi of trail
Hart Family Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Skokie River Nature Preserve
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Shields Township
14% of Shields Township’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
26 miles of mapped trail cross Shields Township, 1.5 per square mile of land. 14% of Shields Township’s land is conserved, about 1,582 acres. The biggest trail networks: Skokie River Nature Preserve (3.2 mi), Derwen Mawr Nature Preserve (2 mi), Oriole Grove Forest Preserve (1.3 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #29 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,582 acres · of 17.8 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
948 ac
25 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
19 mi
18 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
8 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Shields Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shields Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shields Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #29 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 Shields Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land25 acres of park per 1,000 residents (948 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 95%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 96%
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 Skokie River Nature Preserve, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Derwen Mawr Nature Preserve
Managed by Lake Forest Open Lands Association
63 acres2 mi of trail
Jamee Field Riverwalk Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Oriole Grove Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
85 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Middlefork Savanna Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
199 acres0.9 mi of trail
George Beach Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Skokie River Prairie Land and Water Reserve
Managed by Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
38 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Mellody Farm Nature Preserve
Park
28 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Guardian Park
Park
17 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 34 parks & preserves
Skokie River Nature Preserve83 acres · 3.2 mi of trail · Lake Forest Open Lands
DirectionsDerwen Mawr Nature Preserve63 acres · 2 mi of trail · Lake Forest Open Lands Association
Oriole Grove Forest Preserve85 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
Forest Park24 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMiddlefork Savanna Forest Preserve199 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsSkokie River Prairie Land and Water Reserve38 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
DirectionsMellody Farm Nature Preserve28 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsGuardian Park17 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Ravine Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
Prairie Preserve on Belle Foret Drive6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Prairie Preserve on Belle Foret Drive
Triangle Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Lake Forest Parks and Recreation
DirectionsArtesian Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFoss Park40 acres
DirectionsDeerpath Community Park20 acres
Constitution Park13 acres
DirectionsWest Park11 acres · Lake Forest Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSanctuary Park8 acres
Meadowood Park8 acres
Vision Park7 acres
Hamlet Park6 acres
DirectionsCarolyn Goetz Wetlands Preserve6 acres · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
Mawman Park3 acres
Rockland Wetlands3 acres · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
DirectionsBlair Park3 acres
DirectionsMoffet Woods2 acres · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
Dwyer Woods2 acres · Lake Bluff Open Lands Association
DirectionsBoak Park2 acres
Sunrise Park2 acres
Village Green2 acres
DirectionsShooting Star Savanna2 acres
DirectionsKnollwood Park1 acres · Lake Bluff Park District
Wesylik Field1 acres
DirectionsBirch Park1 acres
Veterans Park1 acres · Lake Forest Parks and Recreation
DirectionsWho protects it
1,582 conserved acres
14% of Shields Township’s land. Who manages Shields Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city585 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits469 ac
State conservation421 ac
Regional agency382 ac
Private owners192 ac
County3 ac
Conservation Easement · 689 acLocal Park · 533 acLocal Conservation Area · 253 acState Conservation Area · 234 acPrivate Park · 181 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 219 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 93 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knollwood Club Private Park | Private owners | 181 | Restricted |
| Middlefork Savanna Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 162 | Open |
| Lake Bluff Golf Club Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 152 | Open |
| Blair Woods State Conservation Area | Town or city | 115 | Open |
| Oriole Grove Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 84 | Open |
| Tangley Oaks Woods State Conservation Area | Town or city | 80 | Open |
| Skokie River Nature Preserve Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 70 | Open |
| Middlefork Farm Nature Preserve Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 51 | Open |
| Derwen Mawr Nature Preserve Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 51 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 48 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
34 places to go in Shields Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Shields Township
Forest Park Beach
DirectionsSunrise Beach
DirectionsPlus 6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Shields Township
Elawa Park
DirectionsElawa Park
DirectionsPlus 22 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Shields Township
Ramp 748
DirectionsWaterfalls in Shields Township
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.4 miUnpaved · 14.3 mi
George Beach Trail0.5 mi
Jamee Field Riverwalk Trail0.2 mi
Hart Family Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
19 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
18 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
57Tennis
33Pickleball
17Baseball
9Basketball
9Soccer
5Football
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →25 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Howard and Lucy Linn HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About it13 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Shields Township: July to 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 45 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Shields Township →
Next door
Shields Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lake Forest35 miMoraine Township28 miShields Township26 miLibertyville Township17 miWaukegan Township11 miNorth Chicago7.4 miLake Bluff5.8 miGreen Oaks1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shields Township | 14% | 1.5 | 25 | 99% | A |
| Lake Forest | 14% | 2.0 | 52 | 94% | A+ |
| Lake Bluff | 26% | 1.4 | 81 | 99%+ | A+ |
| North Chicago | 9% | 0.9 | 20 | 99% | A |
| Libertyville Township | 25% | 0.5 | 55 | 97% | A |
| Waukegan Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Green Oaks | 8% | 0.5 | 39 | 87% | A− |
| Moraine Township | 9% | 2.4 | 23 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shields Township
Where can I hike in Shields Township?
The longest trail networks: Skokie River Nature Preserve, 3.2 miles; Derwen Mawr Nature Preserve, 2 miles; Oriole Grove Forest Preserve, 1.3 miles; Forest Park, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shields Township is conserved land?
14% 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 Shields Township’s trails?
Skokie River Nature Preserve and Derwen Mawr Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Shields Township?
19 miles of bike routes are on the map: 18 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Shields Township?
19,463 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shields Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 949 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Shields Township have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #29 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 Shields 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 →