Emily Oaks Nature Center
Managed by Skokie Park District
16 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Skokie
8% of Skokie’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. 9.8 miles of mapped trail cross Skokie, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Emily Oaks Nature Center (0.8 mi), Skokie Sports Park (0.7 mi), Laramie Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #192 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
545 acres · of 10.1 sq mi of land
Trails
9.8 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
351 ac
5.3 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
19 mi
9.2 mi lanes · 9.0 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Skokie?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Skokie have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Skokie is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #192 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 Skokie’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land5.3 acres of park per 1,000 residents (351 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13CParks 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 81%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 75%
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
The longest trail network is Emily Oaks Nature Center, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Skokie Sports Park
Managed by Skokie Park District
35 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Laramie Park
Managed by Skokie Park District
11 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Harms Flatwoods Nature Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
38 acres0.6 mi of trail
North Branch Brown Unpaved Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Oakton Park
Managed by Skokie Park District
18 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Devonshire Park
Managed by Skokie Park District
10 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Channelside Park
Managed by Skokie Park District
15 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Emerson Park
Managed by Skokie Park District
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 49 parks & preserves
Emily Oaks Nature Center16 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsSkokie Sports Park35 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsLaramie Park11 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsHarms Flatwoods Nature Preserve38 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsOakton Park18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsDevonshire Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsChannelside Park15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsEmerson Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsDonald W. Lyon Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsTerminal Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsGleiss Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsHarms Woods Preserves42 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsSculpture Park - Section IV12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSculpture Park - Section I12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSequoyah Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
DirectionsAllen Weissburg Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
Mulford Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Skokie Park District
Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park44 acres
Sculpture Park - Section II12 acres
DirectionsHeritage Park11 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsForest Preserve District of Cook County9 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsCentral Park9 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsHamlin Park9 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsSculpture Park - Section III9 acres
DirectionsGorell Park6 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsReid Park6 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsGross Point Park6 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsSkokie Park Tennis Center5 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsNorman Schack Park4 acres · Skokie Park District
Lorel Park4 acres · Skokie Park District
Timber Ridge Park4 acres · Skokie Park District
McNally Park4 acres · Skokie Park District
Lockwood Park3 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsSearle Park3 acres
DirectionsMartin F. Peccia Park3 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsLauth Park3 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsDavis Street Parkway2 acres
DirectionsBeck Park1 acres · Evanston Parks & Recreation
DirectionsShabonee Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
George Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
Klehm Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsLee Wright Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
Onöndowa’ga Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsVillage Green Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsTecumseh Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
DirectionsWinnebago Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
Shawnee Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
Main - Hamlin Tennis Center1 acres · Skokie Park District
Navajo Park1 acres · Skokie Park District
Who protects it
545 conserved acres
8% of Skokie’s land. Who manages Skokie’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners244 ac
Regional agency228 ac
State conservation36 ac
Town or city34 ac
Private Park · 244 acLocal Park · 195 acConservation Easement · 36 acUnknown · 31 acLocal Recreation Area · 21 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evanston Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 196 | Open |
| Westmoreland Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 48 | Open |
| North Shore Sculpture Park Local Park | Regional agency | 35 | Open |
| Oakton Park Local Park | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
| Skokie Sports Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 17 | Open |
| Weber Park Golf Course Unknown | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Emily Oaks Nature Center Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 15 | Open |
| Devonshire Park Local Park | Regional agency | 13 | Open |
| Felpro Park Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| Laramie Park Local Park | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
55 places to go in Skokie
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Skokie
Old Orchard Mall Play Area
Directions51 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Skokie
Pooch ParkIn Channelside Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Skokie
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Skokie
Skokie Community GardenSkokie Park District
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miHorses · 0.7 miUnpaved · 1.0 mi
North Branch Brown Unpaved Trail0.7 mi
Biking & sports
19 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.0 mi
off-road bike paths
0.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
North Branch Brown Unpaved TrailBike route
0.7 miCourts & fields
76Tennis
32Basketball
22Baseball
15Soccer
10Pickleball
4Softball
3Football
2Cricket
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Skokie: 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Skokie →
Next door
Skokie and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chicago242 miNew Trier Township34 miNiles Township30 miEvanston12 miMorton Grove11 miSkokie9.8 miNiles4.0 miLincolnwood2.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skokie | 8% | 1.0 | 5 | 99%+ | A− |
| Niles Township | 7% | 1.4 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| Morton Grove | 2% | 2.1 | 3 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Evanston | 6% | 1.5 | 4 | 99%+ | A− |
| Lincolnwood | 5% | 1.0 | 9 | 99%+ | A− |
| Chicago | 8% | 1.1 | 4 | 99% | A− |
| Niles | 3% | 0.7 | 4 | 99%+ | B |
| New Trier Township | 8% | 2.1 | 11 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Skokie
Where can I hike in Skokie?
The longest trail networks: Emily Oaks Nature Center, 0.8 miles; Skokie Sports Park, 0.7 miles; Laramie Park, 0.7 miles; Harms Flatwoods Nature Preserve, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Skokie is conserved land?
8% 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 Skokie’s trails?
Emily Oaks Nature Center and Skokie Sports Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Skokie?
19 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.2 of painted or protected lanes, 9.0 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: North Branch Brown Unpaved Trail.
Is there public land near Skokie?
8,471 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Skokie or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 366 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Skokie have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #192 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 Skokie 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 →