Stillman Nature Center
Nature preserve
81 acres3.2 mi of trail
South Loop (0.9 mi)Owl Loop (0.4 mi)Lakeside (0.5mi)Prairie+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in South Barrington
South Barrington has 6.1 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Stillman Nature Center (3.2 mi), Paul Douglas Forest Preserve (1.7 mi). 154 acres are parks and preserves, 31 per 1,000 residents. 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #274 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
123 acres · of 7.5 sq mi of land
Trails
6.1 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
154 ac
31 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.2 mi
2.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is South Barrington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Barrington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Barrington is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #274 of 768 in Illinois. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Barrington’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land31 acres of park per 1,000 residents (154 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home79% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 72%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 64%
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 Stillman Nature Center, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Paul Douglas Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
113 acres1.7 mi of trail
CAMBR Brown Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Spring Lake Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
25 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Stillman Nature Center81 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
Paul Douglas Forest Preserve113 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsNew Community Park34 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMarvin Dunteman Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSpring Lake Preserve25 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Barrington Club Park19 acres
DirectionsCharlemagne Park14 acres
South Barrington Conservancy11 acres
DirectionsMeadow Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
123 conserved acres
3% of South Barrington’s land. Who manages South Barrington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency113 ac
Town or city10 ac
Local Park · 113 acUnknown · 10 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stillman Park Local Park | Regional agency | 78 | Open |
| Community Park Local Park | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
| Community Center, South Barrington Club Unknown | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Dunteman Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Meadow Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| Charlemagne Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in South Barrington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in South Barrington
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in South Barrington
South Barrington Club Swimming PoolFee
DirectionsPlaygrounds in South Barrington
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.7 miUnpaved · 4.6 mi
CAMBR Brown Trail1.7 mi
South Loop (0.9 mi)0.9 mi
Owl Loop (0.4 mi)0.4 mi
Lakeside (0.5mi)0.4 mi
Prairie0.4 mi
Rabbit Hill (0.4 mi)0.4 mi
R R 40.3 mi
Goldfinch Trail (0.1 mi)0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
31Tennis
5Beach volleyball
4Baseball
3Basketball
1Soccer
1Cricket
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in South Barrington
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) | 30 | 34 | 46 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in South Barrington →
Next door
South Barrington and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Barrington Township73 miBarrington Hills61 miPalatine Township52 miHoffman Estates35 miSouth Barrington6.1 miInverness1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Barrington | 3% | 0.8 | 31 | 79% | B+ |
| Hoffman Estates | 6% | 1.7 | 18 | 99%+ | A |
| Barrington Hills | 8% | 2.3 | 282 | 36% | A |
| Inverness | 5% | 0.2 | 13 | 80% | B |
| Barrington Township | 7% | 2.1 | 82 | 79% | A |
| Palatine Township | 10% | 1.4 | 8 | 97% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Barrington
Where can I hike in South Barrington?
The longest trail networks: Stillman Nature Center, 3.2 miles; Paul Douglas Forest Preserve, 1.7 miles; New Community Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Barrington is conserved land?
3% 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 South Barrington’s trails?
Stillman Nature Center and Paul Douglas Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Barrington?
2.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near South Barrington?
23,814 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Barrington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 164 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Barrington have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #274 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 South Barrington 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 →