Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
17 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in South Elgin
9% of South Elgin’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. The biggest trail networks: Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve (0.5 mi). 9% of South Elgin’s land is conserved, about 400 acres.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #166 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
400 acres · of 7.3 sq mi of land
Trails
2.7 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
402 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 12 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is South Elgin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Elgin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Elgin is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #166 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Elgin’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (402 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks 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 82%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 78%
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 Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 21 parks & preserves
Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsJim Hansen Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRobert Sperry Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPanton Mill Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCounty Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCorron Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFox Meadow Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJames "Pate" Philip State Park51 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Ralph E Tredup Park East11 acres
DirectionsPickeral Point Park8 acres
DirectionsBlackhawk Park7 acres
Ralph E. Tredup Park West6 acres
DirectionsBrookside Park5 acres
Silver Glen Park5 acres
Thornwood Grove Park4 acres
Sugar Creek Preserve4 acres
SEBA Park1 acres
DirectionsRobin Glen Park1 acres
Landsbrook Park1 acres
Ann Street Park1 acres
Who protects it
400 conserved acres
9% of South Elgin’s land. Who manages South Elgin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city345 ac
Regional agency69 ac
Local Recreation Area · 174 acLocal Park · 146 acLocal Conservation Area · 64 acLocal Other or Unknown · 25 acUnknown · 5 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornwood Retention/Bike Path Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 149 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Fox River Trail Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 24 | Open |
| Sugar Ridge Wetland Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 17 | Restricted |
| Jim Hansen Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Illinois Prairie Path - Elgin Branch Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 13 | Open |
| County Park Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 13 | Open |
| Heartland Meadows Detention B Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 12 | Closed |
| River Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in South Elgin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in South Elgin
SEBA ParkIn County Park
DirectionsPlus 19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in South Elgin
South Elgin Dog ParkIn County Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
12 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
16Tennis
9Baseball
6Basketball
2Soccer
1Beach volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in South Elgin: 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in South Elgin →
Next door
South Elgin and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Elgin | 9% | 0.4 | 17 | 99%+ | A− |
| Elgin | 7% | 0.5 | 14 | 95% | A− |
| Elgin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| St. Charles Township | 12% | 1.2 | 42 | 97% | A |
| Bartlett | 17% | 0.4 | 43 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Elgin
Where can I hike in South Elgin?
The longest trail networks: Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve, 0.5 miles; Jim Hansen Park, 0.4 miles; Robert Sperry Park, 0.3 miles; Panton Mill Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Elgin is conserved land?
9% 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 Elgin’s trails?
Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve and Jim Hansen Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Elgin?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 12 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near South Elgin?
28,557 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Elgin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 404 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Elgin have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #166 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 Elgin 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 →