Aurora West Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
747 acres1.5 mi of trail
Red Pine LoopAccess TrailAirfield Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gray-Watkins Mill · Photo: lester1950 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Sugar Grove Township
Sugar Grove Township has 2,065 acres of parks, 99 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Sugar Grove Township’s land is conserved, about 2,868 acres. 95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Aurora West Forest Preserve (1.5 mi), Hannaford Woods-Nickels Farm Forest Preserve (1.2 mi), Lake Run Forest Preserve (1 mi).
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #92 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,868 acres · of 35.2 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,065 ac
99 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
31 mi
31 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Sugar Grove Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sugar Grove Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sugar Grove Township is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #92 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sugar Grove Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land99 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,065 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home95% 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 89%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 88%
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 Aurora West Forest Preserve, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hannaford Woods-Nickels Farm Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
402 acres1.2 mi of trail
Prairie Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lake Run Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
189 acres1 mi of trail
Red Fox LoopForest Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Culver Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
120 acres1 mi of trail
Woodland TrailMeadow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Harter Community Park
Managed by Sugar Grove Park District
16 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bliss Woods Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
240 acres0.4 mi of trail
Savanna Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Volunteer Park
Managed by Sugar Grove Park District
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 30 parks & preserves
Aurora West Forest Preserve747 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsHannaford Woods-Nickels Farm Forest Preserve402 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsLake Run Forest Preserve189 acres · 1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Culver Forest Preserve120 acres · 1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsHarter Community Park16 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Sugar Grove Park District
DirectionsBliss Woods Forest Preserve240 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsVolunteer Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Sugar Grove Park District
Carson Slough Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Sugar Grove Park District
DirectionsBarnes Forest Preserve267 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsChelsea Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Sugar Grove Park District
Jericho Lake Park48 acres
DirectionsBelle Vue Park35 acres · Sugar Grove Park District
DirectionsHankes Road Park9 acres
DirectionsFairfield Way Park8 acres
Mallard Park8 acres · Sugar Grove Park District
DirectionsBlack Walnut Park7 acres · Sugar Grove Park District
Dugan Park West6 acres · Sugar Grove Park District
Lindens Park5 acres
Keck Park5 acres · Sugar Grove Park District
DirectionsCherry Hill Park4 acres
Dugan Park East3 acres · Sugar Grove Park District
Deerpath Park3 acres
Verona Ridge Park2 acres · Fox Valley Park District
Homestead Park2 acres
Strubler Park2 acres · Sugar Grove Park District
Frontier Park2 acres
Walnut Woods Park1 acres · Sugar Grove Park District
DirectionsWindsor Pointe Park1 acres · Sugar Grove Park District
DirectionsCrossroads Park1 acres
Canterbury Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,868 conserved acres
13% of Sugar Grove Township’s land. Who manages Sugar Grove Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency2,753 ac
State natural resources342 ac
Town or city115 ac
State conservation67 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,307 acLocal Park · 1,030 acUnknown · 472 acConservation Easement · 409 acLocal Recreation Area · 37 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora West Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 711 | Open |
| Jericho Lake Park And Stuart Sports Complex Local Park | Regional agency | 421 | Open |
| Hannaford Woods Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 420 | Open |
| Barnes Unknown | Regional agency | 267 | Open |
| Bliss Woods Forest Preserve Local Park | Regional agency | 228 | Open |
| Lake Run Unknown | Regional agency | 185 | Open |
| Orchard Valley Local Park | Regional agency | 176 | Open |
| Culver Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 115 | Open |
| Prairie Kame Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 62 | Open |
| Sugar Grove Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 60 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
40 places to go in Sugar Grove Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sugar Grove Township
Blackberry Playground
DirectionsWalnut Wood Playground
DirectionsPlus 26 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Sugar Grove Township
Woof Run Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Sugar Grove Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Sugar Grove Township
Olivia's Party Deck
DirectionsPlus 6 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Sugar Grove Township
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.4 mi
Prairie Loop Trail1.2 mi
Red Pine Loop1.1 mi
Red Fox Loop0.9 mi
Woodland Trail0.6 mi
Meadow Trail0.4 mi
Connector Trail0.3 mi
Access Trail0.3 mi
Airfield Trail0.2 mi
Entry Loop Trail0.1 mi
Forest Trail0.1 mi
1 more trails
Savanna Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
31 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
31 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
43Soccer
23Baseball
17Tennis
15Basketball
5Pickleball
2Football
1Hockey rinks
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Gray-Watkins MillBuilding · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Sugar Grove Township: April 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Sugar Grove Township →
Next door
Sugar Grove Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Blackberry Township32 miAurora Township27 miBig Rock Township17 miSugar Grove Township13 miNorth Aurora2.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Grove Township | 13% | 0.4 | 99 | 95% | A |
| Blackberry Township | 13% | 0.9 | 91 | 88% | A |
| Aurora Township | 7% | 0.8 | 14 | 97% | A− |
| Big Rock Township | 9% | 0.5 | 361 | 65% | A− |
| North Aurora | 5% | 0.4 | 16 | 99% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sugar Grove Township
Where can I hike in Sugar Grove Township?
The longest trail networks: Aurora West Forest Preserve, 1.5 miles; Hannaford Woods-Nickels Farm Forest Preserve, 1.2 miles; Lake Run Forest Preserve, 1 miles; Culver Forest Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sugar Grove Township 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 Sugar Grove Township’s trails?
Aurora West Forest Preserve and Hannaford Woods-Nickels Farm Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sugar Grove Township?
31 miles of bike routes are on the map: 31 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Sugar Grove Township?
19,606 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sugar Grove Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,534 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sugar Grove Township have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #92 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 Sugar Grove 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 →