Hawthorn Club Park
Park
10 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Vernon Hills
12% of Vernon Hills’ land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
12% of Vernon Hills’ land is conserved, about 603 acres. 6.2 miles of mapped trail cross Vernon Hills, 0.8 per square mile of land. 747 acres are parks and preserves, 28 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #61 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
603 acres · of 7.7 sq mi of land
Trails
6.2 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
747 ac
28 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
30 mi
30 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
11
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Vernon Hills?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Vernon Hills have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Vernon Hills is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #61 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 Vernon Hills’ overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land28 acres of park per 1,000 residents (747 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 92%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 92%
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 Hawthorn Club Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Vernon Hills Memorial Arbortheater
Park
16 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Carriage Green Park
Park
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 31 parks & preserves
Hawthorn Club Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Vernon Hills Memorial Arbortheater16 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCarriage Green Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGrosse Pointe Park15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSeavey Ditch Restoration project13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Village of Vernon Hills
DirectionsStone Fence Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Century Park112 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDeerpath Park63 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAspen Backyard Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Lake Charles Park61 acres · Vernon Hills Park District / Village of Vernon Hills
DirectionsSullivan Woods46 acres
DirectionsGrosse Pointe Path21 acres
DirectionsHawthorn Mellody Park13 acres · Vernon Hills Park District
DirectionsCynthia T. Peterson Park13 acres
DirectionsHartmann Park10 acres
DirectionsKelli Garvanian Park8 acres
Ranney Pond Greenspace8 acres
DirectionsTorrey Pines Park4 acres · Vernon Hills Park District
William E. Peterson Park4 acres
DirectionsW. Sieja Greenspace3 acres
DirectionsChristopher Ross Park3 acres
DirectionsWestwood Park3 acres
DirectionsAugusta Park2 acres
Ranney Park2 acres
DirectionsLarry Laschen Tennis Courts2 acres
DirectionsCentral Park2 acres
Sugar Creek Park1 acres
The Larry Laschen Community Center1 acres
DirectionsDonnelley Park1 acres
DirectionsBeaver Creek Park1 acres · Vernon Hills Park District
DirectionsDonnelly Park North1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
603 conserved acres
12% of Vernon Hills’ land. Who manages Vernon Hills’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency346 ac
Town or city256 ac
Local Park · 600 acLocal Conservation Area · 1 acUnknown · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Hills Athletic Complex Local Park | Town or city | 165 | Open |
| Century Park Local Park | Regional agency | 143 | Open |
| Deerpath Park Local Park | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| Marimac Park Local Park | Regional agency | 34 | Open |
| Sullivan Woods Local Park | Regional agency | 28 | Open |
| Aspen Dr Park Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
| William E. Peterson Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Gross Point Park Local Park | Regional agency | 20 | Open |
| Hawthorn Mellody Park Local Park | Regional agency | 20 | Open |
| Lake Charles Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
56 places to go in Vernon Hills
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Vernon Hills
Private Pool
DirectionsWestwood PoolIn Westwood Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Vernon Hills
Bocce, Baggo, and HorseshoeIn Century Park
DirectionsHawthorn Mellody Park PlaygroundIn Hawthorn Mellody Park
DirectionsHawthorn Mellody Park PlaygroundIn Hawthorn Mellody Park
DirectionsKids’ CastleIn Deerpath Park
DirectionsLake Charles Park PlaygroundIn Lake Charles Park
DirectionsSledding Hill (no skis)In Century Park
DirectionsZip LineIn Century Park
Directions48 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Vernon Hills
Canoe LaunchIn Lake Charles Park
DirectionsCanoe/Kayak rampIn Century Park
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Vernon Hills
Viewpoint and Fishing StandIn Century Park
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
11 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
30 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
30 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
36Tennis
22Baseball
12Basketball
11Soccer
11Lacrosse
11Tracks
8Pickleball
6Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Vernon Hills: 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 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Vernon Hills →
Next door
Vernon Hills and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Long Grove15 miMundelein11 miLincolnshire9.9 miVernon Hills6.2 miBuffalo Grove3.4 miLibertyville2.2 miMettawa1.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Hills | 12% | 0.8 | 28 | 99% | A |
| Mundelein | 9% | 1.0 | 20 | 96% | A |
| Buffalo Grove | 8% | 0.4 | 12 | 99%+ | A− |
| Mettawa | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lincolnshire | 7% | 2.2 | 13 | 97% | A |
| Libertyville | 12% | 0.2 | 32 | 99%+ | A |
| Long Grove | 6% | 1.2 | 53 | 88% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Vernon Hills
Where can I hike in Vernon Hills?
The longest trail networks: Hawthorn Club Park, 0.4 miles; Vernon Hills Memorial Arbortheater, 0.3 miles; Carriage Green Park, 0.3 miles; Century Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Vernon Hills is conserved land?
12% 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 Vernon Hills’ trails?
Hawthorn Club Park and Vernon Hills Memorial Arbortheater don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Vernon Hills?
30 miles of bike routes are on the map: 30 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Vernon Hills?
20,137 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Vernon Hills or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 748 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Vernon Hills have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #61 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 Vernon Hills 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 →