Warren Special Recreation
Park
66 acres1.5 mi of trail
Warren Township Physical Education Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Church of the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery · Photo: bogdanstepniak · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Warren Township
12% of Warren Township’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
12% of Warren Township’s land is conserved, about 2,695 acres. The biggest trail networks: Warren Special Recreation (1.5 mi), Viking Park (1.5 mi), Hunt Club Park (1.2 mi). 2,084 acres are parks and preserves, 32 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #106 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
2,695 acres · of 35.9 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,084 ac
32 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
21 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
16
5 beaches · 11 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Warren Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Warren Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Warren Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #106 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 Warren Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land32 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,084 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home96% 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 88%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 86%
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 Warren Special Recreation, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Esper Petersen Park
Managed by Gurnee Park District
11 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 38 parks & preserves
Warren Special Recreation66 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsViking Park45 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHunt Club Park46 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsEsper Petersen Park11 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Gurnee Park District
DirectionsRavinia Park11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGurnee Public Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsTwin Lakes Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Rule Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Willow Point Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Shaw Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Gurnee Park District
Heather Ridge Conservation25 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Serenity Park21 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Waukegan Park District
O'Plaine Park19 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Road Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Gurnee Park District
Pebble Beach2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Sedge Meadow Forest Preserve522 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsAlmond Marsh Forest Preserve463 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsMill Creek Forest Preserve260 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Lake Carina Forest Preserve197 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsGowe Park27 acres
DirectionsMorris Fields23 acres
Greenbelt Forest Preserve21 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Pembroke Community Park17 acres
Timberwoods Park11 acres
DirectionsWestgate Park6 acres
DirectionsChristine Thompson Park4 acres
Vineyard Park3 acres
DirectionsCountry Lane Park2 acres · Waukegan Park District
Robert H. Allen Park2 acres
Arbor Park2 acres · Waukegan Park District
Rudd Farm Park2 acres · Waukegan Park District
Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve1 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Diversity Park1 acres · Waukegan Park District
Valley Lake South1 acres
Valley Lake North1 acres
Sunset Park1 acres
Cedar Park1 acres · Gurnee Park District
DirectionsOld Plank Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,695 conserved acres
12% of Warren Township’s land. Who manages Warren Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,758 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits421 ac
Town or city269 ac
State conservation181 ac
Private owners65 ac
Joint46 ac
County8 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,326 acConservation Easement · 708 acLocal Park · 635 acUnknown · 73 acRecreation or Education Easement · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 656 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedge Meadow Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 517 | Open |
| Lake Carina Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 472 | Open |
| Independence Grove Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 168 | Open |
| Village Park Local Park | Regional agency | 133 | Open |
| Village Of Gurnee Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 114 | Open |
| Warren Township Center Local Park | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Neal Marsh Local Park | Private owners | 62 | Open |
| Gages Lake Unknown | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Hunt Club Park Local Park | Regional agency | 47 | Open |
| Viking Park Local Park | Regional agency | 38 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
72 places to go in Warren Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Warren Township
5 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Warren Township
Concord Park
DirectionsSkull Island
DirectionsSouthridge Park
DirectionsStoney Brook Cambridge
DirectionsStoney Brook Cambridge
DirectionsWarren Township ParkIn Warren Special Recreation
Directions48 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Warren Township
Des Plaines River Canoe Launch at Gowe ParkIn Lake Carina Forest Preserve
DirectionsLake Carina Car-Top Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 9 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Warren Township
Lake Carina Fishing Pier
DirectionsWaterfalls in Warren Township
5 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Warren Township
Picnic Grove
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 16 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 3.4 mi
1 Mile Loop1.0 mi
Warren Township Physical Education Trail0.5 mi
Hunt Club Farms Subdivision Bridle Trail0.2 mi
Crossland Boulevard0.1 mi
Biking & sports
21 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
21 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
45Tennis
30Basketball
26Baseball
21Soccer
6Volleyball
5Football
4Pickleball
2Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Church of the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox MonasteryBuilding · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Warren Township: 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 45 | 57 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Warren Township →
Next door
Warren Township and its neighbors
Warren Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Warren Township19 miLibertyville Township17 miWaukegan Township11 miAvon Township11 miGrayslake6.7 miWaukegan6.1 miNewport Township5.0 miThird Lake0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Township | 12% | 0.5 | 32 | 96% | A |
| Waukegan Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Avon Township | 20% | 0.5 | 39 | 99%+ | A |
| Libertyville Township | 25% | 0.5 | 55 | 97% | A |
| Newport Township | 20% | 0.2 | 397 | 79% | A− |
| Third Lake | 6% | under 0.1 | 22 | 99%+ | B |
| Waukegan | 16% | 0.3 | 18 | 99% | A− |
| Grayslake | 9% | 0.6 | 23 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Warren Township
Where can I hike in Warren Township?
The longest trail networks: Warren Special Recreation, 1.5 miles; Viking Park, 1.5 miles; Hunt Club Park, 1.2 miles; Esper Petersen Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Warren Township 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 Warren Township’s trails?
Warren Special Recreation and Viking Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Warren Township?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 21 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Warren Township?
31,187 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Warren Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,158 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Warren Township have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #106 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 Warren 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 →