Pratt’s Wayne Woods Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
2,396 acres11.3 mi of trail
East TrailWest TrailCentral TrailLake Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Otherbeach · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Wayne Township
28% of Wayne Township’s land is conserved: 6,324 acres
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4,206 acres are parks and preserves, 66 per 1,000 residents. 36 miles of mapped trail cross Wayne Township, 1.0 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #10 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
6,324 acres · of 35.4 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,206 ac
66 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
52 mi
52 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Wayne Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wayne Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wayne Township is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #10 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wayne Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land28% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land66 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,206 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home98% 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 97%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)#10 of 768
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 Pratt’s Wayne Woods Forest Preserve, with 11.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve
Nature preserve
1,172 acres4.6 mi of trail
Meadowlark Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
West Branch Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
588 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Mallard Lake Forest Preserve
Nature preserve
147 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Beaver Pond Park
Park
27 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Kent Park
Managed by Carol Stream Park District
34 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
McCaslin Park
Managed by Carol Stream Park District
32 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Prestonfield Park
Managed by West Chicago Park District
13 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 58 parks & preserves
Pratt’s Wayne Woods Forest Preserve2,396 acres · 11.3 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsHawk Hollow Forest Preserve1,172 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWest Branch Forest Preserve588 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsMallard Lake Forest Preserve147 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeaver Pond Park27 acres · 1 mi of trail
Kent Park34 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Carol Stream Park District
DirectionsMcCaslin Park32 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Carol Stream Park District
DirectionsPrestonfield Park13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · West Chicago Park District
Slepicka Park5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Carol Stream Park District
Bierman Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Carol Stream Park District
Wayne Grove Forest Preserve91 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsSunrise Park42 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Leiseberg Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsAncient Oaks Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Glasshagel Fields Park15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Winfield Park District
DirectionsJirsa Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Carol Stream Park District
Tempo Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Timber Ridge Forest Preserve440 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsDunham Forest Preserve370 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsSpring Valley Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Carol Stream Park District
DirectionsStonebridge Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Carol Stream Park District
James "Pate" Philip State Park294 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsCornerstone Lakes Park55 acres · West Chicago Park District
DirectionsEast Harbor Park31 acres · Hanover Park Park District
DirectionsApple Orchard Park17 acres
DirectionsWinding Creek Commons Park16 acres
Blue Heron Park14 acres · Carol Stream Park District
Sunset Park13 acres
Evergreen Lakes Park13 acres · Carol Stream Park District
West Harbor Park12 acres · Hanover Park Park District
DirectionsPrairieview Park10 acres
DirectionsTedrahn Park8 acres · Carol Stream Park District
Meadow Woods Park8 acres · West Chicago Park District
Schrader Park7 acres · Bartlett Park District
Bartlett Veteran's Memorial7 acres
DirectionsRuzicka Memorial Park6 acres
DirectionsHumbracht Park6 acres
James J. Kamradt Recreational Area6 acres · Hanover Park Park District
DirectionsDiscovery Park6 acres · Hanover Park Park District
Shining Waters Park6 acres · Carol Stream Park District
Lions Park5 acres · Hanover Park Park District
DirectionsSchick Park5 acres
Walter Park5 acres · Carol Stream Park District
DirectionsCambridge Park4 acres · Carol Stream Park District
Nautilus Park4 acres · Hanover Park Park District
DirectionsHappy Trails Park4 acres
Fairview Park4 acres
Newport Park4 acres
Fair Oaks Central Park3 acres · Carol Stream Park District
Oakwood Park2 acres · Hanover Park Park District
DirectionsCharger Court Park2 acres · Carol Stream Park District
McAndrews Park2 acres
Fair Oaks West Park1 acres · Carol Stream Park District
Hawk View Park1 acres · Bartlett Park District
Kwasman Memorial Park1 acres · West Chicago Park District
Tower Park1 acres · Hanover Park Park District
DirectionsMeadows Park1 acres · Hanover Park Park District
Sunshine Park1 acres · Hanover Park Park District
Who protects it
6,324 conserved acres
28% of Wayne Township’s land. Who manages Wayne Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency5,834 ac
State conservation274 ac
Town or city272 ac
County199 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits21 ac
Local Conservation Area · 2,018 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,977 acState Conservation Area · 1,310 acLocal Park · 761 acConservation Easement · 497 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 253 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 96 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pratts Wayne Woods State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 1,310 | Restricted |
| Pratt's Wayne Woods 10 Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 1,070 | Unknown |
| Hawk Hollow 2 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 739 | Open |
| West Branch Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 711 | Open |
| Unknown Forest Presrve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 370 | Open |
| Pratt's Wayne Woods 11 Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 283 | Unknown |
| Timber Ridge 10 Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 186 | Unknown |
| Wayne Grove Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 162 | Open |
| Cornerston Lakes Park Local Park | Town or city | 101 | Open |
| Timber Ridge 11 Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 90 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
59 places to go in Wayne Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wayne Township
Newport ParkIn Newport Park
DirectionsSchick ParkIn Schick Park
Directions53 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Wayne Township
3 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Wayne Township
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Wayne Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Wayne Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.5 mi
East Trail2.2 mi
West Trail1.4 mi
Central Trail1.2 mi
Lake Trail1.0 mi
Meadowlark Trail0.8 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
52 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
52 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
28Baseball
21Basketball
14Tennis
14Soccer
8Pickleball
3Football
1Volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wayne Township: 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 | 47 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 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 Wayne Township →
Next door
Wayne Township and its neighbors
Wayne Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
St. Charles Township40 miWayne Township36 miWinfield Township33 miHanover Township30 miElgin20 miBloomingdale Township19 miBartlett7.0 miCarol Stream6.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Township | 28% | 1.0 | 66 | 98% | A+ |
| Bloomingdale Township | 9% | 0.5 | 10 | 98% | A− |
| Hanover Township | 6% | 0.9 | 11 | 99% | A− |
| Carol Stream | 7% | 0.7 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
| Winfield Township | 15% | 0.9 | 37 | 92% | A |
| St. Charles Township | 12% | 1.2 | 42 | 97% | A |
| Bartlett | 17% | 0.4 | 43 | 99% | A |
| Elgin | 7% | 0.5 | 14 | 95% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wayne Township
Where can I hike in Wayne Township?
The longest trail networks: Pratt’s Wayne Woods Forest Preserve, 11.3 miles; Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve, 4.6 miles; West Branch Forest Preserve, 3.3 miles; Mallard Lake Forest Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wayne Township is conserved land?
28% 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 Wayne Township’s trails?
Pratt’s Wayne Woods Forest Preserve and Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wayne Township?
52 miles of bike routes are on the map: 52 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Wayne Township?
33,845 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wayne Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,222 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wayne Township have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 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 Wayne 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 →