Photo: Captainandy1310 · CC BY-SA 4.06% of Westchester’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. 7.6 miles of mapped trail cross Westchester, 2.1 per square mile of land. 6% of Westchester’s land is conserved, about 133 acres.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #174 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Westchester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Westchester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Westchester is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #174 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Mayfair Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Possum Hollow Woods
Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve
All 9 parks & preserves
133 conserved acres
6% of Westchester’s land. Who manages Westchester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 47 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Road Prairie State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 38 | Open |
| Mayfair Park Local Park | Regional agency | 17 | Open |
| Community Park Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| Gladstone Park Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| High Ridge Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| Camberly Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
| Drury Lane Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
16 places to go in Westchester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 lakes & rivers
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The best walking months in Westchester: 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 59 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Westchester →
Westchester and its neighbors
Westchester has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Westchester
Where can I hike in Westchester?
The longest trail networks: Mayfair Park, 0.4 miles; Possum Hollow Woods, 0.3 miles; Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve, 0.3 miles; Gladstone Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Westchester is conserved land?
6% 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 Westchester’s trails?
Mayfair Park and Possum Hollow Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Westchester?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Westchester?
13,501 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Westchester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 76 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Westchester have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #174 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 Westchester neighbors.
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 →