North Side Park
Managed by Wheaton Park District
66 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Sea Cow · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wheaton
7% of Wheaton’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. The biggest trail networks: North Side Park (2.2 mi), Lincoln Marsh Natural Area (1.1 mi), Seven Gables Park (0.9 mi). 8.1 miles of mapped trail cross Wheaton, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #201 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
540 acres · of 11.3 sq mi of land
Trails
8.1 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
523 ac
9.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
4.1 mi lanes · 8.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Wheaton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wheaton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wheaton is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #201 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wheaton’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land9.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (523 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 74%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 North Side Park, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lincoln Marsh Natural Area
Managed by Wheaton Park District
72 acres1.1 mi of trail
South Marsh TrailWoodland TrailOak Knoll Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Seven Gables Park
Managed by Wheaton Park District
62 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Atten Park
Managed by Wheaton Park District
37 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Briar Patch Park
Managed by Wheaton Park District
22 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 46 parks & preserves
North Side Park66 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsLincoln Marsh Natural Area72 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsSeven Gables Park62 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsAtten Park37 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsBriar Patch Park22 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
Graf Park19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsHoffman Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsFirefighters Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
Presidents Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
Hull Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Wheaton Park District
Belleau Woods Forest Preserve92 acres · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsDuPage County Fairgrounds39 acres
DirectionsDanada Forest Preserve26 acres · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsCentral Park16 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsScottdale Park8 acres · Wheaton Park District
Toohey Park8 acres · Wheaton Park District
Rathje Park8 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsBriar Knoll Park6 acres · Wheaton Park District
Dorset Park5 acres · Wheaton Park District
Brighton Park5 acres · Wheaton Park District
Lawson Field5 acres
DirectionsKelly Park5 acres · Wheaton Park District
Jefferson Park5 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsArboretum Mews4 acres · Wheaton Park District
Village Green Park3 acres · Glen Ellyn Park District
Hurley Gardens3 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsLincoln Park3 acres · Wheaton Park District
Rotary Park3 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsAppleby Park2 acres · Wheaton Park District
Adams Park2 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsMemorial Park2 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsAlbright Park2 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsChathum Park2 acres · Wheaton Park District
Scotts Grove Park2 acres · Wheaton Park District
Hawthorne Junction2 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsClydesdale Park2 acres · Wheaton Park District
Ridge Park2 acres · Wheaton Park District
Orchard Park1 acres · Wheaton Park District
Blacksmith Park1 acres · Wheaton Park District
Prairie Path Park1 acres · Wheaton Park District
Madison Park1 acres · Wheaton Park District
Triangle Park1 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsClocktower Commons1 acres · Wheaton Park District
DirectionsWexford Park1 acres · Wheaton Park District
Westhaven Park1 acres · Wheaton Park District
Hillside Tot Lot1 acres · Wheaton Park District
Who protects it
540 conserved acres
7% of Wheaton’s land. Who manages Wheaton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency484 ac
State conservation88 ac
Town or city54 ac
County2 ac
Local Park · 394 acLocal Conservation Area · 135 acConservation Easement · 88 acLocal Other or Unknown · 7 acLocal Resource Management Area · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 48 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northside Park Local Park | Regional agency | 69 | Open |
| Belleau Woods 1 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 68 | Open |
| Seven Gables Park Local Park | Regional agency | 66 | Open |
| Lincoln Marsh Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Atten Park Local Park | Regional agency | 38 | Open |
| Briar Patch Park Local Park | Regional agency | 27 | Open |
| Graf Park Local Park | Regional agency | 27 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
| Kelly Park Local Park | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
| Open Space Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
51 places to go in Wheaton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Wheaton
Northside PoolIn North Side Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Wheaton
41 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Picnic areas in Wheaton
8 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Wheaton
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miUnpaved · 1.3 mi
South Marsh Trail0.4 mi
Woodland Trail0.2 mi
Oak Knoll Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
49Tennis
32Soccer
31Baseball
12Pickleball
10Basketball
10Tracks
9Football
9Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Trinity Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1978
About itDu Page County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itBlanchard HallBuilding · listed 1979
About itAdams Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 1981
About itGrand TheaterBuilding · listed 2005
About itTheosophical Society in America HeadquartersBuilding · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Wheaton: 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 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 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 Wheaton →
Next door
Wheaton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Milton Township46 miWinfield Township33 miLisle29 miGlen Ellyn11 miWheaton8.1 miCarol Stream6.1 miWinfield1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheaton | 7% | 0.7 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Glen Ellyn | 9% | 1.5 | 16 | 99% | A |
| Milton Township | 18% | 1.3 | 20 | 98% | A |
| Winfield Township | 15% | 0.9 | 37 | 92% | A |
| Carol Stream | 7% | 0.7 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
| Winfield | 17% | 0.6 | 16 | 99%+ | A |
| Lisle | 8% | 4.1 | 21 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wheaton
Where can I hike in Wheaton?
The longest trail networks: North Side Park, 2.2 miles; Lincoln Marsh Natural Area, 1.1 miles; Seven Gables Park, 0.9 miles; Atten Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wheaton is conserved land?
7% 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 Wheaton’s trails?
North Side Park and Lincoln Marsh Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wheaton?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.1 of painted or protected lanes and 8.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Wheaton?
26,025 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wheaton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 523 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Wheaton have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #201 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 Wheaton 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 →