North Point Marina
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
350 acres5.1 mi of trail
Marsh Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Henry I. Paddock House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Winthrop Harbor
31% of Winthrop Harbor’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. 31% of Winthrop Harbor’s land is conserved, about 908 acres. 565 acres are parks and preserves, 86 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #2 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
31%
908 acres · of 4.7 sq mi of land
Trails
5.5 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
565 ac
86 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.8 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 2.0 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Winthrop Harbor?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Winthrop Harbor have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Winthrop Harbor is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #2 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 Winthrop Harbor’s overall grade.
Conserved land31% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land86 acres of park per 1,000 residents (565 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks 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)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)#2 of 768
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Point Marina, with 5.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Spring Bluff Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
232 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Mshkodé Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
124 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Village Park
Park
38 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
North Point Marina350 acres · 5.1 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsNovotny Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Spring Bluff Forest Preserve232 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsMshkodé Forest Preserve124 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsVillage Park38 acres
Fossland Park8 acres
Who protects it
908 conserved acres
31% of Winthrop Harbor’s land. Who manages Winthrop Harbor’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation1,113 ac
Regional agency254 ac
Town or city107 ac
Conservation Easement · 565 acState Park · 548 acLocal Conservation Area · 288 acLocal Park · 72 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park State Park | State conservation | 548 | Open |
| Spring Bluff Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 226 | Open |
| Village Of Winthrop Harbor Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| 38-Acre Park / Schlader Rec Center / Skate Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Mcclory Trail Local Park | Regional agency | 28 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Village Of Winthrop Harbor Public Works Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Winthrop Harbor Municipal Building Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Winthrop Harbor Community Center Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Winthrop Harbor
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Winthrop Harbor
North Point Marina BeachIn North Point Marina
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Winthrop Harbor
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Winthrop Harbor
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miUnpaved · 2.7 mi
Marsh Trail2.7 mi
Biking & sports
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Baseball
2Tennis
1Basketball
1Skate 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).
Henry I. Paddock HouseBuilding · listed 2001
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Winthrop Harbor: 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) | 31 | 35 | 44 | 54 | 65 | 75 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Winthrop Harbor →
Next door
Winthrop Harbor and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winthrop Harbor | 31% | 1.2 | 86 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Benton Township | 29% | 1.5 | 105 | 97% | A+ |
| Zion | 17% | 1.1 | 46 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Zion Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Winthrop Harbor
Where can I hike in Winthrop Harbor?
The longest trail networks: North Point Marina, 5.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Winthrop Harbor is conserved land?
31% 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 Winthrop Harbor’s trails?
North Point Marina and Spring Bluff Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Winthrop Harbor?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 2.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Winthrop Harbor?
13,246 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Winthrop Harbor or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 565 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Winthrop Harbor have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #2 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 Winthrop Harbor 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 →