York Township has 34 miles of mapped trails, 1.0 for every square mile of land
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Madison Meadow Park (2.5 mi), Central Park (1.8 mi), Mayslake Forest Preserve (1.7 mi). 6% of York Township’s land is conserved, about 1,453 acres.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #219 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,453 acres · of 35.0 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,396 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
51 mi
2.8 mi lanes · 47 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is York Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, York Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #219 of 768 in Illinois. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of York Township’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, York Township ranks #200 on Outdoors.
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.
6% of York Township’s land. Who manages York Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,266 ac
Town or city165 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits38 ac
County19 ac
Local Park · 927 acLocal Conservation Area · 237 acPrivate Conservation · 185 acLocal Recreation Area · 51 acConservation Easement · 40 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 2 of 75 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Fullersburg Woods Nature Center
Private Conservation
Regional agency
185
Closed
Lyman Woods
Local Park
Regional agency
134
Open
Mayslake
Local Conservation Area
Regional agency
91
Open
Madison Meadow
Local Park
Regional agency
84
Open
Central Park
Local Park
Regional agency
73
Open
York Woods Forest Preserve
Local Conservation Area
Regional agency
54
Open
Lombard Common
Local Park
Regional agency
47
Open
Eldridge Park
Local Park
Regional agency
47
Open
Terrace View
Local Park
Regional agency
46
Open
Sugar Creek Golf Course
Local Recreation Area
Town or city
45
Open
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
92 places to go in York Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
47 mi
off-road bike paths
0.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
108Tennis
73Baseball
39Soccer
27Basketball
14Pickleball
11Tracks
7Football
3Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in York 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
13.8
12.4
11.0
9.7
9.1
High (°F)
31
36
47
60
71
81
84
82
76
63
48
36
Rain (in)
2.0
1.8
2.4
3.9
4.7
4.5
3.8
4.0
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 York Township →
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in York Township
Where can I hike in York Township?
The longest trail networks: Madison Meadow Park, 2.5 miles; Central Park, 1.8 miles; Mayslake Forest Preserve, 1.7 miles; Wilder Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of York Township 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 York Township’s trails?
Madison Meadow Park and Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in York Township?
51 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of painted or protected lanes, 47 of off-road paths and 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near York Township?
23,921 acres of parks and open public land lie inside York Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,421 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does York Township have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #219 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 York Township neighbors.