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Petersen Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 508 Google reviews · Running trail in McHenry, Illinois · Open 24 hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Open 24 hours
Confirmed from Petersen Park's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Lakeside park with baseball & softball fields, tennis courts, play areas & picnic facilities.
What runners say about Petersen Park
“The park is very clean and to rent the space for parties it is very cheap, obviously you must set it aside with time and leave it clean after the party.”
“They did have a beautiful full basketball court as well as pickle ball or tennis courts.”
Beautiful spot to watch the sunset. No lifeguards at the beach. Kids should definitely wear a life jacket in the water. Good place for kids to play in the sand and water or run around in the fields. I taught my kid how to fly a kite in this park too.
The little one's got to run around and enjoy the day. I was happy to notice that the park was very clean. They should of spread the picnic tables out instead of leaving them all under the shelters.But either way, a nice clean park to get some fresh air...
I love this park. They have musical events. And there's all kinds of room to play baseball ride bike and walk and you're right along the prairie trail so it's easy access by foot, by bike or motor vehicles.
Love playing volleyball here and walking around to find mchenry rocks! Great for date night or just to relax!
Trail conditions & character
“There was only one bathroom for men and one for women, which had to service two playgrounds and two pavilions, but I never had to wait.”
“Kudos to the coordinator(s) as for creating a very organized and easily accessible layout.”
Plan your run at Petersen Park
The practical stuff
- AccessOpen 24 hours — no gate to beat, so a 5am or a 10pm run both work
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking, restrooms — reported by runners
- Stroller / wheelchairReported as smooth and step-free enough for a running stroller or a chair.
- Websiteci.mchenry.il.us
- Phone(815) 363-2168
- Social Facebook
Hours
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | Open 24 hours |
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