Lake in the Hills · McHenry County · IL
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About the community
Three sub-neighborhoods sit inside the guarded gate. Each was built by a different builder, on different lot sizes, with its own HOA and its own school feed. Drive each one before you decide. Two more Boulder Ridge sub-communities sit just outside the gates, West Villa and Lakes of Boulder Ridge (55+), different feel, different HOAs.
24-hour guarded gate
Single private entry, staffed gatehouse.
27-hole championship course
Lohmann + Fuzzy Zoeller design, on-site.
65,000 sqft clubhouse
Six dining outlets and banquet space.
Resort-style pool
Adjacent to clubhouse with poolside cabanas.
Tennis & pickleball
Court complex by the pool.
Fitness, yoga, spa
Aerobics/yoga room, fitness floor, massage.
Mature landscaping
Built 1991–2021. Established trees, no construction.
Three sub-neighborhoods
Estates, Fairways, and Greens, each with its own HOA.
Club is optional
Separate non-equity membership, not bundled with HOA.
Boulder Ridge sits west of Randall Road in Lake in the Hills, with easy access to Algonquin Commons retail, the Crystal Lake Metra, and I-90.
Life here scales with how much you decide to use the country club. The most-engaged residents are at the clubhouse twice a week, standing tee times, the same table at dinner, banquets and member events on weekends. The least-engaged residents wave at the gatehouse on the way home and never set foot in the clubhouse. Both versions of the lifestyle work. The community runs quiet, the streets are well-kept, and the gate keeps drive-by traffic out.
Boulder Ridge is all-ages, not 55+. The mix is professionals still in the workforce, families with grown kids, empty-nesters, and a steady contingent of retirees. Because the school district line cuts through the community, families self-select into a sub-neighborhood based on which schools they want their kids in, that's why you'll meet more young families on one side and more empty-nesters on the other.
The vibes vary more by which street you're on than by which sub-neighborhood. Estates is the original 1990s-era stock with bigger lots and more architectural variation. Fairways is the lawn-and-snow-included enclave where the HOA does the outside work for you. Greens is the higher-density single-family section with the most amenities bundled into the dues. Drive each one before you decide which side of the gate fits you.
Market trends
Boulder Ridge is a closed gated community. The buyer pool knows what it's shopping for, the inventory turns slowly, and the sub-neighborhood you pick determines half the resale story before the house even matters.
The fundamentals matter more than the cosmetics here. Buyers want floor plan, lot, and basement, in that order. Cosmetics are the tiebreaker.
Real talk
Most agent pages won't tell you this, but here's the honest version.
If you don't like structured HOA living, Boulder Ridge isn't for you. Appearance matters here and it's enforced. The front gate, the architectural review, the lawn standards, the rules about what color you can paint your shutters. Buyers who roll their eyes at HOA letters end up resenting the place. Buyers who like that everything stays looking nice end up grateful for the same letters.
The other thing nobody warns buyers about: Boulder Ridge Country Club is not included with your house. The 27-hole course, the clubhouse, the pool, the dining, none of it is bundled with the HOA. It's a separate, non-equity membership and you opt in. Most buyers fall in love with the gates and the views and assume the club comes with it. It doesn't. Find out the current initiation fee and monthly dues before you write an offer, then decide whether you're actually going to use it.
Last thing, the school district situation. Boulder Ridge straddles two districts. The northern half feeds Crystal Lake (D47 / D155). The southern half feeds Huntley (D158). Even people who've lived here for years sometimes don't know which side of the line they're on until they have kids. If schools matter to you, get the exact district confirmed in writing for the specific address before you fall in love with the house.
One piece of advice
“Schedule a tour of Boulder Ridge Country Club and ask what membership currently costs. Talk to two or three members about how often they actually use it. The buyers who use the club love living here. The buyers who don't end up resenting the dues check every month. The house decision is downstream of that one.”
From the neighborhood
Real local creators on TikTok. Tap a tile to play it right here.
Here at Lake In The Hills Tattoo Co. we’re putting our fancy shirts on for the night and hosting a gallery style art show like we’ve never done before. The show will happen Saturday May 9th from 5pm-9
@artofjaynoskaRomantic Dinner👉❤️ #fyp #romanticdinner #chicagoland #valentinesday #romance #lambchops #loveisintheair #lakeinthehills #theannex #tiktok
@lucky_chuckyTHIS SATURDAY COME JOIN US HERE AT LAKE IN THE HILLS TATTOO CO FOR SOUND IN SIGHTS ART GALLERY SHOW!! Show goes from 5pm-9pm and is a free all ages art show with a ton of local artists and some from a
@artofjaynoskaHappy New Year👉💥 #fyp #happynewyear #lastmeal #primerib #theannex #restaurant #lounge #chicago #lakeinthehills #tiktok
@lucky_chuckyThe questions buyers actually ask
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Boulder Ridge. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
Market snapshot
Live MRED data, refreshed daily. The numbers below tell you what this market is doing today, not what Zillow's algorithm thinks it might be doing six weeks from now.
Typical list price
$599,500
Typical sale price · last 90 days
$582,200
Homes for sale right now
6
Avg time on market
32 days
Sold in the last year
26
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC for the period June 23, 2025 through June 23, 2026. Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Midwest Real Estate Data LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
Thinking of selling?
Not a Zestimate. A real CMA from someone who's sold this neighborhood, knows the floor plan premiums, and can tell you which upgrades the buyer pool here actually pays for.
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Your local agent
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the places I actually know, and the things that move value here don't show up in the MLS write-up: which streets and buildings hold demand, what the HOA or assessments really cover, how the comps read once you account for condition and location, and where buyers consistently want to be.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who has read the last 50 closed comps in this specific market, not a national average, and can tell you what they actually mean for your price. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.