Chain O'Lakes State Park
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
3,504 acres5.6 mi of trail
Chain O' Lakes State Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Gavin J. Dow · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Antioch Township
39% of Antioch Township’s land is conserved: 8,697 acres
7,308 acres are parks and preserves, 264 per 1,000 residents. 92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Chain O'Lakes State Park (5.6 mi), Gander Mountain Forest Preserve (4.7 mi), Raven Glen Forest Preserve (2 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #32 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
39%
8,697 acres · of 34.8 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
7,308 ac
264 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 14 mi paths
Highest peak
928 ft
Gander Mountain
Lakes & rivers
25
2 beaches · 10 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Antioch Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Antioch Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Antioch Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #32 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Antioch Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land39% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land264 acres of park per 1,000 residents (7,308 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home92% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 96%
Water is 18% of Antioch Township’s area (7 of 42 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 32%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Chain O'Lakes State Park, with 5.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gander Mountain Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
291 acres4.7 mi of trail
Gander Mountain Forest Preserve Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Gander Mountain parkingWebsite ↗
Raven Glen Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
539 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Lake Marie Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
226 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 34 parks & preserves
Chain O'Lakes State Park3,504 acres · 5.6 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsGander Mountain Forest Preserve291 acres · 4.7 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsRaven Glen Forest Preserve539 acres · 2 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsLake Marie Forest Preserve226 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
Centenial Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVern Thelen Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Antioch Township
DirectionsJensen Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRedwing Slough State Natural Area959 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDutch Gap Forest Preserve515 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Prairie Stream Forest Preserve173 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Sequoit Creek Forest Preserve136 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Turtle Wetlands112 acres
Ethel's Woods Forest Preserve103 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsSun Lake Forest Preserve94 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsLotus Country Conservation Preserve81 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsRedwing Slough Forest Preserve65 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsWindmill Creek Park47 acres
Sprenger Park45 acres
Tiffany Farms35 acres
Woods of Antioch26 acres
Bluebird Meadow Forest Preserve17 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Redwing View Park16 acres
William E. Brook Entertainment Center12 acres
DirectionsPetty Park11 acres
Pedersen Park11 acres
DirectionsWilliam's Park7 acres
DirectionsNorth Park6 acres
DirectionsTiffany Farms Homeowners Association Park6 acres
Gedge Brothers Park5 acres
Mary's Park5 acres
Trevor Creek Park4 acres
Osmond Park2 acres
Channel Lake-Lake Marie Channel Park2 acres
DirectionsChannel Lake North Beach Park1 acres · Beach
Who protects it
8,697 conserved acres
39% of Antioch Township’s land. Water is left out: Antioch Township has 34.8 square miles of land and 7.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Antioch Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation5,793 ac
Regional agency1,885 ac
Other state land995 ac
Town or city670 ac
State natural resources378 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits102 ac
Private owners34 ac
State Park · 4,746 acState Conservation Area · 1,400 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,371 acConservation Easement · 1,336 acLocal Resource Management Area · 541 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 175 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 49 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chain O'Lakes State Park State Park | State conservation | 4,746 | Open |
| Red Wing Slough State Conservation Area | Other state land | 995 | Open |
| Raven Glen Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 570 | Open |
| Channel Lake State Conservation Area | Town or city | 320 | Open |
| Gander Mountain Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 292 | Open |
| Dutch Gap 4 Local Resource Management Area | Regional agency | 250 | Open |
| Lake Marie Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 225 | Open |
| Nippersink Lake Open Space State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 191 | Open |
| Dutch Gap 2 Local Resource Management Area | Regional agency | 189 | Open |
| Sequoit Creek Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 130 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
40 places to go in Antioch Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Antioch Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Antioch Township
16 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Antioch Township
10 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Antioch Township
Raven Glen North Fishing PierIn Raven Glen Forest Preserve
DirectionsRaven Glen South Fishing PierIn Raven Glen Forest Preserve
DirectionsScenic views in Antioch Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Antioch Township
Gander Mountain928 ft elevation · In Gander Mountain Forest Preserve
DirectionsPicnic areas in Antioch Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Antioch Township
Fox Den CampgroundsFee · In Chain O'Lakes State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsHoneysuckle Hollow CampgroundsFee · In Chain O'Lakes State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsMud Lake East CampgroundsFee · In Chain O'Lakes State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPrairie View CampgroundsFee · In Chain O'Lakes State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTurner Lake South CampgroundsFee · In Chain O'Lakes State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 25 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.7 miHorses · 3.1 miUnpaved · 11.6 mi
Chain O' Lakes State Park Trail3.2 mi
Gander Mountain Forest Preserve Trail3.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Bluff LakelakeCRL Industries PondCanal Channel-MarieCandice LakeChannel LakeChannel-Marie CanalDeer LakeDunn LakeEast Loon LakelakeGrass LakeHomer White LakereservoirLake AntiochlakeLake CatherineLake MarieLake TranquilitylakeLoon LakelakeMarie PondMud LakelakePetite LakeRedwing MarshSilver LakeSpring LakeTimber LakelakeTurner LakelakeThirsty Turtle Channel
Biking & sports
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
14 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
27Tennis
13Baseball
8Pickleball
6Soccer
4Beach volleyball
4Football
3Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Antioch Township: 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) | 30 | 34 | 45 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Antioch Township →
Next door
Antioch Township and its neighbors
Antioch Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Salem Lakes18 miAntioch Township15 miLake Villa Township13 miBristol12 miGrant Township9.4 miNewport Township5.0 miBurton Township2.6 miFox Lake1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antioch Township | 39% | 0.4 | 264 | 92% | A |
| Lake Villa Township | 21% | 0.6 | 55 | 99% | A |
| Burton Township | 8% | 0.2 | 78 | 85% | A− |
| Newport Township | 20% | 0.2 | 397 | 79% | A− |
| Fox Lake | 3% | 0.1 | 14 | 92% | B |
| Grant Township | 16% | 0.5 | 17 | 79% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Antioch Township
Where can I hike in Antioch Township?
The longest trail networks: Chain O'Lakes State Park, 5.6 miles; Gander Mountain Forest Preserve, 4.7 miles; Raven Glen Forest Preserve, 2 miles; Lake Marie Forest Preserve, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Antioch Township is conserved land?
39% 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 Antioch Township’s trails?
Chain O'Lakes State Park and Gander Mountain Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Antioch Township?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes, 14 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Antioch Township?
34,974 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Antioch Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,496 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Antioch Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #32 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 Antioch Township 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 →