Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
1,043 acres6.6 mi of trail
Dune TrailBeach TrailDead River TrailOak Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Benton Township
29% of Benton Township’s land is conserved: 2,668 acres
22 miles of mapped trail cross Benton Township, 1.5 per square mile of land. 1,981 acres are parks and preserves, 105 per 1,000 residents. 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #3 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
2,668 acres · of 14.2 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,981 ac
105 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.2 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 5.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Benton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Benton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Benton Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #3 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Benton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land105 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,981 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home97% 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 98%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)#3 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 Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park, with 6.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
North Point Marina
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
432 acres5.7 mi of trail
Marsh Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Spring Bluff Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
232 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park1,043 acres · 6.6 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsNorth Point Marina432 acres · 5.7 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsFounders Park15 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsNovotny Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Spring Bluff Forest Preserve232 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsMshkodé Forest Preserve125 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Village Park38 acres
Fossland Park7 acres
Beach Park7 acres
DirectionsGraham Park1 acres · Waukegan Park District
Who protects it
2,668 conserved acres
29% of Benton Township’s land. Who manages Benton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation2,923 ac
Regional agency574 ac
Town or city138 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits6 ac
State Park · 1,948 acConservation Easement · 975 acLocal Conservation Area · 293 acLocal Recreation Area · 243 acLocal Park · 182 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park State Park | State conservation | 1,948 | Open |
| ThunderHawk Golf Club Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 228 | Open |
| Spring Bluff Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 226 | Open |
| Village Of Winthrop Harbor Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 61 | Open |
| Waukegan Sportspark Local Park | Regional agency | 57 | Open |
| Mcclory Trail Local Park | Regional agency | 48 | Open |
| 38-Acre Park / Schlader Rec Center / Skate Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Founders Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Greenshire Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Undeveloped - Beach And Cornell Park Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Benton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Benton Township
North Point Marina BeachIn North Point Marina
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Benton Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Benton Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Benton Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Benton Township
Illinois Beach State Park CampgroundIn Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.5 miUnpaved · 6.2 mi
Marsh Trail2.7 mi
Dune Trail1.4 mi
Beach Trail0.7 mi
Dead River Trail0.6 mi
Oak Ridge Trail0.5 mi
Kellogg Creek0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.2 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
5.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
4Tennis
3Basketball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Benton 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) | 31 | 34 | 44 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Benton Township →
Next door
Benton Township and its neighbors
Benton Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Benton Township22 miWaukegan Township11 miZion11 miZion Township11 miBeach Park7.5 miWinthrop Harbor5.5 miNewport Township5.0 miWadsworth3.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||
| Beach Park | 6% | 1.1 | 22 | 96% | A |
| Winthrop Harbor | 31% | 1.2 | 86 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Wadsworth | 11% | 0.4 | 109 | 65% | A− |
| Newport Township | 20% | 0.2 | 397 | 79% | A− |
| Waukegan 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 Benton Township
Where can I hike in Benton Township?
The longest trail networks: Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park, 6.6 miles; North Point Marina, 5.7 miles; Founders Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Benton Township is conserved land?
29% 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 Benton Township’s trails?
Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park and North Point Marina don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Benton Township?
6.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 5.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Benton Township?
18,748 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Benton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,981 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Benton Township have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 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 Benton 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 →