Benton City Park
Park
70 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Browning Township
Browning Township has 263 acres of parks, 123 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Benton City Park (1.2 mi). 42% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Browning Township’s land is conserved, about 539 acres.
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
539 acres · of 35.8 sq mi of land
Trails
8.3 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
263 ac
123 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
42%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.7 mi
4.7 mi paths
Highest peak
489 ft
Turkey Knob
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Browning Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Browning Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Browning Township is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Browning Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land123 acres of park per 1,000 residents (263 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home42% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 54%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 Benton City Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
539 conserved acres
2% of Browning Township’s land. Who manages Browning Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)356 ac
Town or city102 ac
Regional Water Districts81 ac
Conservation Easement · 356 acLocal Park · 102 acUnknown · 81 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 356 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton City Park Local Park | Town or city | 99 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 81 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Totland Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Browning Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Browning Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Browning Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Browning Township
Turkey Knob489 ft elevation
DirectionsBrowning Hill453 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Browning Township
Beaver's Lodge
DirectionsBuck Ridge
DirectionsCovery Point
DirectionsOwl's Roost
DirectionsSouth Macom CampgroundIn South Marcum Recreational Area
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Baseball
5Basketball
5Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Browning Township
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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 46 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.4 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Browning Township →
Next door
Browning Township and its neighbors
Browning Township has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browning Township | 2% | 0.2 | 123 | 42% | B− |
| Benton Township | 2% | 0.1 | under 1 | 12% | D |
| Barren Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Denning Township | 1% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Browning Township
Where can I hike in Browning Township?
The longest trail networks: Benton City Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Browning Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Browning Township’s trails?
Benton City Park and South Marcum Recreational Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Browning Township?
4.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Browning Township?
4,371 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Browning Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 345 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Browning Township have?
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Browning 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 →