Chain O'Lakes State Park
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
306 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Burton Township
Burton Township has 383 acres of parks, 78 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Chain O'Lakes State Park (2.5 mi). 8% of Burton Township’s land is conserved, about 539 acres. 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #232 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
539 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
2.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
383 ac
78 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Burton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Burton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Burton Township is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #232 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Burton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land78 acres of park per 1,000 residents (383 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home85% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 77%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 70%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Horse Fair Park
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
539 conserved acres
8% of Burton Township’s land. Who manages Burton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation383 ac
Regional agency120 ac
Town or city24 ac
Private owners17 ac
State Park · 352 acState Conservation Area · 113 acConservation Easement · 31 acLocal Park · 24 acPrivate Conservation · 17 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 26 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 11 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 | 352 | Open |
| Nippersink Canoe Base 26 State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 113 | Unknown |
| Spring Grove Fen Private Conservation | Private owners | 17 | Closed |
| Horse Fair Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Lyle C Thomas Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Wilmot Farms Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Nippersink Canoe Base Local Resource Management Area | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| Nippersink Canoe Base 16 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 3 | Unknown |
| Breezy Lawn Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Orchard Bluff Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Burton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Burton Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Burton Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Burton 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) | 29 | 33 | 45 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Burton Township →
Next door
Burton Township and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burton Township | 8% | 0.2 | 78 | 85% | A− |
| Antioch Township | 39% | 0.4 | 264 | 92% | A |
| Richmond Township | 12% | 0.6 | 199 | 70% | A |
| Fox Lake | 3% | 0.1 | 14 | 92% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Burton Township
Where can I hike in Burton Township?
The longest trail networks: Chain O'Lakes State Park, 2.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Burton Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Burton Township’s trails?
Chain O'Lakes State Park and Horse Fair Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Burton Township?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Burton Township?
23,768 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Burton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 383 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Burton Township have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #232 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 Burton 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 →