Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
824 acres3.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Csrbsn · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Channahon Township
32% of Channahon Township’s land is conserved: 6,720 acres
1,769 acres are parks and preserves, 164 per 1,000 residents. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area (3.2 mi), McKinley Wood Forest Preserve (2.3 mi), Central Park (1.3 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #39 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
6,720 acres · of 33.2 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,769 ac
164 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
19 mi
18 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Channahon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Channahon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Channahon Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #39 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 Channahon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land164 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,769 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home93% 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 95%
Water is 6% of Channahon Township’s area (2 of 35 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 30%.
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 Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
McKinley Wood Forest Preserve
Nature preserve
482 acres2.3 mi of trail
Trail of the Old OaksRiver Lookout TrailUpland Ski Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Arroyo Trails
Park
107 acres1.1 mi of trail
Arroyo Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Managed by United States Forest Service
1,609 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area824 acres · 3.2 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsMcKinley Wood Forest Preserve482 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park44 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsArroyo Trails107 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMidewin National Tallgrass Prairie1,609 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Lake Chaminwood Preserve40 acres
Diamond Park1 acres
Who protects it
6,720 conserved acres
32% of Channahon Township’s land. Water is left out: Channahon Township has 33.2 square miles of land and 2.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Channahon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners2,927 ac
State natural resources1,862 ac
U.S. Forest Service1,596 ac
Town or city299 ac
State conservation246 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits133 ac
State Conservation Area · 4,341 acNational Forest · 1,595 acConservation Easement · 554 acState Recreation Area · 235 acLocal Park · 230 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 312 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 23 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie State Conservation Area | Private owners | 2,927 | Restricted |
| Midewin Other National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 1,595 | Open |
| Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,414 | Open |
| Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 235 | Open |
| Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club Local Park | Town or city | 168 | Open |
| Arroyo Trails Unknown | Town or city | 63 | Open |
| Central Park, Arrowhead Community Center, & Tomahawk Aquatic Center Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Briscoe Mounds Unknown | State natural resources | 36 | Open |
| Deer Path Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Channahon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Channahon Township
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Channahon Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Channahon Township
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Channahon Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Channahon Township
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miUnpaved · 3.0 mi
Trail of the Old Oaks1.1 mi
Arroyo Trail1.0 mi
River Lookout Trail0.5 mi
Upland Ski Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
19 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
18 mi
off-road bike paths
0.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Arroyo TrailsBike route
1 miCourts & fields
14Baseball
4Basketball
3Tennis
2Pickleball
1Football
1Soccer
1Beach volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Channahon Township: April and 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 48 | 61 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Channahon Township →
Next door
Channahon Township and its neighbors
Channahon Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Channahon Township14 miWilmington Township12 miTroy Township12 miJackson Township9.2 miAux Sable Township2.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channahon Township | 32% | 0.4 | 164 | 93% | A |
| Troy Township | 7% | 0.3 | 26 | 98% | A− |
| Aux Sable Township | 1% | 0.1 | 19 | 86% | B− |
| Wilmington Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Jackson Township | 25% | 0.3 | 32 | 62% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Channahon Township
Where can I hike in Channahon Township?
The longest trail networks: Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area, 3.2 miles; McKinley Wood Forest Preserve, 2.3 miles; Central Park, 1.3 miles; Arroyo Trails, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Channahon Township is conserved land?
32% 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 Channahon Township’s trails?
Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area and McKinley Wood Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Channahon Township?
19 miles of bike routes are on the map: 18 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Arroyo Trails.
Is there public land near Channahon Township?
31,477 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Channahon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,324 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Channahon Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #39 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 Channahon 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 →