Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
1,258 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: ProfDEH at en.wikipedia · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Chillicothe Township
Chillicothe Township has 1,419 acres of parks, 174 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Chillicothe Township’s land is conserved, about 1,707 acres. The biggest trail networks: Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area (1 mi), Moffitt Nature Park (0.6 mi). 3.5 miles of mapped trail cross Chillicothe Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #221 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
1,707 acres · of 18.0 sq mi of land
Trails
3.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,419 ac
174 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Chillicothe Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chillicothe Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chillicothe Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #221 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 Chillicothe Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land174 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,419 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home71% 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 79%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 71%
Water is 12% of Chillicothe Township’s area (3 of 21 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 13%.
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 Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Moffitt Nature Park
Park
23 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Chilicothe Bottoms
Nature preserve
246 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area1,258 acres · 1 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Moffitt Nature Park23 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Santa Fe Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsChilicothe Bottoms246 acres
Coal Hollow Park52 acres
Shore Acres Park24 acres
DirectionsDr. Frank & Aagot Green Wildlife Sanctuary19 acres
Wellie Jackson Park10 acres
City Park3 acres · City of Chillicothe
DirectionsCutright Community Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,707 conserved acres
15% of Chillicothe Township’s land. Water is left out: Chillicothe Township has 18.0 square miles of land and 2.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Chillicothe Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,195 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits344 ac
Private owners73 ac
Town or city72 ac
Regional agency27 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,195 acUnknown · 224 acLocal Park · 82 acPrivate Park · 80 acPrivate Conservation · 73 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,195 | Open |
| Chillicothe Bottoms Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 224 | Open |
| County Line Hill Prairie Private Conservation | Private owners | 73 | Restricted |
| Chillicothe Sportsmens Club Private Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 68 | Open |
| Coal Hollow Park Local Park | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Shore Acres Park Local Park | Regional agency | 21 | Open |
| Dr. Frank & Aagot Green Wildlife Sanctuary Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Peoria Casting Club Private Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 12 | Open |
| Santa Fe Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Chillicothe Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Chillicothe Township
Pearce Community Center Playground
DirectionsRonald Mcdonald PlaygroundIn Cutright Community Park
DirectionsSanta Fe Splash PadIn Santa Fe Park
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Chillicothe Township
Walnut Dog ParkIn Wellie Jackson Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Chillicothe Township
Chillicothe Access Area
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Chillicothe Township
5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Chillicothe Township
2 disc golf without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
12Baseball
4Football
3Tennis
2Basketball
1Pickleball
1Soccer
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Chillicothe Township: August 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 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 51 | 64 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Chillicothe Township →
Next door
Chillicothe Township and its neighbors
Chillicothe Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Medina Township6.9 miChillicothe Township3.5 miLacon Township3.0 miPartridge Township1.6 miSteuben Township1.3 miHallock Township1.2 miRome0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chillicothe Township | 15% | 0.2 | 174 | 71% | A− |
| Partridge Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rome | under 1% | 0.1 | 6 | 64% | C− |
| Lacon Township | 31% | 0.2 | 1,350 | 91% | A |
| Hallock Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 464 | 40% | B− |
| Steuben Township | 12% | under 0.1 | 1,926 | 46% | B |
| Medina Township | 8% | 0.3 | 47 | 81% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chillicothe Township
Where can I hike in Chillicothe Township?
The longest trail networks: Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area, 1 miles; Moffitt Nature Park, 0.6 miles; Santa Fe Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chillicothe Township is conserved land?
15% 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 Chillicothe Township’s trails?
Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area and Moffitt Nature Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Chillicothe Township?
15,001 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chillicothe Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,684 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chillicothe Township have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #221 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 Chillicothe 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 →