Argyle Lake State Park
Nature preserve
644 acres6.2 mi of trail
Equestrian TrailTwisted Oak TrailShore TrailBluff Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Colchester Township
Colchester Township has 674 acres of parks, 418 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Colchester Township’s land is conserved, about 1,159 acres. The biggest trail networks: Argyle Lake State Park (6.2 mi). 78% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,159 acres · of 18.1 sq mi of land
Trails
6.3 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
674 ac
418 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Colchester Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Colchester Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Colchester Township is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Colchester Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land418 acres of park per 1,000 residents (674 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home78% 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 84%
LessMore
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 Argyle Lake State Park, with 6.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Colchester City Fair Grounds
Managed by Colchester City
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,159 conserved acres
10% of Colchester Township’s land. Who manages Colchester Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources647 ac
Regional Water Districts512 ac
State Recreation Area · 647 acConservation Easement · 512 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 512 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argyle Lake State Park State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 647 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Colchester Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Colchester Township
Colchester Grade School Playground
DirectionsFriendway Park PlaygroundIn Friendway Park
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Colchester Township
Big Oaks CampgroundIn Argyle Lake State Park · Argyle Lake State Park
DirectionsTwisted Oak CampgroundIn Argyle Lake State Park · Argyle Lake State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 3.4 miUnpaved · 6.3 mi
Equestrian Trail3.4 mi
Twisted Oak Trail1.1 mi
Shore Trail0.7 mi
Bluff Trail0.6 mi
University Trail0.2 mi
Stackberry Trail0.2 mi
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
4Baseball
3Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Colchester 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 51 | 63 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 51 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Colchester Township →
Next door
Colchester Township and its neighbors
Colchester Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Colchester Township6.3 miEmmet Township4.2 miChalmers Township2.5 miHire Township2.1 miTennessee Township1.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester Township | 10% | 0.3 | 418 | 78% | A− |
| Chalmers Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Tennessee Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Emmet Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hire 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 Colchester Township
Where can I hike in Colchester Township?
The longest trail networks: Argyle Lake State Park, 6.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Colchester Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Colchester Township’s trails?
Argyle Lake State Park and Friendway Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Colchester Township?
3,434 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Colchester Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 674 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Colchester Township have?
Ahead of 84% 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 Colchester 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 →