Watershed Nature Center
Park
64 acres1.4 mi of trail
Loop TrailMarsh Walk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Illinois2011 (Tyler Warren) · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Edwardsville Township
Edwardsville Township has 22 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Watershed Nature Center (1.4 mi), Bohm Woods Nature Preserve (1.1 mi), Township Park (0.8 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 809 acres are parks and preserves, 20 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #238 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,127 acres · of 35.3 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
809 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
50 mi
7.7 mi lanes · 43 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Edwardsville Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Edwardsville Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Edwardsville Township is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #238 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Edwardsville Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (809 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home90% 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 69%
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 Watershed Nature Center, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bohm Woods Nature Preserve
Managed by Heartland Conservancy
84 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Township Park
Managed by Edwardsville Township
27 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Willam C Drda Woods Nature Preserve
Managed by City of Edwardsville
72 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 21 parks & preserves
Watershed Nature Center64 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBohm Woods Nature Preserve84 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Heartland Conservancy
DirectionsTownship Park27 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Edwardsville Township
DirectionsWillam C Drda Woods Nature Preserve72 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Edwardsville
SIUE Gardens33 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMiner Park17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLeclaire Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLeclaire Sports Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRay M Schon Memorial Park70 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHoppe Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWillam and E. Bohm Memorial Nature Preserve11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Heartland Conservancy
Glen Carbon Village Hall Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGreenspace East Park81 acres
E Dora Bohm Memorial Nature Preserve7 acres · Heartlands Conservancy
DirectionsSam Vadalabene Field3 acres
DirectionsLusk Park3 acres
DirectionsEdwardsville City Park2 acres
DirectionsLeon Corlew Park2 acres · Edwardsville Township
DirectionsTower Park1 acres
DirectionsSketch Park1 acres
Rotary Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,127 conserved acres
5% of Edwardsville Township’s land. Who manages Edwardsville Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County469 ac
Town or city209 ac
Private owners191 ac
State natural resources179 ac
State conservation112 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits81 ac
Joint55 ac
Local Park · 522 acConservation Easement · 335 acLocal Recreation Area · 256 acState Other or Unknown · 76 acLocal Conservation Area · 56 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 152 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 43 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mct Nickel Plate Trail Local Park | County | 138 | Open |
| Sunset Hills country Club Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 135 | Open |
| Wm & Emma Bohm Memorial Np Local Park | County | 100 | Open |
| Mct Nature Trail Local Park | County | 86 | Open |
| Green Space East State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 76 | Unknown |
| Heritage Trail Local Park | County | 61 | Open |
| Watershed Nature Center Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Mct Goshen Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Mct Watershed Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 49 | Open |
| American Legion Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 44 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
45 places to go in Edwardsville Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Edwardsville Township
Splash PadIn Leon Corlew Park
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Edwardsville Township
Children's Museum Playground
DirectionsEdwardsville TownshipIn Township Park
DirectionsJSC Boundless PlaygroundIn Township Park
Directions38 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Edwardsville Township
Brent Leh Memorial Dog ParkHours: Mon–Sun 6 am – 10 pm
DirectionsMiner Bark ParkIn Miner Park
DirectionsScenic views in Edwardsville Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Edwardsville Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 15.8 mi
Loop Trail0.5 mi
Marsh Walk0.2 mi
Private0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
50 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
43 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
29Tennis
20Baseball
18Basketball
11Pickleball
8Soccer
6Beach volleyball
5Tracks
3Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Edwardsville 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 44 | 55 | 67 | 76 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 55 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Edwardsville Township →
Next door
Edwardsville Township and its neighbors
Edwardsville Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Edwardsville Township22 miEdwardsville21 miCollinsville Township6.4 miFort Russell Township5.6 miPin Oak Township2.2 miMaryville1.3 miChouteau Township1.2 miGlen Carbon0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edwardsville Township | 5% | 0.6 | 20 | 90% | A− |
| Pin Oak Township | 2% | 0.1 | 73 | 58% | B− |
| Collinsville Township | 3% | 0.2 | 20 | 71% | B− |
| Glen Carbon | 4% | 0.1 | 26 | 83% | B |
| Fort Russell Township | 1% | 0.2 | 5 | 43% | C− |
| Maryville | 4% | 0.2 | 19 | 60% | B− |
| Chouteau Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 120 | 66% | B |
| Edwardsville | 4% | 1.0 | 16 | 95% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Edwardsville Township
Where can I hike in Edwardsville Township?
The longest trail networks: Watershed Nature Center, 1.4 miles; Bohm Woods Nature Preserve, 1.1 miles; Township Park, 0.8 miles; Willam C Drda Woods Nature Preserve, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Edwardsville Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Edwardsville Township’s trails?
Watershed Nature Center and Bohm Woods Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Edwardsville Township?
50 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.7 of painted or protected lanes and 43 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Edwardsville Township?
17,033 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Edwardsville Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 809 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Edwardsville Township have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #238 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 Edwardsville 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 →