Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
2,312 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
COutdoors
Outdoors in Elk Township
Elk Township has 5.9 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area (1.6 mi). 23% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Elk Township’s land is conserved, about 1,085 acres.
Ahead of 34% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,085 acres · of 35.8 sq mi of land
Trails
5.9 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
13 ac
9.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
23%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
440 ft
Dutch Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Elk Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elk Township is ahead of 34% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Elk Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land9.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (13 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home23% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 34%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. 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 Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
1,085 conserved acres
5% of Elk Township’s land. Who manages Elk Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,041 ac
State conservation457 ac
Private owners44 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,042 acState Conservation Area · 456 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 44 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 586 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell Pond State Habitat Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 456 | Open |
| Campbell Lake Natural Heritage Landmark Private Historic or Cultural | Private owners | 44 | Closed |
Things to do
6 places to go in Elk Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Elk Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Elk Township
Dutch Hill440 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
4 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
3Baseball
1Multi-sport
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Elk 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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 46 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 70 | 56 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.3 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Elk Township →
Next door
Elk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Township | 5% | 0.2 | 9 | 23% | C |
| De Soto Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 6 | 64% | C |
| Six Mile Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 4 | 43% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Elk Township
Where can I hike in Elk Township?
The longest trail networks: Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elk 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 Elk Township’s trails?
Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Elk Township?
4,889 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elk Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 602 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Elk Township have?
Ahead of 34% 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 Elk 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 →