Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
759 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ewing Township
Ewing Township has 169 acres of parks, 84 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area (0.9 mi). 3.9 miles of mapped trail cross Ewing Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 4% of Ewing Township’s land is conserved, about 883 acres.
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
883 acres · of 35.9 sq mi of land
Trails
3.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
169 ac
84 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
1.4 mi paths
Highest peak
499 ft
Webbs Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ewing Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ewing Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ewing Township is ahead of 38% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ewing Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land84 acres of park per 1,000 residents (169 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home0% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%D−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 38%
LessMore
Water is 6% of Ewing Township’s area (2 of 38 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
883 conserved acres
4% of Ewing Township’s land. Water is left out: Ewing Township has 35.9 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ewing Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional Water Districts637 ac
Regional agency239 ac
State natural resources7 ac
Unknown · 714 acLocal Recreation Area · 169 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 527 | Open |
| Shooting Complex Unknown | Regional agency | 181 | Open |
| Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Regional Water Districts | 169 | Open |
| Southern Illinois Artisans Shop and Visitor Center Unknown | State natural resources | 7 | Open |
Things to do
12 places to go in Ewing Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ewing Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Ewing Township
Rend Lake
DirectionsRend Lake
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Ewing Township
Fish Attractor
DirectionsScenic views in Ewing Township
Waterfowl Refuge Observation Stand
DirectionsPeaks in Ewing Township
Webbs Hill499 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Ewing Township
Whittington Woods Campground
DirectionsWhittington Woods Campground
DirectionsYouthIn Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area
DirectionsTrails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Basketball
1Tennis
1Baseball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Ewing 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 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 46 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.4 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ewing Township →
Next door
Ewing 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ewing Township | 4% | 0.1 | 84 | under 1% | C+ |
| Barren Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Benton Township | 2% | 0.1 | under 1 | 12% | D |
| Spring Garden Township | 3% | 0.1 | 60 | 21% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ewing Township
Where can I hike in Ewing Township?
The longest trail networks: Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ewing Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Ewing Township’s trails?
Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ewing Township?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ewing Township?
9,393 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ewing Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 864 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ewing Township have?
Ahead of 38% 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 Ewing 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 →