Wes Block Trailhead
Nature preserve
14 acres0.1 mi of trail
Jane Addams Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Harbach, Gerald, Round Barn · Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY 2.5C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Harlem Township
Harlem Township has 7.2 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
12% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3 acres are parks and preserves, 1.5 per 1,000 residents. 1% of Harlem Township’s land is conserved, about 289 acres.
Ahead of 17% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
289 acres · of 31.6 sq mi of land
Trails
7.2 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
3 ac
1.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
12%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.0 mi
2.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Harlem Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harlem Township is ahead of 17% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; trail miles come closest.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Harlem Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land1.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home12% 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 17%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Harlem Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. 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 Wes Block Trailhead, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Freeport Wetland Preserve
Nature preserve
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Damascus Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
289 conserved acres
1% of Harlem Township’s land. Who manages Harlem Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)281 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits7 ac
Town or city1 ac
Conservation Easement · 281 acUnknown · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 281 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wes Block Trailhead Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Open |
| McNeils Damascus Landing Unknown | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Harlem Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Harlem Township
Damascus Boat LaunchIn Damascus Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.1 miUnpaved · 3.1 mi
Jane Addams Trail3.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Jane Addams TrailBike route
3.1 miGrand Illinois Trail - Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park to Rock Cut State ParkBike route
3 miHistory 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
The best walking months in Harlem Township: April 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Harlem Township →
Next door
Harlem Township and its neighbors
Harlem Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Harlem Township7.2 miBuckeye Township7.1 miFreeport2.3 miFreeport Township2.3 miErin Township1.2 miLancaster Township0.8 miWaddams Township0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlem Township | 1% | 0.2 | 1 | 12% | C− |
| Freeport | 8% | 0.2 | 26 | 83% | B+ |
| Freeport Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lancaster Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 13% | D |
| Erin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Buckeye Township | 1% | 0.2 | 12 | 33% | C |
| Waddams 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 Harlem Township
Where can I hike in Harlem Township?
The longest trail networks: Wes Block Trailhead, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harlem Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Harlem Township’s trails?
Wes Block Trailhead and Freeport Wetland Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harlem Township?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of off-road paths. Named routes: Jane Addams Trail and Grand Illinois Trail - Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park to Rock Cut State Park.
Is there public land near Harlem Township?
1,560 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harlem Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 11 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Harlem Township have?
Ahead of 17% 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 Harlem 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 →