Clinton Lake State Recreation Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
245 acres4.2 mi of trail
Houseboat Cove TrailNorth LoopPond in the Woods Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
–Not graded
Outdoors in Harp Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Harp Township
The biggest trail networks: Clinton Lake State Recreation Area (4.2 mi). 246 acres are parks and preserves, 849 per 1,000 residents. 15 miles of mapped trail cross Harp Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
under 1%
81 acres · of 31.2 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
246 ac
849 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 6 boat launches
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 Clinton Lake State Recreation Area, with 4.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
81 conserved acres
under 1% of Harp Township’s land. Water is left out: Harp Township has 31.2 square miles of land and 3.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Harp Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources81 ac
Unknown · 81 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birkbeck State Habitat Area Unknown | State natural resources | 81 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Harp Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Harp Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Harp Township
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Harp Township
6 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 13.7 mi
North Fork Trail9.1 mi
Houseboat Cove Trail2.4 mi
North Loop1.2 mi
Pond in the Woods Trail0.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Harp 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 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 39 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Harp Township →
Next door
Harp Township and its neighbors
Harp Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harp Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| De Witt Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Creek Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Clintonia Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 7 | 89% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Harp Township
Where can I hike in Harp Township?
The longest trail networks: Clinton Lake State Recreation Area, 4.2 miles; Clinton Lake Beach, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Harp Township’s trails?
Clinton Lake State Recreation Area and Clinton Lake Beach don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harp Township?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Harp Township?
2,119 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harp Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 328 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Harp 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 →