Laona Heights Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
63 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
DOutdoors
Outdoors in Laona Township
7% of Laona Township’s land is conserved: 1,165 acres
The biggest trail networks: Laona Heights Forest Preserve (0.6 mi). 0.7 miles of mapped trail cross Laona Township.
Ahead of 12% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,165 acres · of 27.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.7 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Laona Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Laona Township is ahead of 12% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Laona Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land0.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13DParks 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 12%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Laona 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 Laona Heights Forest Preserve, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sugar River Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
149 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Colored Sands Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
49 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Laona Heights Nature Preserve
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
33 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Laona Heights Forest Preserve63 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
Sugar River Forest Preserve149 acres · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
DirectionsColored Sands Forest Preserve49 acres · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
Laona Heights Nature Preserve33 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Sugar River Alder Forest Preserve9 acres · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
Who protects it
1,165 conserved acres
7% of Laona Township’s land. Who manages Laona Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,013 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits84 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)67 ac
State conservation19 ac
Private owners1 ac
State Conservation Area · 994 acConservation Easement · 170 acLocal Conservation Area · 21 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 151 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar River State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 992 | Closed |
| Laona Heights Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 21 | Closed |
| Colored Sands Bluff Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 1 | Closed |
Things to do
4 places to go in Laona Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Laona Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Laona Township
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Laona Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Laona Township
Lake Summerset Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Christenson-Anderson FarmDistrict · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Laona 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 33 | 45 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Laona Township →
Next door
Laona 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laona Township | 7% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Shirland Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Durand Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 29 | 61% | C |
| Harrison 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 Laona Township
Where can I hike in Laona Township?
The longest trail networks: Laona Heights Forest Preserve, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Laona Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Laona Township’s trails?
Laona Heights Forest Preserve and Sugar River Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Laona Township?
2,035 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Laona Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Laona Township have?
Ahead of 12% 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 Laona 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 →