Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
234 acres3.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Farnsworth House · Photo: Victor Grigas · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Little Rock Township
Little Rock Township has 781 acres of parks, 53 for every 1,000 residents
29 miles of mapped trail cross Little Rock Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area (3.4 mi), Jay Woods Forest Preserve (1.6 mi), Steward Park (1.5 mi). 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #168 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
750 acres · of 35.2 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
781 ac
53 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.8 mi
2.8 mi paths
Highest peak
643 ft
Maramech Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Little Rock Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Little Rock Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Little Rock Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #168 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Little Rock Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land53 acres of park per 1,000 residents (781 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home91% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 78%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. 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 Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area, with 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jay Woods Forest Preserve
Managed by Kendall County Forest Preserve District
123 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Steward Park
Managed by City of Plano
122 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Little Rock Creek Forest Preserve
Managed by Kendall County Forest Preserve District
128 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Maramech Forest Preserve
Managed by Kendall County Forest Preserve District
84 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Subat Forest Preserve
Managed by Kendall County Forest Preserve District
67 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area234 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsJay Woods Forest Preserve123 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Kendall County Forest Preserve District
DirectionsSteward Park122 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · City of Plano
Little Rock Creek Forest Preserve128 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Kendall County Forest Preserve District
DirectionsMaramech Forest Preserve84 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Kendall County Forest Preserve District
DirectionsSubat Forest Preserve67 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Kendall County Forest Preserve District
DirectionsFoli Park14 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCity Park5 acres
Fox River Bluffs3 acres · Kendall County Forest Preserve District
Gorman Park3 acres
DirectionsErnest Memorial Park2 acres · Sandwich Park District
Who protects it
750 conserved acres
3% of Little Rock Township’s land. Who manages Little Rock Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation353 ac
Town or city209 ac
Regional agency184 ac
County67 ac
Private owners54 ac
State natural resources52 ac
State Park · 214 acLocal Park · 207 acConservation Easement · 191 acState Conservation Area · 181 acLocal Conservation Area · 68 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 23 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 23 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Springs State Park | State conservation | 214 | Open |
| Steward Park Local Park | Town or city | 127 | Open |
| Jay Woods Forest Preserve State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 115 | Unknown |
| Subat F.P. Local Conservation Area | County | 67 | Open |
| Maramech Woods Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 66 | Closed |
| Emmons' Woods Land And Water Reserve Private Conservation | Private owners | 50 | Closed |
| Foli Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Rock Creek Park 172 Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Klatt Field Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Kristen Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Little Rock Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Little Rock Township
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Little Rock Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Little Rock Township
7 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Little Rock Township
Maramech Hill643 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Little Rock Township
Camp KishwaukeeBoy Scout Troop 71
DirectionsTrails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
16Baseball
5Tennis
2Equestrian
2Soccer
2Basketball
2Volleyball
1Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Little Rock 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Little Rock Township →
Next door
Little Rock Township and its neighbors
Little Rock Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Little Rock Township29 miFox Township23 miBig Rock Township17 miBristol Township9.7 miSandwich Township5.0 miSandwich0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock Township | 3% | 0.8 | 53 | 91% | A− |
| Fox Township | 10% | 0.6 | 985 | 54% | A− |
| Sandwich Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bristol Township | 2% | 0.3 | 14 | 97% | B |
| Big Rock Township | 9% | 0.5 | 361 | 65% | A− |
| Sandwich | 3% | 0.2 | 12 | 98% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Little Rock Township
Where can I hike in Little Rock Township?
The longest trail networks: Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area, 3.4 miles; Jay Woods Forest Preserve, 1.6 miles; Steward Park, 1.5 miles; Little Rock Creek Forest Preserve, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Little Rock Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Little Rock Township’s trails?
Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area and Jay Woods Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Little Rock Township?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Little Rock Township?
10,293 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Little Rock Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 783 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Little Rock Township have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #168 of 768 in Illinois. 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 Little Rock 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 →