Rock Cut State Park
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
2,984 acres35.7 mi of trail
Huskie TrailPrairie Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Loves Park
Loves Park has 45 miles of mapped trails, 2.7 for every square mile of land
34% of Loves Park’s land is conserved, about 3,577 acres. 3,432 acres are parks and preserves, 146 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Rock Cut State Park (35.7 mi), Willow Creek Natural Area (3 mi), Wentland Sports Park (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #5 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
34%
3,577 acres · of 16.3 sq mi of land
Trails
45 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,432 ac
146 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
16 mi
3.6 mi lanes · 13 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
2 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Loves Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Loves Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Loves Park is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #5 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Loves Park’s overall grade.
Conserved land34% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (45 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land146 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,432 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home85% 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 98%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)#5 of 768
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Rock Cut State Park, with 35.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Willow Creek Natural Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
142 acres3 mi of trail
Lone Rock Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
South Hart Road Grassland Natural Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
48 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
North Hart Road Grassland Natural Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
41 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wantz Park
Park
7 acres0.4 mi of trail
Wantz Park Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Swedish Heritage Park
Park
30 acres0.3 mi of trail
Swedish Heritage Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 20 parks & preserves
Rock Cut State Park2,984 acres · 35.7 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWillow Creek Natural Area142 acres · 3 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWentland Sports Park32 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Hart Road Grassland Natural Area48 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
North Hart Road Grassland Natural Area41 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Wantz Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsSwedish Heritage Park30 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsField of Honor Park18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRock Cut Crossing4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMullins Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Harlem Hills Nature Preserve92 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsShorewood Park36 acres
DirectionsPlum Grove Nature Preserve23 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Willow Creek Recreation Path20 acres
DirectionsSand Park20 acres
DirectionsMartin Park18 acres · Rockford Park District
DirectionsDarryl F Lindberg Park15 acres · Rockford Park District
DirectionsInverness Park5 acres
Peter Olson Park3 acres · Rockford Park District
Harlem South Campus Tennis Courts2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,577 conserved acres
34% of Loves Park’s land. Who manages Loves Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources3,015 ac
Regional agency164 ac
Joint159 ac
State conservation114 ac
Private owners112 ac
Town or city33 ac
Other state land5 ac
State Park · 3,015 acLocal Recreation Area · 196 acLocal Park · 118 acConservation Easement · 114 acPrivate Park · 106 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 90 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Cut State Park State Park | State natural resources | 3,015 | Open |
| Sportscore 2 - NE Community Park Local Recreation Area | Joint | 159 | Open |
| Forest Hills Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 106 | Open |
| Harlem Community Skatepark Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 37 | Open |
| Shorewood Park Local Park | Regional agency | 35 | Open |
| Sands Park Local Park | Regional agency | 28 | Open |
| Nimtz Ponds State Conservation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Willow Creek Greenway Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
| Martin Park Local Park | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
| Carlson Arctic Ice Arena Unknown | Town or city | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Loves Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Loves Park
Olson BeachIn Rock Cut State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Loves Park
Penguin PondIn Sand Park
DirectionsSand Park PoolIn Sand Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Loves Park
Berry Family Playground
DirectionsHorseshoesIn Swedish Heritage Park
DirectionsPlayworks ParkIn Wentland Sports Park
DirectionsPlayworks ParkIn Wentland Sports Park
DirectionsRed Oak PlaygroundIn Rock Cut State Park
DirectionsSapora PlayworldHours: Mon–Thu 10 am – 8 pm; Fri–Sat 10 am – 6 pm; Sun 12 pm – 5 pm
DirectionsSwedish Heritage Park PlaygroundIn Swedish Heritage Park
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Loves Park
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Loves Park
Hickory HillsIn Rock Cut State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPlum GroveIn Rock Cut State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPrairie ViewIn Rock Cut State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsStaghornIn Rock Cut State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWhite OakIn Rock Cut State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsYouth CampIn Rock Cut State Park · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 22.0 miHorses · 11.1 miUnpaved · 36.8 mi
Huskie Trail3.0 mi
Wantz Park Path0.4 mi
Prairie Trail0.3 mi
Swedish Heritage Path0.3 mi
Lone Rock Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
16 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
13 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Baseball
14Soccer
10Tennis
6Pickleball
6Basketball
4Softball
4Volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Loves Park
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 | 45 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Loves Park →
Next door
Loves Park and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Harlem Township52 miRockford Township51 miLoves Park45 miBelvidere Township37 miRockford30 miMachesney Park5.0 miOwen Township5.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loves Park | 34% | 2.7 | 146 | 85% | A+ |
| Machesney Park | 6% | 0.4 | 22 | 85% | B+ |
| Rockford | 6% | 0.5 | 17 | 87% | B+ |
| Harlem Township | 18% | 1.6 | 96 | 84% | A+ |
| Owen Township | 2% | 0.1 | 154 | 28% | B− |
| Belvidere Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rockford 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 Loves Park
Where can I hike in Loves Park?
The longest trail networks: Rock Cut State Park, 35.7 miles; Willow Creek Natural Area, 3 miles; Wentland Sports Park, 1.1 miles; South Hart Road Grassland Natural Area, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Loves Park is conserved land?
34% 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 Loves Park’s trails?
Rock Cut State Park and Willow Creek Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Loves Park?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of painted or protected lanes and 13 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Loves Park?
15,106 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Loves Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,442 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Loves Park have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 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 Loves Park 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 →