Buffalo Trace Prairie
Managed by Champaign County Forests
267 acres6.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dual Freq · CC BY 2.5A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Mahomet Township
Mahomet Township has 960 acres of parks, 67 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Buffalo Trace Prairie (6.9 mi), Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve (3.1 mi), River Bend Forest Preserve (2.5 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 15 miles of mapped trail cross Mahomet Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #222 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
869 acres · of 33.0 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
960 ac
67 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.6 mi
8.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Mahomet Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mahomet Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mahomet Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #222 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 Mahomet Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land67 acres of park per 1,000 residents (960 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home89% 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 79%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 71%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Buffalo Trace Prairie, with 6.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve
Managed by Champaign County Forest Preserve District
671 acres3.1 mi of trail
Rayburn-Purnell Woods TrailMuseum Meander TrailFloodplain TrailNature Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
River Bend Forest Preserve
Managed by Champaign County Forest Preserves
167 acres2.5 mi of trail
Woodland TrailDogleg Loop Grass
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Buffalo Trace Prairie267 acres · 6.9 mi of trail · Champaign County Forests
DirectionsLake of the Woods Forest Preserve671 acres · 3.1 mi of trail · Champaign County Forest Preserve District
DirectionsRiver Bend Forest Preserve167 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Champaign County Forest Preserves
DirectionsBarber Park46 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOxbow Ridge at River Bend Forest Preserve25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Champaign County Forest Preserves
DirectionsBridle Leash Park13 acres · Mahomet Parks and Recreation
DirectionsThirteen Acres Park12 acres · Mahomet Parks & Recreation
Brent Johnson Park9 acres
Taylor Park6 acres
DirectionsDowell Park3 acres
Who protects it
869 conserved acres
4% of Mahomet Township’s land. Who manages Mahomet Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources276 ac
County238 ac
Regional Water Districts221 ac
Town or city90 ac
Private owners62 ac
State conservation51 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits18 ac
Conservation Easement · 530 acLocal Recreation Area · 160 acLocal Park · 89 acLocal Conservation Area · 79 acPrivate Conservation · 51 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 461 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champaign County Forest Preserve Local Recreation Area | County | 159 | Open |
| Lake Of The Woods Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 79 | Open |
| Riverbend Land and Water Reserve Private Conservation | Private owners | 47 | Closed |
| Barber Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Brady's Sangamon River People Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 18 | Open |
| Thirteen Acres Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Brent Johnson Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Bridle Leash Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Smith House Natural Heritage Landmark Private Historic or Cultural | Private owners | 8 | Closed |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Mahomet Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Mahomet Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Mahomet Township
Bridle Leash PLaygroundIn Bridle Leash Park
DirectionsPlus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Mahomet Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Mahomet Township
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Mahomet Township
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Mahomet Township
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miUnpaved · 11.7 mi
Shadow Lake Trail0.7 mi
Woodland Trail0.5 mi
Dogleg Loop Grass0.5 mi
Rayburn-Purnell Woods Trail0.4 mi
Museum Meander Trail0.3 mi
River Loop0.2 mi
Elks Lake Trail0.2 mi
Floodplain Trail0.2 mi
Nature Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Soccer
13Baseball
8Basketball
7Tennis
3Football
2Beach volleyball
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 Mahomet 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 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Mahomet Township →
Next door
Mahomet Township and its neighbors
Mahomet Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Mahomet Township15 miMahomet11 miSangamon Township9.4 miBlue Ridge Township7.1 miScott Township5.9 miNewcomb Township3.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahomet Township | 4% | 0.4 | 67 | 89% | A− |
| Scott Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mahomet | 6% | 1.1 | 53 | 92% | A |
| Newcomb Township | 1% | 0.1 | 136 | 25% | C+ |
| Blue Ridge Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 3 | 61% | C− |
| Sangamon Township | 2% | 0.2 | 162 | 30% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mahomet Township
Where can I hike in Mahomet Township?
The longest trail networks: Buffalo Trace Prairie, 6.9 miles; Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 3.1 miles; River Bend Forest Preserve, 2.5 miles; Barber Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mahomet Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Mahomet Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mahomet Township?
8.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mahomet Township?
3,569 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mahomet Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 960 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mahomet Township have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #222 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 Mahomet 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 →