Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC BY 4.0Manhattan Township has 228 acres of parks, 18 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Round Barn Park (0.9 mi). 2.1 miles of mapped trail cross Manhattan Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 72% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #517 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
How much outdoors does Manhattan Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manhattan Township is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #517 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Round Barn Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Manhattan Central Park
All 6 parks & preserves
900 conserved acres
4% of Manhattan Township’s land. Who manages Manhattan Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 19 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midewin Other National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 462 | Open |
| Prairie Creek Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 118 | Restricted |
| Wauponsee Glacial Trail 1 Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 107 | Open |
| Round Barn Farm Unknown | Town or city | 92 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| Foxford Subdivision Unknown | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| Lexington Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Pirate Theme Playground Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
6 places to go in Manhattan Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The best walking months in Manhattan 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Manhattan Township →
Manhattan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan Township | 4% | 0.1 | 18 | 72% | B− |
| Wilton Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Green Garden Township | 1% | 0.3 | 34 | 3% | C |
| Jackson Township | 25% | 0.3 | 32 | 62% | B+ |
| Frankfort | 5% | 0.1 | 26 | 99% | B+ |
| New Lenox Township | 8% | 0.1 | 35 | 89% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Manhattan Township
Where can I hike in Manhattan Township?
The longest trail networks: Round Barn Park, 0.9 miles; Manhattan Central Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Manhattan 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 Manhattan Township’s trails?
Round Barn Park and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Manhattan Township?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Manhattan Township?
28,191 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manhattan Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 770 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Manhattan Township have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #517 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 Manhattan Township neighbors.
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 →