Merwin Savannah Nature Preserve
Managed by ParkLands Foundation
791 acres4.1 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Money Creek Township
Money Creek Township has 407 acres of parks, 545 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Merwin Savannah Nature Preserve (4.1 mi), Lexington Preserve (2.4 mi). 8% of Money Creek Township’s land is conserved, about 1,902 acres. 28% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,902 acres · of 38.8 sq mi of land
Trails
8.7 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
407 ac
545 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
28%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.2 mi
2.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Money Creek Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Money Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Money Creek Township is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Money Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land545 acres of park per 1,000 residents (407 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home28% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 64%
LessMore
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 Merwin Savannah Nature Preserve, with 4.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lexington Preserve
Managed by ParkLands Foundation
114 acres2.4 mi of trail
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Moon Preserve
Managed by ParkLands Foundation
42 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,902 conserved acres
8% of Money Creek Township’s land. Who manages Money Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,424 ac
State conservation647 ac
Town or city477 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,145 acConservation Easement · 926 acUnknown · 477 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 280 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merwin Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 648 | Open |
| Lake Bloomington Unknown | Town or city | 477 | Open |
| Mohr Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 275 | Open |
| Lexington Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 122 | Open |
| Moon Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 41 | Closed |
| Breen I - Champion Federal Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 38 | Closed |
| Breen II Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Closed |
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.2 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Money Creek 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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Money Creek Township →
Next door
Money Creek Township and its neighbors
Money Creek Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hudson Township21 miMoney Creek Township8.7 miLexington Township2.4 miLexington1.4 miTowanda Township0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Money Creek Township | 8% | 0.2 | 545 | 28% | B |
| Lexington Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Towanda Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 7 | 29% | D |
| Hudson Township | 9% | 0.6 | 596 | 54% | A− |
| Lexington | under 1% | 0.7 | 20 | 98% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Money Creek Township
Where can I hike in Money Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Merwin Savannah Nature Preserve, 4.1 miles; Lexington Preserve, 2.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Money Creek Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Money Creek Township’s trails?
Merwin Savannah Nature Preserve and Lexington Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Money Creek Township?
2.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Money Creek Township?
4,559 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Money Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 885 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Money Creek Township have?
Ahead of 64% 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 Money Creek 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 →