Prairie State Eagle Refuge State Natural Area
Nature preserve
211 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Montebello Township
Montebello Township has 313 acres of parks, 95 for every 1,000 residents
0.8 miles of mapped trail cross Montebello Township. 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Montebello Township’s land is conserved, about 441 acres.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns · #483 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
441 acres · of 36.8 sq mi of land
Trails
0.8 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
313 ac
95 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
2 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Montebello Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Montebello Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Montebello Township is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #483 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Montebello Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land95 acres of park per 1,000 residents (313 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home82% 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 52%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 37%
Water is 11% of Montebello Township’s area (4 of 41 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cedar Glen State Natural Area
Nature preserve
153 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
441 conserved acres
2% of Montebello Township’s land. Water is left out: Montebello Township has 36.8 square miles of land and 4.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Montebello Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources388 ac
State conservation163 ac
Town or city50 ac
Regional agency2 ac
State Conservation Area · 388 acConservation Easement · 163 acLocal Park · 50 acLocal Recreation Area · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie State Eagle Refuge State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 217 | Open |
| Cedar Glen State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 165 | Open |
| Wildcat Springs Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Montebello State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 5 | Open |
| Hamilton Baseball Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Montebello Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Montebello Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Montebello Township
Hamilton Aquatic CenterIn Wildcat Springs Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Montebello Township
Cheney Creek Boat RampIn Wildcat Springs Park
DirectionsHamilton Public Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
3Baseball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Cyrus Felt HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Montebello 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 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 39 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 51 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Montebello Township →
Next door
Montebello Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rocky Run-Wilcox Township5.2 miPrairie Township3.1 miKeokuk1.5 miSonora Township1.4 miMontebello Township0.8 miHamilton0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montebello Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 95 | 82% | B− |
| Hamilton | 19% | 0.1 | 105 | 99% | A |
| Prairie Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sonora Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rocky Run-Wilcox 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 Montebello Township
How much of Montebello Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Montebello Township’s trails?
Prairie State Eagle Refuge State Natural Area and Cedar Glen State Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Montebello Township?
9,512 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Montebello Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 324 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Montebello Township have?
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #483 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 Montebello 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 →