Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
278 acres3.4 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Newport Township
Newport Township has 2,700 acres of parks, 397 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Newport Township’s land is conserved, about 4,049 acres. The biggest trail networks: Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve (3.4 mi), Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve (0.5 mi). 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #163 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
4,049 acres · of 31.9 sq mi of land
Trails
5.0 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,700 ac
397 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
16 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 16 mi paths
Highest peak
768 ft
Leahy Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Newport Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newport Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newport Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #163 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newport Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land397 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,700 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home79% 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 83%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 79%
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 Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve, with 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
979 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Sedge Meadow Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
282 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Wadsworth Savanna Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
1,230 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve278 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsVan Patten Woods Forest Preserve979 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsSedge Meadow Forest Preserve282 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsWadsworth Savanna Forest Preserve1,230 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsPine Dunes Forest Preserve946 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsEthel's Woods Forest Preserve394 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Dutch Gap Forest Preserve270 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Oak-Hickory Forest Preserve219 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsGreg Petry SportsPark72 acres · Waukegan Park District
DirectionsWho protects it
4,049 conserved acres
20% of Newport Township’s land. Who manages Newport Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency2,664 ac
State conservation1,036 ac
Private owners446 ac
State natural resources276 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits48 ac
Town or city20 ac
Local Conservation Area · 2,339 acConservation Easement · 1,340 acState Conservation Area · 444 acLocal Resource Management Area · 264 acLocal Park · 102 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 899 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 964 | Open |
| Pine Dunes Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 858 | Open |
| Wadsworth Prairie Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 444 | Closed |
| Sedge Meadow Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 275 | Open |
| Dutch Gap 4 Local Resource Management Area | Regional agency | 256 | Open |
| Oak-Hickory Forest Preserve 1 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 103 | Open |
| Waukegan Sportspark Local Park | Regional agency | 81 | Open |
| Oak-Hickory Forest Preserve 3 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 81 | Open |
| Oak-Hickory Forest Preserve 2 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 24 | Open |
| Land Conservancy Of Lake County Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 20 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Newport Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Newport Township
Van Patten Woods PlaygroundIn Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve
DirectionsVan Patten Woods PlaygroundIn Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Newport Township
Waukegan Savanna Off-Leash Dog AreaIn Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Newport Township
Sedge Meadow Canoe LaunchIn Sedge Meadow Forest Preserve
DirectionsSterlink Lake Boat LaunchIn Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve
DirectionsVan Patten Woods Canoe LaunchIn Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve
DirectionsScenic views in Newport Township
8 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Newport Township
Leahy Hill768 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Newport Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Newport Township
Camp OakarroNortheast Illinois Council, BSA
DirectionsVan Patten Woods Youth Group Camp SiteIn Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
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.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
16 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Soccer
5Baseball
4Tennis
1Basketball
1Pickleball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Newport Township: July to 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 45 | 57 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Newport Township →
Next door
Newport Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Benton Township22 miWarren Township19 miAntioch Township15 miZion11 miZion Township11 miBeach Park7.5 miNewport Township5.0 miWadsworth3.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport Township | 20% | 0.2 | 397 | 79% | A− |
| Zion | 17% | 1.1 | 46 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Zion Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wadsworth | 11% | 0.4 | 109 | 65% | A− |
| Benton Township | 29% | 1.5 | 105 | 97% | A+ |
| Warren Township | 12% | 0.5 | 32 | 96% | A |
| Antioch Township | 39% | 0.4 | 264 | 92% | A |
| Beach Park | 6% | 1.1 | 22 | 96% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Newport Township
Where can I hike in Newport Township?
The longest trail networks: Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve, 3.4 miles; Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve, 0.5 miles; Sedge Meadow Forest Preserve, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Newport Township is conserved land?
20% 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 Newport Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Newport Township?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 16 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Newport Township?
28,218 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newport Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,700 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Newport Township have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #163 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 Newport 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 →