Buffalo Rock State Park
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
292 acres2.7 mi of trail
Effigy TrailRiver Bluff TrailWoodland Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ottawa Township
Ottawa Township has 406 acres of parks, 36 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Buffalo Rock State Park (2.7 mi). 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Ottawa Township’s land is conserved, about 481 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #303 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
481 acres · of 15.2 sq mi of land
Trails
3.2 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
406 ac
36 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.7 mi
7.5 mi paths
Highest peak
558 ft
Buffalo Rock
Lakes & rivers
1
5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ottawa Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ottawa Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ottawa Township is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #303 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 Ottawa Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land36 acres of park per 1,000 residents (406 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home87% 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 70%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 61%
Water is 6% of Ottawa Township’s area (1 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 Rock State Park, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lincoln-Douglas Park
Managed by City of Ottawa
30 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Buffalo Rock State Park292 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsFox River Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWashington Square Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLincoln-Douglas Park30 acres · City of Ottawa
DirectionsThornton Park5 acres
DirectionsRigden Park3 acres · City of Ottawa
East Side Park1 acres
Jordan's Block1 acres
DirectionsSkate Park1 acres · City of Ottawa
DirectionsWho protects it
481 conserved acres
5% of Ottawa Township’s land. Water is left out: Ottawa Township has 15.2 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ottawa Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources379 ac
Town or city102 ac
State Park · 296 acUnknown · 83 acLocal Park · 63 acLocal Recreation Area · 39 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Rock State Park State Park | State natural resources | 293 | Open |
| Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail Unknown | State natural resources | 83 | Open |
| Lincoln Douglas Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Riverwalk/Waterfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Fox River Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| East Main Boat Launch Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Walsh Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Thornton Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Rigden Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Washington Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Ottawa Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ottawa Township
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Ottawa Township
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Ottawa Township
Buffalo Rock558 ft elevation · In Buffalo Rock State Park
DirectionsCatfish EffigyIn Buffalo Rock State Park
DirectionsFrog EffigyIn Buffalo Rock State Park
DirectionsWater Strider EffigyIn Buffalo Rock State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Ottawa Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.8 mi
Effigy Trail1.0 mi
River Bluff Trail0.7 mi
Woodland Trail0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.5 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Tennis
9Baseball
4Basketball
4Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ottawa 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 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 36 | 48 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Ottawa Township →
Next door
Ottawa Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rutland Township11 miOttawa11 miSouth Ottawa Township3.3 miOttawa Township3.2 miUtica Township1.7 miDayton Township0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Township | 5% | 0.2 | 36 | 87% | B+ |
| South Ottawa Township | 1% | 0.2 | 17 | 84% | C+ |
| Rutland Township | 3% | 0.3 | 32 | 42% | B− |
| Ottawa | 5% | 0.7 | 10 | 92% | B+ |
| Dayton Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 61% | C− |
| Utica Township | 2% | 0.1 | 59 | 46% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ottawa Township
Where can I hike in Ottawa Township?
The longest trail networks: Buffalo Rock State Park, 2.7 miles; Fox River Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ottawa Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Ottawa Township’s trails?
Buffalo Rock State Park and Lincoln-Douglas Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ottawa Township?
7.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.5 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ottawa Township?
5,531 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ottawa Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 487 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ottawa Township have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #303 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 Ottawa 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 →