Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
1,029 acres6.3 mi of trail
Red Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ben Jacobson (Kranar Drogin) · CC BY 2.5A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Pecatonica Township
Pecatonica Township has 309 acres of parks, 75 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Pecatonica Township’s land is conserved, about 2,402 acres. The biggest trail networks: Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve (6.3 mi), Pecatonica River Forest Preserve (6.3 mi), Westlake Village Park (0.5 mi). 14 miles of mapped trail cross Pecatonica Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #196 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
2,402 acres · of 34.9 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
309 ac
75 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
72%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.7 mi
4.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Pecatonica Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pecatonica Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pecatonica Township is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #196 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pecatonica Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land75 acres of park per 1,000 residents (309 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home72% 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 80%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 75%
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 Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve, with 6.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pecatonica River Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
422 acres6.3 mi of trail
Blue TrailGreen TrailRed TrailOrange Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pecatonica Ridge Preserve
Managed by Natural Land Institute
159 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve1,029 acres · 6.3 mi of trail · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
DirectionsPecatonica River Forest Preserve422 acres · 6.3 mi of trail · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
DirectionsWestlake Village Park13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsPecatonica Ridge Preserve159 acres · Natural Land Institute
DirectionsPecatonica Woodlands Preserve143 acres · Natural Land Institute
Oxbow Springs134 acres · Natural Land Institute
Winnebago County Fairgrounds83 acres
Nieman Marsh Preserve36 acres · Natural Land Institute
Sumner Park24 acres
DirectionsBlassingham Park5 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,402 conserved acres
11% of Pecatonica Township’s land. Who manages Pecatonica Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,814 ac
County1,263 ac
State conservation80 ac
Private owners80 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,028 acUnknown · 944 acConservation Easement · 911 acState Conservation Area · 315 acPrivate Conservation · 39 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 76 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 1,028 | Restricted |
| Torstenson Family Youth Conservation Education Center Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 725 | Open |
| Crooked River Forest Preserve State Conservation Area | County | 235 | Closed |
| Pecatonica River Forest Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 141 | Open |
| Pecatonica Ridge Prairie Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 78 | Open |
| Pecatonica Bottoms Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 59 | Closed |
| Nieman Marsh Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 39 | Open |
| Wilson Prairie Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 21 | Closed |
Things to do
7 places to go in Pecatonica Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Pecatonica Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Pecatonica Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Pecatonica Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Pecatonica Township
Observation DeckIn Pecatonica River Forest Preserve
DirectionsPicnic areas in Pecatonica Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 12.0 mi
Red Trail2.9 mi
Blue Trail2.0 mi
Green Trail1.5 mi
Orange Trail0.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Soccer
1Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Pecatonica 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 34 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Pecatonica Township →
Next door
Pecatonica Township and its neighbors
Pecatonica Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Pecatonica Township14 miSeward Township8.8 miRidott Township5.1 miBurritt Township1.6 miDurand Township1.1 miRock Run Township1.0 miWestlake Village0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pecatonica Township | 11% | 0.4 | 75 | 72% | A− |
| Ridott Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 1 | 24% | D |
| Burritt Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 195 | 27% | C+ |
| Seward Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Durand Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 29 | 61% | C |
| Rock Run Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 42% | D |
| Westlake Village | under 1% | 0.5 | 9 | 80% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pecatonica Township
Where can I hike in Pecatonica Township?
The longest trail networks: Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve, 6.3 miles; Pecatonica River Forest Preserve, 6.3 miles; Westlake Village Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pecatonica Township is conserved land?
11% 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 Pecatonica Township’s trails?
Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve and Pecatonica River Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pecatonica Township?
4.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Pecatonica Township?
3,295 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pecatonica Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 394 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Pecatonica Township have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #196 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 Pecatonica 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 →