Hidden Springs State Forest
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
635 acres1.1 mi of trail
Possum Hollow Interpretive Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Prairie Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Prairie Township
The biggest trail networks: Hidden Springs State Forest (1.1 mi). 3 acres are parks and preserves, 2.5 per 1,000 residents. 2.6 miles of mapped trail cross Prairie Township.
Ahead of 19% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
617 acres · of 54.2 sq mi of land
Trails
2.6 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
3 ac
2.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
45%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Prairie Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Prairie Township is ahead of 19% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; conserved land comes closest.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Prairie 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 (3 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land2.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home45% 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 19%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Prairie Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. 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 Hidden Springs State Forest, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Stewardson City Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
617 conserved acres
2% of Prairie Township’s land. Who manages Prairie Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources617 ac
State Resource Management Area · 617 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidden Springs State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 617 | Open |
Trails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.1 mi
Possum Hollow Interpretive Nature Trail1.1 mi
900 North0.1 mi
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
2Baseball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Prairie 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 41 | 52 | 65 | 75 | 84 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Prairie Township →
Next door
Prairie Township and its neighbors
Prairie Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Clarksburg Township4.5 miPrairie Township2.6 miSigel Township1.9 miBig Spring Township1.0 miBanner Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 2 | 45% | C− |
| Sigel Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Banner Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Clarksburg Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Big Spring 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 Prairie Township
Where can I hike in Prairie Township?
The longest trail networks: Hidden Springs State Forest, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Prairie 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 Prairie Township’s trails?
Hidden Springs State Forest and Stewardson City Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Prairie Township?
2,371 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Prairie Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 626 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Prairie Township have?
Ahead of 19% 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 Prairie 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 →