Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
1,337 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Skvader · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ramsey Township
Ramsey Township has 1,092 acres of parks, 527 for every 1,000 residents
2% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.8 miles of mapped trail cross Ramsey Township. 4% of Ramsey Township’s land is conserved, about 1,406 acres.
Ahead of 39% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
1,406 acres · of 54.4 sq mi of land
Trails
0.8 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,092 ac
527 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
2%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
692 ft
Bridges Knob
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Ramsey Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ramsey Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ramsey Township is ahead of 39% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ramsey Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land527 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,092 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home2% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 39%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Ramsey 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 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.
Who protects it
1,406 conserved acres
4% of Ramsey Township’s land. Who manages Ramsey Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,096 ac
Regional Water Districts173 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)94 ac
State conservation55 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,096 acConservation Easement · 322 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 311 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,096 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Ramsey Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ramsey Township
Stokes MemorialIn Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsBoat launches in Ramsey Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Ramsey Township
Bridges Knob692 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Ramsey Township
Lake ViewIn Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsShady GroveIn Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsCampgrounds in Ramsey Township
White Oak CampgroundFee · In Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 2 campgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
County Road 2460 North0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Ramsey 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) | 37 | 42 | 53 | 65 | 75 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 80 | 68 | 53 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ramsey Township →
Next door
Ramsey Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Oconee Township8.1 miSefton Township5.7 miHurricane Township3.5 miSouth Hurricane Township3.5 miSharon Township1.7 miRamsey Township0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsey Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 527 | 2% | C+ |
| Hurricane Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sefton Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sharon Township | 5% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Oconee Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| South Hurricane 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 Ramsey Township
How much of Ramsey Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Ramsey Township’s trails?
Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ramsey Township?
1,908 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ramsey Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,092 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ramsey Township have?
Ahead of 39% 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 Ramsey 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 →