Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland
Managed by Natural Land Institute
708 acres10.7 mi of trail
River TrailDianne Nora Nature Trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rockton Township
Rockton Township has 912 acres of parks, 57 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Rockton Township’s land is conserved, about 2,416 acres. The biggest trail networks: Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland (10.7 mi), Hononegah Forest Preserve (2.7 mi), Macktown County Forest Preserve (0.7 mi). 27 miles of mapped trail cross Rockton Township, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #142 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,416 acres · of 36.2 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
912 ac
57 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
70%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
3.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Rockton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockton Township is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #142 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 Rockton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land57 acres of park per 1,000 residents (912 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home70% 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 84%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 82%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland, with 10.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hononegah Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
236 acres2.7 mi of trail
Blue TrailRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Macktown County Forest Preserve
Park
129 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Nature At The Confluence
Park
16 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 14 parks & preserves
Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland708 acres · 10.7 mi of trail · Natural Land Institute
DirectionsHononegah Forest Preserve236 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
DirectionsMacktown County Forest Preserve129 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsNature At The Confluence16 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsLost Flora Fen on Racoon Creek389 acres · Natural Land Institute
DirectionsBusse Prairie Preserve188 acres · Natural Land Institiute
Millrace Isle Forest Preserve135 acres
Rockton Bog Nature Preserve117 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsRockton Athletic Fields68 acres
William & Gayle Keefer Nature Reserve35 acres · Natural Land Institute
Settler's Park11 acres
DirectionsBlackhawk Prairie Park5 acres
DirectionsStateline Restoration Prairie4 acres
DirectionsVillage Green Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,416 conserved acres
10% of Rockton Township’s land. Who manages Rockton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)1,069 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits874 ac
County831 ac
State natural resources117 ac
Town or city100 ac
Regional Water Districts81 ac
State conservation66 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,406 acPrivate Conservation · 700 acLocal Conservation Area · 696 acState Conservation Area · 237 acLocal Other or Unknown · 58 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 683 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl and Myrna Nygren Wetland Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 700 | Open |
| Macktown Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 307 | Open |
| Hononegah Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 221 | Open |
| Millrace Isle Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 168 | Open |
| J. Norman Jensen Forest Preserve State Conservation Area | County | 134 | Closed |
| Rockton Bog State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 102 | Open |
| Ferguson Athletic Fields Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Woodland Park Site Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Settler'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Blackhawk Prairie Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Rockton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Rockton Township
Walt Williamson PoolIn Village Green Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Rockton Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Rockton Township
Barkwood Park at Thunder Rock Praire
DirectionsBoat launches in Rockton Township
Macktown Forest Preserve Boat RampIn Macktown County Forest Preserve
DirectionsCampgrounds in Rockton Township
Hononegah Forest Preserve CampgroundFee · In Hononegah Forest Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 1.0 miUnpaved · 5.6 mi
River Trail4.5 mi
Dianne Nora Nature Trail1.5 mi
Blue Trail1.3 mi
Red Trail0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Tennis
6Basketball
3Soccer
3Baseball
2Football
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rockton 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 | 33 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Rockton Township →
Next door
Rockton Township and its neighbors
Rockton Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rockton Township27 miShirland Township22 miRoscoe Township7.2 miRockton7.2 miOwen Township5.0 miRoscoe1.9 miBeloit1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockton Township | 10% | 0.8 | 57 | 70% | A− |
| Shirland Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Roscoe Township | 4% | 0.2 | 34 | 44% | B− |
| Owen Township | 2% | 0.1 | 154 | 28% | B− |
| Rockton | 12% | 1.0 | 69 | 59% | A |
| Roscoe | 4% | 0.2 | 21 | 48% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rockton Township
Where can I hike in Rockton Township?
The longest trail networks: Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland, 10.7 miles; Hononegah Forest Preserve, 2.7 miles; Macktown County Forest Preserve, 0.7 miles; Nature At The Confluence, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockton Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Rockton Township’s trails?
Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland and Hononegah Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rockton Township?
3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rockton Township?
9,683 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 912 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rockton Township have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #142 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 Rockton 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 →