Burnidge Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
281 acres4.8 mi of trail
North Trail Loop(0.19mi)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Rutland Township
Rutland Township has 3,207 acres of parks, 116 for every 1,000 residents
16% of Rutland Township’s land is conserved, about 3,683 acres. 34 miles of mapped trail cross Rutland Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Burnidge Forest Preserve (4.8 mi), Camp Tomo-Chi-Chi Knolls Forest Preserve (4.5 mi), Freeman Kame - Meagher Forest Preserve (4.2 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #36 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
3,683 acres · of 36.1 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,207 ac
116 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
27 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 27 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Rutland Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rutland Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rutland Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #36 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 Rutland Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (34 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land116 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,207 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home88% 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 94%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 95%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Burnidge Forest Preserve, with 4.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Camp Tomo-Chi-Chi Knolls Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
327 acres4.5 mi of trail
North Forest TrailSouth Woodland Loop Trail (0.8 miles)Leekwanai Trail WestLeekwanai Trail South+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Lodge Parking
Freeman Kame - Meagher Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
959 acres4.2 mi of trail
West Loop TrailCentral Meadow TrailCentral Loop TrailConnector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pingree Grove Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
392 acres2.7 mi of trail
Sandhill Crane TrailBluebird LoopHigh Ridge TrailOak Glade Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Pingree Grove Forest Preserve - south parkingWebsite ↗
Illinois State Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
148 acres2.3 mi of trail
Railroad Prairie TrailNature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Binnie Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
252 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Nyman Farm Forest Preserve
Nature preserve
222 acres0.5 mi of trail
South Pond LakeCentral Meadow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 15 parks & preserves
Burnidge Forest Preserve281 acres · 4.8 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsCamp Tomo-Chi-Chi Knolls Forest Preserve327 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsFreeman Kame - Meagher Forest Preserve959 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsPingree Grove Forest Preserve392 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsIllinois State Nature Preserve148 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBinnie Forest Preserve252 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsNyman Farm Forest Preserve222 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Square Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRutland Forest Preserve294 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
DirectionsWaitcus Park14 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Center Park24 acres
DirectionsTimber Trails Park6 acres
Ed Meagher Greenway3 acres · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Rutland Township Trail3 acres
Who protects it
3,683 conserved acres
16% of Rutland Township’s land. Who manages Rutland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency2,260 ac
County1,471 ac
Town or city159 ac
State conservation139 ac
Private owners43 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits20 ac
Local Conservation Area · 2,549 acLocal Other or Unknown · 849 acLocal Park · 452 acConservation Easement · 159 acState Conservation Area · 74 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 80 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 26 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kane County Swainson's Hawk Habitat Local Conservation Area | County | 1,471 | Open |
| Freeman Kame-Meagher Forest Preserve 7 Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 345 | Unknown |
| Pingree Grove Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 343 | Restricted |
| Camp Tomo Chi Chi Knolls, Oury Property Local Park | Regional agency | 331 | Open |
| Rutland Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 301 | Open |
| Burnidge/Paul Wolff Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 277 | Open |
| Freeman Kame-Meagher Forest Preserve 8 Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 257 | Unknown |
| Freeman Kame-Meagher Forest Preserve 4 Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 232 | Unknown |
| Binnie Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 157 | Open |
| Rutland Township Bog State Conservation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
43 places to go in Rutland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Rutland Township
The Shores Playground
Directions32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Fishing spots in Rutland Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Rutland Township
4 waterfalls without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Rutland Township
1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Rutland Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Rutland Township
Camp Tomo Chi-Chi CampgroundIn Camp Tomo-Chi-Chi Knolls Forest Preserve
DirectionsPaul Wolff CampgroundIn Burnidge Forest Preserve
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Rutland Township
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
22 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.3 miHorses · 4.2 miUnpaved · 18.5 mi
North Trail Loop1.9 mi
West Loop Trail1.7 mi
Sandhill Crane Trail1.5 mi
North Forest Trail0.9 mi
Central Meadow Trail0.8 mi
South Woodland Loop Trail (0.8 miles)0.8 mi
Leekwanai Trail South0.8 mi
Leekwanai Trail West0.8 mi
Railroad Prairie Trail0.7 mi
Bluebird Loop0.4 mi
12 more trails
Central Loop Trail
0.3 miSouth Pond Lake
0.3 miNature Trail
0.3 miOld Cabin Trail (0.19 mile)
0.2 miHigh Ridge Trail
0.2 miLeekwanai Trail North
0.2 miCamping Loop Trail
0.2 mi(0.19mi)
0.2 miOak Glade Loop
0.2 miSunrise Knoll
0.2 miConnector Trail
0.1 miMallard Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
27 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
27 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Baseball
10Tennis
6Pickleball
3Soccer
3Basketball
2Skate park
1Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Rutland 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 34 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
January is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Rutland Township →
Next door
Rutland Township and its neighbors
Rutland Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dundee Township55 miRutland Township34 miGrafton Township28 miElgin Township25 miHampshire Township11 miPlato Township5.2 miAlgonquin4.3 miHampshire3.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutland Township | 16% | 0.9 | 116 | 88% | A |
| Hampshire Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dundee Township | 21% | 1.6 | 56 | 98% | A+ |
| Grafton Township | 8% | 0.8 | 28 | 95% | A |
| Plato Township | 10% | 0.2 | 120 | 54% | B+ |
| Hampshire | 3% | 0.4 | 20 | 82% | B |
| Algonquin | 8% | 0.3 | 23 | 99% | A− |
| Elgin 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 Rutland Township
Where can I hike in Rutland Township?
The longest trail networks: Burnidge Forest Preserve, 4.8 miles; Camp Tomo-Chi-Chi Knolls Forest Preserve, 4.5 miles; Freeman Kame - Meagher Forest Preserve, 4.2 miles; Pingree Grove Forest Preserve, 2.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rutland Township is conserved land?
16% 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 Rutland Township’s trails?
Burnidge Forest Preserve and Camp Tomo-Chi-Chi Knolls Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rutland Township?
27 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 27 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rutland Township?
27,367 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rutland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,207 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rutland Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #36 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 Rutland 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 →