Sugar River Alder Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
550 acres6.2 mi of trail
Orange TrailBlue TrailRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Shirland Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Shirland Township
The biggest trail networks: Sugar River Alder Forest Preserve (6.2 mi), Sugar River Forest Preserve (5.4 mi), Colored Sands Forest Preserve (4.5 mi). 17% of Shirland Township’s land is conserved, about 2,119 acres. 22 miles of mapped trail cross Shirland Township, 1.1 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
17%
2,119 acres · of 19.2 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
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 Sugar River Alder Forest Preserve, with 6.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sugar River Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
398 acres5.4 mi of trail
Green TrailOrange TrailBlue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Colored Sands Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
287 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Calvin and Sophia Ferguson Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
518 acres4.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
2,119 conserved acres
17% of Shirland Township’s land. Who manages Shirland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,181 ac
State conservation735 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)457 ac
Private owners242 ac
State natural resources167 ac
Regional Water Districts79 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits29 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,420 acConservation Easement · 1,384 acState Other or Unknown · 83 acPrivate Conservation · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 613 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar River State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 1,181 | Closed |
| Sugar River Alder Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 178 | Closed |
| Winnebago County-Olt State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 83 | Unknown |
| Colored Sands Bluff Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 62 | Closed |
| Shirland Railroad Prairie Private Conservation | Private owners | 2 | Restricted |
Things to do
6 places to go in Shirland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Shirland Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Shirland Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Shirland Township
Rivers Edge Campground
DirectionsSugar River Forest Preserve - Pine TreeFee · In Sugar River Forest Preserve
DirectionsSugar River Forest Preserve - RiverfrontFee · In Sugar River Forest Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails
Named trails
Horses · 2.8 miUnpaved · 19.1 mi
Orange Trail3.1 mi
Green Trail1.9 mi
Blue Trail1.7 mi
Red Trail0.2 mi
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
1Tennis
1Basketball
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 Shirland 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 33 | 45 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Shirland Township →
Next door
Shirland Township and its neighbors
Shirland Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rockton Township27 miShirland Township22 miAvon4.2 miLaona Township0.7 miHarrison Township0.0 miNewark0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirland Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Laona Township | 7% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Harrison Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rockton Township | 10% | 0.8 | 57 | 70% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shirland Township
Where can I hike in Shirland Township?
The longest trail networks: Sugar River Alder Forest Preserve, 6.2 miles; Sugar River Forest Preserve, 5.4 miles; Colored Sands Forest Preserve, 4.5 miles; Calvin and Sophia Ferguson Forest Preserve, 4.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Shirland Township’s trails?
Sugar River Alder Forest Preserve and Sugar River Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Shirland Township?
5,719 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shirland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Shirland 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 →