Lake Murphysboro State Park
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
261 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainCOutdoors
Outdoors in Somerset Township
Somerset Township has 286 acres of parks, 72 for every 1,000 residents
34% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Somerset Township’s land is conserved, about 280 acres.
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns · #648 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
280 acres · of 37.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.0 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
286 ac
72 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Somerset Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Somerset Township is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns, #648 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Somerset Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4DPark land72 acres of park per 1,000 residents (286 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home34% 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 30%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 16%
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Somerset 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 D 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
280 conserved acres
1% of Somerset Township’s land. Who manages Somerset Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources257 ac
Town or city23 ac
State Park · 257 acLocal Recreation Area · 23 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Murphysboro State Park State Park | State natural resources | 257 | Open |
| Murphysboro Baseball Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 23 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Somerset Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Somerset Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Somerset Township
Hickory Grove Picnic AreaIn Lake Murphysboro State Park
DirectionsPine Circle Picnic AreaIn Lake Murphysboro State Park
DirectionsShady CoveIn Lake Murphysboro State Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Somerset Township
OverflowIn Lake Murphysboro State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
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
12Baseball
2Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Grange HallBuilding · listed 1990
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Somerset 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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 47 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 89 | 88 | 81 | 70 | 56 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.3 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Somerset Township →
Next door
Somerset Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 72 | 34% | C |
| Levan Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Murphysboro Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 8 | 57% | C |
| De Soto Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 6 | 64% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Somerset Township
How much of Somerset Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Somerset Township’s trails?
Lake Murphysboro State Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Somerset Township?
38,818 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Somerset Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 286 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Somerset Township have?
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #648 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 Somerset 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 →