Sand Creek Conservation Area
Nature preserve
781 acres7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Trobaugh-Good House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in South Wheatland Township
South Wheatland Township has 975 acres of parks, 246 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Sand Creek Conservation Area (7 mi). 5% of South Wheatland Township’s land is conserved, about 967 acres. 12 miles of mapped trail cross South Wheatland Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #278 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
967 acres · of 27.8 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
975 ac
246 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is South Wheatland Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Wheatland Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Wheatland Township is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #278 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Wheatland Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land246 acres of park per 1,000 residents (975 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home51% 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 72%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 64%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Sand Creek Conservation Area, with 7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
967 conserved acres
5% of South Wheatland Township’s land. Who manages South Wheatland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency817 ac
Town or city135 ac
Private owners15 ac
Local Recreation Area · 777 acUnknown · 140 acLocal Conservation Area · 35 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 15 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Creek Open Space Reservation Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 777 | Open |
| Red Tail Run Golf Course Unknown | Town or city | 117 | Open |
| Leiby Hall Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 35 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Elwin Wild Hyacinth Site Natural Heritage Landmark Private Historic or Cultural | Private owners | 15 | Closed |
| Kaufman Addition Unknown | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in South Wheatland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in South Wheatland Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
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
6Baseball
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).
Trobaugh-Good HouseBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in South Wheatland 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in South Wheatland Township →
Next door
South Wheatland Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Decatur Township18 miDecatur17 miSouth Wheatland Township12 miMount Zion Township8.4 miLong Creek Township3.1 miMount Zion1.6 miSouth Macon Township0.0 miBlue Mound Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Wheatland Township | 5% | 0.4 | 246 | 51% | B+ |
| Decatur Township | 13% | 0.6 | 46 | 97% | A |
| Long Creek Township | 5% | 0.1 | 36 | 70% | B |
| Mount Zion | 2% | 0.4 | 17 | 92% | B |
| Decatur | 8% | 0.4 | 34 | 92% | A− |
| South Macon Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 148 | 67% | C+ |
| Blue Mound Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mount Zion Township | 1% | 0.1 | 45 | 79% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Wheatland Township
Where can I hike in South Wheatland Township?
The longest trail networks: Sand Creek Conservation Area, 7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Wheatland Township is conserved land?
5% 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 South Wheatland Township’s trails?
Sand Creek Conservation Area and Borg Warner Field don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near South Wheatland Township?
5,538 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Wheatland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 992 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Wheatland Township have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #278 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 South Wheatland 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 →