Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
1,342 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Spring Lake Township
Spring Lake Township has 2,036 acres of parks, 1,228 for every 1,000 residents
1.7 miles of mapped trail cross Spring Lake Township. 6% of Spring Lake Township’s land is conserved, about 2,468 acres. 47% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
2,468 acres · of 62.5 sq mi of land
Trails
1.7 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,036 ac
1,228 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
525 ft
The Mound
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Spring Lake Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Spring Lake Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Spring Lake Township is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Spring Lake Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land1,228 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,036 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home47% 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 57%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Powerton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
216 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Manito State Habitat Area
Nature preserve
76 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
24 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area1,342 acres
Powerton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area216 acres
Manito State Habitat Area76 acres
Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area24 acres
Manito Prairie Nature Preserve23 acres
Hinkle Prairie Natural Heritage Landmark4 acres
Who protects it
2,468 conserved acres
6% of Spring Lake Township’s land. Who manages Spring Lake Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land2,100 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)425 ac
State natural resources314 ac
State conservation19 ac
Private owners11 ac
State Recreation Area · 2,100 acConservation Easement · 445 acState Conservation Area · 314 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 11 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 45 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake State Recreation Area | Other state land | 2,100 | Open |
| Powerton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 209 | Open |
| Manito State Habitat Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 77 | Open |
| Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 22 | Open |
| Hinkle Prairie Natural Heritage Landmark Private Historic or Cultural | Private owners | 11 | Closed |
| Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 5 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Spring Lake Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Spring Lake Township
The Mound525 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Mound486 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Spring Lake Township
Oak CamgroundHours: Open 24 hours · In Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPine CamgroundHours: Open 24 hours · In Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
5 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
1Basketball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Spring Lake 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 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 39 | 51 | 65 | 75 | 84 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Spring Lake Township →
Next door
Spring Lake Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Quiver Township41 miManito Township9.9 miSpring Lake Township1.7 miLiverpool Township1.5 miBanner Township0.8 miCincinnati Township0.8 miHollis Township0.7 miTimber Township0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 1,228 | 47% | B |
| Timber Township | 12% | under 0.1 | 1,148 | 41% | B |
| Banner Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Quiver Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hollis Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 145 | 47% | B− |
| Manito Township | 9% | 0.2 | 685 | 9% | B |
| Liverpool Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cincinnati Township | 8% | under 0.1 | 161 | 13% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Spring Lake Township
How much of Spring Lake Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Spring Lake Township’s trails?
Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area and Powerton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Spring Lake Township?
28,307 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Spring Lake Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,036 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Spring Lake Township have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Spring Lake 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 →