Stemler Cave Woods Nature Preserve
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
381 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Pierre Martin House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Sugar Loaf Township
Sugar Loaf Township has 302 acres of parks, 45 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Stemler Cave Woods Nature Preserve (2.5 mi), Dupo Community Park (0.6 mi). 8% of Sugar Loaf Township’s land is conserved, about 1,564 acres. 54% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #317 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,564 acres · of 30.6 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
302 ac
45 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
54%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
417 ft
Oklahoma Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sugar Loaf Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sugar Loaf Township is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #317 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 Sugar Loaf Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land45 acres of park per 1,000 residents (302 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home54% 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 69%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 59%
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 Stemler Cave Woods Nature Preserve, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
George Price Memorial Park
Park
2 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Stemler Cave Woods Nature Preserve381 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDupo Community Park22 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGeorge Price Memorial Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAmerican Legion Park4 acres
DirectionsSugarloaf Township Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,564 conserved acres
8% of Sugar Loaf Township’s land. Who manages Sugar Loaf Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners929 ac
State conservation407 ac
State natural resources384 ac
County193 ac
Town or city32 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits11 ac
Private Conservation · 838 acConservation Easement · 418 acState Conservation Area · 388 acLocal Recreation Area · 212 acPrivate Park · 64 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falling Spring Private Conservation | Private owners | 767 | Restricted |
| Stemler Cave Woods State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 384 | Open |
| St. Clair County Trust Local Recreation Area | County | 193 | Open |
| Columbia Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 64 | Open |
| Columbia Quarry - Sugar Loaf Prairie Land And Water Reserve Private Conservation | Private owners | 60 | Closed |
| Harry*s Hideaway Natural Heritage Landmark Private Historic or Cultural | Private owners | 19 | Closed |
| Dupo Quarterback Club Ball Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Dupo Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Columbia Quarry - Dupo Prairie Land And Water Reserve Private Conservation | Private owners | 8 | Closed |
| Pruitt Sinkholes Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 4 | Closed |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Sugar Loaf Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sugar Loaf Township
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Sugar Loaf Township
Ingram
DirectionsPeaks in Sugar Loaf Township
Oklahoma Hill417 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Sugar Loaf Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & 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
11Baseball
2Basketball
1Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Pierre Martin HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Sugar Loaf 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 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 46 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 89 | 88 | 81 | 69 | 56 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Sugar Loaf Township →
Next door
Sugar Loaf Township and its neighbors
Sugar Loaf Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
St. Louis38 miSugar Loaf Township11 miCentreville Township5.8 miMillstadt Township3.5 miStookey Township1.3 miDupo1.1 miCahokia Heights0.6 miLemay0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Loaf Township | 8% | 0.3 | 45 | 54% | B+ |
| Centreville Township | 9% | 0.2 | 71 | 76% | B+ |
| Stookey Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 45% | C− |
| Cahokia Heights | 3% | under 0.1 | 17 | 77% | C+ |
| Millstadt Township | 1% | 0.1 | 14 | 57% | C |
| Dupo | 1% | 0.2 | 12 | 68% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sugar Loaf Township
Where can I hike in Sugar Loaf Township?
The longest trail networks: Stemler Cave Woods Nature Preserve, 2.5 miles; Dupo Community Park, 0.6 miles; George Price Memorial Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sugar Loaf Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Sugar Loaf Township’s trails?
Stemler Cave Woods Nature Preserve and Dupo Community Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Sugar Loaf Township?
16,296 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sugar Loaf Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 458 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sugar Loaf Township have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #317 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 Sugar Loaf 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 →