University of Illinois Arboretum
Managed by College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences
117 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Urbana Township
Urbana Township has 231 acres of parks, 31 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: University of Illinois Arboretum (1 mi), Busey Woods (1 mi). 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.8 miles of mapped trail cross Urbana Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #404 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
360 acres · of 23.8 sq mi of land
Trails
4.8 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
231 ac
31 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.3 mi
1.4 mi lanes · 3.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Urbana Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Urbana Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Urbana Township is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #404 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Urbana Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land31 acres of park per 1,000 residents (231 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home86% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 61%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 47%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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
The longest trail network is University of Illinois Arboretum, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Busey Woods
Nature preserve
20 acres1 mi of trail
Boardwalk TrailNorthwoods TrailSouthwoods TrailWildflower Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
University of Illinois Arboretum117 acres · 1 mi of trail · College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences
DirectionsBusey Woods20 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsIvanhoe Community Park6 acres
DirectionsWillow Springs Park5 acres
DirectionsMeadowbrook Park2 acres · Urbana Park District
DirectionsWho protects it
360 conserved acres
2% of Urbana Township’s land. Who manages Urbana Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land222 ac
Private owners77 ac
Regional agency36 ac
Town or city25 ac
Unknown · 184 acLocal Recreation Area · 77 acState Conservation Area · 74 acLocal Park · 25 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips Tract Unknown | Other state land | 131 | Open |
| Urbana Country Club Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 77 | Open |
| Trelease Woods State Conservation Area | Other state land | 74 | Open |
| Kickapoo Rail Trail Unknown | Regional agency | 36 | Open |
| Crystal Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Trelease Prairie Unknown | Other state land | 17 | Open |
| Binkerd'S Grove Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Meadowbrook Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Urbana Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Urbana Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Urbana Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.5 mi
Boardwalk Trail0.3 mi
Northwoods Trail0.3 mi
Southwoods Trail0.1 mi
Wildflower Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.6 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Basketball
4Tennis
2Tracks
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).
University of Illinois Experimental Dairy Farm Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1994
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Urbana 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 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 39 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Urbana Township →
Next door
Urbana Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Urbana8.5 miCunningham Township8.5 miChampaign5.1 miChampaign City Township5.1 miUrbana Township4.8 miSomer Township2.2 miPhilo Township2.0 miSt. Joseph Township0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urbana Township | 2% | 0.2 | 31 | 86% | B |
| Urbana | 7% | 0.7 | 16 | 98% | A− |
| Cunningham Township | 7% | 0.7 | 16 | 98% | A− |
| Champaign | 5% | 0.2 | 9 | 98% | B |
| Champaign City Township | 5% | 0.2 | 9 | 98% | B |
| Philo Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 8 | 74% | C |
| Somer Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| St. Joseph Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 10 | 66% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Urbana Township
Where can I hike in Urbana Township?
The longest trail networks: University of Illinois Arboretum, 1 miles; Busey Woods, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Urbana Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Urbana Township’s trails?
University of Illinois Arboretum and Busey Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Urbana Township?
5.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of painted or protected lanes, 3.6 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Urbana Township?
3,698 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Urbana Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 409 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Urbana Township have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #404 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 Urbana 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 →