Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
1,056 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Embarras River Bridge · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Wade Township
Wade Township has 1,208 acres of parks, 278 for every 1,000 residents
8% of Wade Township’s land is conserved, about 3,743 acres. 6.8 miles of mapped trail cross Wade Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 58% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns · #351 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
3,743 acres · of 74.0 sq mi of land
Trails
6.8 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,208 ac
278 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
541 ft
Jordan Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Wade Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wade Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wade Township is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns, #351 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 Wade Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land278 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,208 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home58% 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 65%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 54%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
313 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Boys & Girls Park
Park
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area1,056 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsNewton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area313 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Peterson Park27 acres
DirectionsBoys & Girls Park10 acres
Earl Dufrain Park5 acres
Who protects it
3,743 conserved acres
8% of Wade Township’s land. Who manages Wade Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners2,507 ac
State natural resources1,161 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)35 ac
Town or city31 ac
County10 ac
Private Conservation · 2,507 acState Conservation Area · 1,161 acConservation Easement · 35 acLocal Park · 31 acLocal Recreation Area · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Ridge - Jasper County Private Conservation | Private owners | 2,507 | Closed |
| Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,161 | Open |
| Peterson Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Jasper County Boys And Girls Park Local Recreation Area | County | 10 | Open |
| Earl Dufrain Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Wade Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wade Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Wade Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Wade Township
Jordan Hill541 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 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
4Tennis
3Softball
2Baseball
1Football
1Skate park
1Basketball
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).
Embarras River BridgeStructure · listed 1998
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Wade 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 43 | 53 | 65 | 75 | 84 | 87 | 85 | 80 | 68 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Wade Township →
Next door
Wade Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Fox Township22 miWillow Hill Township7.5 miWade Township6.8 miSmallwood Township4.8 miGrove Township4.8 miNorth Muddy Township1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wade Township | 8% | 0.1 | 278 | 58% | B+ |
| Smallwood Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| North Muddy Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fox Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Grove Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Willow Hill Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wade Township
How much of Wade 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 Wade Township’s trails?
Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area and Newton 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 Wade Township?
1,320 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wade Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,208 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wade Township have?
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #351 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 Wade 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 →