Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
208 acres3.4 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: LittleT889 · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wadsworth
Wadsworth has 404 acres of parks, 109 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Wadsworth’s land is conserved, about 684 acres. The biggest trail networks: Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve (3.4 mi). 3.8 miles of mapped trail cross Wadsworth, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #215 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
684 acres · of 9.8 sq mi of land
Trails
3.8 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
404 ac
109 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.9 mi
2.9 mi paths
Highest peak
768 ft
Leahy Hill
What kind of outdoors town is Wadsworth?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wadsworth have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wadsworth is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #215 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wadsworth’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land109 acres of park per 1,000 residents (404 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home65% 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 79%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 72%
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 Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve, with 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wadsworth Savanna Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
393 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sedge Meadow Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
299 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Oak-Hickory Forest Preserve
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
82 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve208 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsWadsworth Savanna Forest Preserve393 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsSedge Meadow Forest Preserve299 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Oak-Hickory Forest Preserve82 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve10 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsWho protects it
684 conserved acres
11% of Wadsworth’s land. Who manages Wadsworth’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency377 ac
State conservation288 ac
Private owners193 ac
Town or city16 ac
Local Conservation Area · 377 acConservation Easement · 288 acState Conservation Area · 193 acLocal Park · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 97 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedge Meadow Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 297 | Open |
| Wadsworth Prairie Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 193 | Closed |
| Oak-Hickory Forest Preserve 3 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 81 | Open |
| Wadsworth Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Orchard Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Wadsworth
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wadsworth
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Wadsworth
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Wadsworth
Leahy Hill768 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Wadsworth
Camp OakarroNortheast Illinois Council, BSA
DirectionsBiking & sports
2.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Tennis
1Basketball
1Pickleball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wadsworth: July to September
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 45 | 57 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wadsworth →
Next door
Wadsworth and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Benton Township22 miGurnee15 miZion11 miZion Township11 miBeach Park7.5 miWaukegan6.1 miNewport Township5.0 miWadsworth3.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadsworth | 11% | 0.4 | 109 | 65% | A− |
| Zion | 17% | 1.1 | 46 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Zion Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Newport Township | 20% | 0.2 | 397 | 79% | A− |
| Beach Park | 6% | 1.1 | 22 | 96% | A |
| Benton Township | 29% | 1.5 | 105 | 97% | A+ |
| Waukegan | 16% | 0.3 | 18 | 99% | A− |
| Gurnee | 10% | 1.1 | 18 | 97% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wadsworth
Where can I hike in Wadsworth?
The longest trail networks: Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve, 3.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wadsworth is conserved land?
11% 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 Wadsworth’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Waukegan Savanna Forest Preserve. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wadsworth?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Wadsworth?
22,810 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wadsworth or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 404 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wadsworth have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #215 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 Wadsworth 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 →