Photo: Transport6087 · CC BY-SA 4.0Wauconda Township has 328 acres of parks, 14 for every 1,000 residents
81% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.9 miles of mapped trail cross Wauconda Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 5% of Wauconda Township’s land is conserved, about 664 acres.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #493 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Wauconda Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Wauconda Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wauconda Township is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #493 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Water is 6% of Wauconda Township’s area (1 of 24 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Converse Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Homer T. Cook Memorial Park
Singing Hills Forest Preseve
Fox River Forest Preserve
All 15 parks & preserves
664 conserved acres
5% of Wauconda Township’s land. Water is left out: Wauconda Township has 22.8 square miles of land and 1.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Wauconda Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 75 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 38 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Crown Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 129 | Unknown |
| Kettle Grove Unknown | Regional agency | 108 | Unknown |
| Village Of Volo Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 91 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Cook Memorial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 47 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Regional agency | 46 | Open |
| Burnell C Russell Municipal Complex Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Converse Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Citizens For Conservation Open Space Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 20 | Open |
| Lagoon Park Local Park | Regional agency | 14 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
34 places to go in Wauconda Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 24 playgrounds without a name on the map.
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
6 lakes & rivers
8.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The best walking months in Wauconda Township: 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 | 46 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wauconda Township →
Wauconda Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wauconda Township | 5% | 0.1 | 14 | 81% | B− |
| Fremont Township | 17% | 0.8 | 66 | 90% | A |
| Grant Township | 16% | 0.5 | 17 | 79% | A− |
| Nunda Township | 16% | 0.8 | 63 | 73% | A |
| Cuba Township | 9% | 0.5 | 31 | 72% | A− |
| Wauconda | 8% | 0.1 | 10 | 84% | B |
| McHenry Township | 5% | 0.5 | 18 | 81% | B+ |
| Volo | 13% | under 0.1 | 21 | 88% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wauconda Township
Where can I hike in Wauconda Township?
The longest trail networks: Converse Park, 0.4 miles; Homer T. Cook Memorial Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wauconda Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Wauconda Township’s trails?
Converse Park and Homer T. Cook Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wauconda Township?
8.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of painted or protected lanes and 6.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Wauconda Township?
31,602 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wauconda Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 345 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wauconda Township have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #493 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 Wauconda Township neighbors.
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 →