Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Managed by United States Forest Service
356 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Anonymous · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wilmington
32% of Wilmington’s land is conserved: 2,888 acres
1,291 acres are parks and preserves, 235 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (0.5 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #155 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
2,888 acres · of 14.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.1 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,291 ac
235 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Wilmington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wilmington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wilmington is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #155 of 768 in Illinois. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wilmington’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land235 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,291 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home88% 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 83%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 80%
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 Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Veteran's Memorial Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie356 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsSouth Island Park32 acres
DirectionsNorth Island Park12 acres
DirectionsVeteran's Memorial Park2 acres
Children's Memorial Park2 acres
Who protects it
2,888 conserved acres
32% of Wilmington’s land. Who manages Wilmington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,476 ac
Private owners1,077 ac
U.S. Forest Service356 ac
State conservation251 ac
Town or city54 ac
County47 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,553 acNational Forest · 356 acConservation Easement · 251 acLocal Park · 54 acLocal Conservation Area · 47 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,224 | Open |
| Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie State Conservation Area | Private owners | 1,077 | Restricted |
| Midewin Other National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 356 | Open |
| Hitts Siding Prairie State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 252 | Open |
| Island Park Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Forked Creek Preserve 8 Local Conservation Area | County | 24 | Restricted |
| Forked Creek Preserve 10 Local Conservation Area | County | 22 | Restricted |
| Forked Creek Preserve 9 Local Conservation Area | County | 2 | Restricted |
Things to do
4 places to go in Wilmington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wilmington
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Wilmington
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
2Tennis
1Softball
1Football
1Soccer
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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wilmington: April and 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 37 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Wilmington →
Next door
Wilmington and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Wilmington Township12 miCuster Township9.0 miWesley Township5.0 miFlorence Township2.6 miWilmington1.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | 32% | 0.1 | 235 | 88% | A− |
| Custer Township | 13% | 0.3 | 479 | 45% | A− |
| Wesley Township | 11% | 0.2 | 531 | 54% | B+ |
| Wilmington Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Florence 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 Wilmington
Where can I hike in Wilmington?
The longest trail networks: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wilmington is conserved land?
32% 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 Wilmington’s trails?
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and South Island Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wilmington?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Wilmington?
32,812 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wilmington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,527 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Wilmington have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #155 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 Wilmington 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 →