High Point Conservation Area
Nature preserve
245 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Alden Township
Alden Township has 523 acres of parks, 348 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: High Point Conservation Area (0.9 mi). 9% of Alden Township’s land is conserved, about 1,928 acres. 25% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,928 acres · of 33.2 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
523 ac
348 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
25%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,188 ft
High Point
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Alden Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Alden Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Alden Township is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Alden Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land348 acres of park per 1,000 residents (523 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home25% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 69%
LessMore
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 High Point Conservation Area, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Alden-Sedge Meadow Conservation Area
Nature preserve
601 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
148 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,928 conserved acres
9% of Alden Township’s land. Who manages Alden Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,271 ac
State conservation359 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits150 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service148 ac
Private owners9 ac
Conservation Easement · 798 acLocal Conservation Area · 728 acUnknown · 210 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 148 acState Recreation Area · 44 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 795 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 27 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alden Sedge Meadow 4 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 225 | Restricted |
| High Point 1 Unknown | Regional agency | 203 | Unknown |
| Alden Sedge Meadow 10 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 189 | Restricted |
| Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 148 | Restricted |
| Bailey Woods/Nichols 2 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 119 | Open |
| Alden Sedge Meadow 7 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 85 | Restricted |
| Bailey Woods/Nichols 5 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 48 | Open |
| High Point 2 State Recreation Area | Regional agency | 44 | Open |
| Alden Sedge Meadow 5 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 43 | Restricted |
| Alden Sedge Meadow 9 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 10 | Restricted |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Alden Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Alden Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Alden Township
High Point1,188 ft elevation · In High Point Conservation Area
DirectionsPicnic areas in Alden Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 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
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Alden 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 33 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Alden Township →
Next door
Alden Township and its neighbors
Alden Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alden Township | 9% | 0.4 | 348 | 25% | B+ |
| Hartland Township | 11% | 0.3 | 842 | 19% | B+ |
| Chemung Township | 1% | 0.1 | 16 | 83% | C+ |
| Hebron Township | 5% | 0.1 | 345 | 71% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Alden Township
Where can I hike in Alden Township?
The longest trail networks: High Point Conservation Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Alden Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Alden Township’s trails?
High Point Conservation Area and Alden-Sedge Meadow Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Alden Township?
8,345 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Alden Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 529 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Alden Township have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Alden 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 →