Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
305 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Blackhawk Township
Blackhawk Township has 889 acres of parks, 94 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Blackhawk Township’s land is conserved, about 1,914 acres. The biggest trail networks: Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park (3.3 mi), Camden Park (0.6 mi). 80% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #211 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,914 acres · of 28.0 sq mi of land
Trails
6.9 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
889 ac
94 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
80%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.6 mi
4.6 mi paths
Highest peak
666 ft
Army Ridge Bluffs
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Blackhawk Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Blackhawk Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Blackhawk Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #211 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Blackhawk Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land94 acres of park per 1,000 residents (889 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home80% 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 73%
Water is 6% of Blackhawk Township’s area (2 of 30 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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 Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Camden Park
Park
95 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rock Island Conservation Club
Park
113 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Smiths Park
Nature preserve
133 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 19 parks & preserves
Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park305 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsCamden Park95 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Rock Island Conservation Club113 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSmiths Park133 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMilan Bottoms96 acres
Indian Island60 acres
Mirror Lake56 acres
DirectionsHasselroth Park43 acres
Little League Park41 acres
Mel McKay Park37 acres
Haymaker Park10 acres
DirectionsShadybrook Park5 acres
Dickson Park5 acres
Pappas Park5 acres
Beaver Island4 acres
Collinson Park3 acres
First Presbyterian Park3 acres
DirectionsBig Island River Conservancy3 acres
Shadow Wood Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,914 conserved acres
11% of Blackhawk Township’s land. Water is left out: Blackhawk Township has 28.0 square miles of land and 1.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Blackhawk Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Army Corps of Engineers714 ac
Private owners376 ac
Other state land307 ac
Town or city284 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits103 ac
Regional agency91 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)39 ac
Recreation Management Area · 714 acLocal Park · 378 acPrivate Conservation · 310 acState Recreation Area · 307 acUnknown · 91 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 39 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 714 | Open |
| Rock River - Carr Island Private Conservation | Private owners | 308 | Restricted |
| Hennepin Canal State Recreation Area | Other state land | 307 | Open |
| Highland Springs Golf Course Local Park | Town or city | 189 | Open |
| Milan Bottoms Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 91 | Open |
| Camden Park Local Park | Town or city | 83 | Open |
| Josua Lindahl Hill Prairies Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 66 | Restricted |
| Hasselroth Park Local Park | Regional agency | 47 | Open |
| Mckay Park Local Park | Regional agency | 32 | Open |
| Beling Ecological Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 9 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Blackhawk Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Blackhawk Township
Camden Park PlaygroundIn Camden Park
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Blackhawk Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Blackhawk Township
Army Ridge Bluffs666 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Blackhawk Township
Rock Island Quad Cities KOA at Camelot
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
27th Street West0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
22Baseball
6Basketball
6Pickleball
5Tennis
5Softball
1Soccer
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 Blackhawk 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 36 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Blackhawk Township →
Next door
Blackhawk Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Davenport42 miSouth Rock Island Township9.3 miBlackhawk Township6.9 miSouth Moline Township4.7 miMilan2.6 miAndalusia Township1.0 miCoal Valley Township0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackhawk Township | 11% | 0.2 | 94 | 80% | A− |
| South Rock Island Township | 15% | 1.3 | 28 | 70% | A |
| Milan | 10% | 0.4 | 53 | 93% | A |
| Coal Valley Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Andalusia Township | 12% | 0.1 | 27 | 46% | B |
| South Moline Township | 5% | 0.3 | 14 | 71% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Blackhawk Township
Where can I hike in Blackhawk Township?
The longest trail networks: Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, 3.3 miles; Camden Park, 0.6 miles; Rock Island Conservation Club, 0.3 miles; Smiths Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Blackhawk Township 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 Blackhawk Township’s trails?
Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park and Camden Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Blackhawk Township?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Blackhawk Township?
13,728 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Blackhawk Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,699 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Blackhawk Township have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #211 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 Blackhawk 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 →