Kickapoo State Recreation Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
499 acres14.1 mi of trail
Out and Back TrailTrail 1AClear Lake TrailNorth Riverview Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Blount Township
Blount Township has 3,550 acres of parks, 1,117 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Blount Township’s land is conserved, about 3,686 acres. The biggest trail networks: Kickapoo State Recreation Area (14.1 mi). 31 miles of mapped trail cross Blount Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #180 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
3,686 acres · of 51.4 sq mi of land
Trails
31 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,550 ac
1,117 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
43%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Blount Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Blount Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Blount Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #180 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Blount Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (31 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land1,117 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,550 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home43% 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 81%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 77%
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 Kickapoo State Recreation Area, with 14.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jaycees Park
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
3,686 conserved acres
11% of Blount Township’s land. Who manages Blount Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,679 ac
Private owners892 ac
State conservation227 ac
Regional agency64 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
State Recreation Area · 2,279 acState Conservation Area · 871 acConservation Easement · 607 acUnknown · 57 acPrivate Conservation · 42 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 435 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kickapoo State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 1,429 | Open |
| Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 870 | Open |
| Kennekuk Cove County Park State Recreation Area | Private owners | 850 | Open |
| Heron County Park Unknown | Regional agency | 57 | Open |
| North Fork Vermilion River Private Conservation | Private owners | 23 | Restricted |
| Middle Fork Seeps Private Conservation | Private owners | 20 | Restricted |
| Lake Vermilion County Park Local Park | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| Fairchild Cemetery Savanna Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Blount Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Blount Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Blount Township
Scenic views in Blount Township
Heron ParkIn Heron Park
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.6 mi
Out and Back Trail1.5 mi
Trail 1A1.3 mi
Clear Lake Trail0.9 mi
Trail 100.9 mi
Nature Trail0.4 mi
Old Union Road West0.3 mi
Nature Walk0.3 mi
North Riverview Trail0.2 mi
Road 2350 North0.2 mi
County Road 2350 North0.1 mi
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
5Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Blount 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 39 | 50 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Blount Township →
Next door
Blount Township and its neighbors
Blount Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Pilot Township40 miBlount Township31 miCatlin Township18 miOakwood Township12 miDanville Township11 miDanville4.9 miNewell Township4.8 miSouth Ross Township4.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blount Township | 11% | 0.6 | 1,117 | 43% | A− |
| Pilot Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Newell Township | 1% | 0.1 | 12 | 55% | C |
| Danville Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Danville | 2% | 0.3 | 13 | 72% | B− |
| Oakwood Township | 5% | 0.2 | 565 | 59% | B+ |
| South Ross Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Catlin Township | 2% | 0.4 | 222 | 56% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Blount Township
Where can I hike in Blount Township?
The longest trail networks: Kickapoo State Recreation Area, 14.1 miles; Heron Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Blount 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 Blount Township’s trails?
Kickapoo State Recreation Area and Heron Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Blount Township?
9,633 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Blount Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,596 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Blount Township have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #180 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 Blount 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 →