Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
1,364 acres9.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Canteen Township
Canteen Township has 1,444 acres of parks, 183 for every 1,000 residents
19% of Canteen Township’s land is conserved, about 2,022 acres. 15 miles of mapped trail cross Canteen Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (9.8 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #57 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
2,022 acres · of 17.0 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,444 ac
183 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.9 mi
0.9 mi paths
Highest peak
430 ft
Rattlesnake Mound
What kind of outdoors town is Canteen Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Canteen Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Canteen Township is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #57 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Canteen Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land183 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,444 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home73% 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 92%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 93%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, with 9.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,022 conserved acres
19% of Canteen Township’s land. Who manages Canteen Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land1,347 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)364 ac
County231 ac
Private owners96 ac
Town or city89 ac
State natural resources4 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
State Park · 1,346 acConservation Easement · 364 acUnknown · 235 acLocal Park · 89 acPrivate Park · 63 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 315 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cahokia Mounds State Historical Site State Park | Other state land | 1,346 | Open |
| FEMA (HGMP) Funded Buy-out Property Unknown | County | 231 | Open |
| Eagle Marsh Natural Area Local Park | Town or city | 70 | Open |
| Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 63 | Open |
| Fairmont City Site Private Conservation | Private owners | 33 | Restricted |
| Village Ball Fields Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| French Village Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Washington Park Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Miscellaneous Property Unknown | State natural resources | 4 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Canteen Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Canteen Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Canteen Township
Rattlesnake Mound430 ft elevation · In Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
DirectionsPicnic areas in Canteen Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Canteen Township
General West Camping
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.1 mi
Nichols Place0.3 mi
Biking & sports
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Basketball
1Soccer
1Beach volleyball
1Softball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Canteen 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 45 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 86 | 89 | 88 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Canteen Township →
Next door
Canteen Township and its neighbors
Canteen Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Canteen Township15 miCaseyville Township11 miNameoki Township9.0 miFairview Heights7.0 miFairmont City7.0 miBelleville4.6 miEast St. Louis Township3.5 miEast St. Louis3.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canteen Township | 19% | 0.9 | 183 | 73% | A |
| East St. Louis Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East St. Louis | 3% | 0.3 | 15 | 79% | B− |
| Fairview Heights | 3% | 0.6 | 12 | 73% | B |
| Caseyville Township | 3% | 0.3 | 16 | 65% | B− |
| Fairmont City | 36% | 1.1 | 443 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Nameoki Township | 34% | 0.4 | 373 | 73% | A |
| Belleville | 2% | 0.2 | 9 | 62% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Canteen Township
Where can I hike in Canteen Township?
The longest trail networks: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, 9.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Canteen Township is conserved land?
19% 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 Canteen Township’s trails?
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and American Legion Post 961 Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Canteen Township?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Canteen Township?
19,350 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Canteen Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,631 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Canteen Township have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #57 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 Canteen 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 →