Gurgens Park
Managed by Springfield Park District
226 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Power Farmstead · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fancy Creek Township
Fancy Creek Township has 278 acres of parks, 48 for every 1,000 residents
8.0 miles of mapped trail cross Fancy Creek Township, 0.2 per square mile of land. 2% of Fancy Creek Township’s land is conserved, about 528 acres. 65% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns · #480 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
528 acres · of 47.0 sq mi of land
Trails
8.0 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
278 ac
48 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.3 mi
5.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fancy Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fancy Creek Township is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #480 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fancy Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land48 acres of park per 1,000 residents (278 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home65% 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 52%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 38%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 Gurgens Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sangamon River State Natural Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
174 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Gurgens Park226 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Springfield Park District
Sangamon River State Natural Area174 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Village Park36 acres
DirectionsCantrall Park2 acres
DirectionsCrown Point Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
528 conserved acres
2% of Fancy Creek Township’s land. Who manages Fancy Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional Water Districts296 ac
State natural resources175 ac
Other state land50 ac
Private owners5 ac
Town or city1 ac
Conservation Easement · 296 acState Conservation Area · 175 acState Recreation Area · 50 acLocal Park · 5 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 296 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sangamon River State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 175 | Open |
| Sangamon Valley Greenway State Recreation Area | Other state land | 50 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Private owners | 5 | Open |
| Carpenter Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Fancy Creek Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fancy Creek Township
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Soccer
5Basketball
2Tennis
2Baseball
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.
Power FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1989
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Fancy Creek 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 52 | 65 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 52 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Fancy Creek Township →
Next door
Fancy Creek Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Springfield47 miCapital Township46 miFancy Creek Township8.0 miSherman4.9 miSpringfield Township3.1 miWilliams Township1.2 miGardner Township0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fancy Creek Township | 2% | 0.2 | 48 | 65% | B− |
| Gardner Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 21 | 23% | C |
| Springfield Township | 4% | 0.2 | 16 | 82% | B |
| Sherman | 3% | 1.6 | 24 | 84% | A− |
| Williams Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 23 | 51% | C |
| Springfield | 6% | 0.8 | 19 | 72% | B+ |
| Capital Township | 6% | 0.8 | 19 | 73% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fancy Creek Township
Where can I hike in Fancy Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Gurgens Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fancy Creek Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Fancy Creek Township’s trails?
Gurgens Park and Sangamon River State Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fancy Creek Township?
5.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fancy Creek Township?
3,208 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fancy Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 278 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fancy Creek Township have?
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #480 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 Fancy Creek 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 →