Hickory Creek Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Will County
1,246 acres11.1 mi of trail
OrangePurpleBlueGreen+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Zarka Khalid · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Frankfort Township
6% of Frankfort Township’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Hickory Creek Preserve (11.1 mi), Hecht Park (0.7 mi), Arbor Park (0.5 mi). 22 miles of mapped trail cross Frankfort Township, 0.6 per square mile of land. 6% of Frankfort Township’s land is conserved, about 1,468 acres.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #165 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,468 acres · of 36.8 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,226 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
44 mi
44 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Frankfort Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Frankfort Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Frankfort Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #165 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Frankfort Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,226 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 79%
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 Hickory Creek Preserve, with 11.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arbor Park
Managed by Frankfort Square Park District
12 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Buske Park
Park
25 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Heritage Knolls Park
Park
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 43 parks & preserves
Hickory Creek Preserve1,246 acres · 11.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Will County
DirectionsHecht Park28 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsArbor Park12 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Frankfort Square Park District
Union Park57 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBuske Park25 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Heritage Knolls Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Kiwanis Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Prairie Ridge Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJackson Creek Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHunter Prairie Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWhite Oak Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Lakeview Estates North Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Breidert Green Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBrookside Bayou & Community Gardens Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Frankfort Square Park District
Sauk Trail Reservoir244 acres · Forest Preserve District of Will County
Indian Boundary North Park55 acres
Commissioners Park52 acres
DirectionsLake of the Glens Park45 acres
Hunters Woods43 acres · Forest Preserve District of Will County
Heron Hill Rookery (Keep Out)43 acres
Indian Boundary South Park40 acres
The Oaks Disc Golf Course34 acres
Main Park30 acres
DirectionsMokena Park18 acres
DirectionsYunker Park15 acres
Bridges Park10 acres · Mokena
McGovney Park10 acres
DirectionsWoodlawn Park9 acres
Willowview Park9 acres
DirectionsWindy Hill Park8 acres
Heritage Park7 acres
DirectionsSandalwood Park7 acres
DirectionsTimbers Edge Park6 acres
Michelle Bingham Park6 acres
Kingston Park6 acres
Indian Trail Park5 acres
Indian Boundary Park4 acres
Hoffman Park4 acres
Stone Creek Park3 acres
Lincoln Meadows Park2 acres
Acorn Park2 acres
Lincoln-Way North Park1 acres
Tinley Gardens Tot Lot1 acres
Who protects it
1,468 conserved acres
6% of Frankfort Township’s land. Who manages Frankfort Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency878 ac
State conservation328 ac
Town or city259 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Local Park · 740 acConservation Easement · 329 acLocal Conservation Area · 266 acUnknown · 92 acLocal Recreation Area · 40 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 329 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauk Trail Reservoir Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 225 | Open |
| Mokena Park Local Park | Regional agency | 81 | Open |
| Union Creek Parks, Simba and Nala's Dog Park, Skate Park & Inline Hockey Rin Unknown | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Commissioners Park Local Park | Regional agency | 59 | Open |
| Island Prairie Park Local Park | Regional agency | 54 | Open |
| Marley Creek Park Local Park | Regional agency | 52 | Open |
| Hunters Woods Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 42 | Open |
| Square Links Golf Course and Driving Range Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Indian Grove Park South Local Park | Regional agency | 31 | Open |
| Lakeview Estates North Park Local Park | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
34 places to go in Frankfort Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Frankfort Township
33 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Frankfort Township
Simba and Nala’s Dog ParkIn Union Park
DirectionsTrails & water
14 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Orange1.5 mi
Purple1.1 mi
Blue1.0 mi
Green1.0 mi
Yellow0.9 mi
FPDWC0.8 mi
Brown0.6 mi
LW East0.5 mi
Lime0.4 mi
Lake Loop0.3 mi
4 more trails
Creekside
0.2 miPink
0.2 miPurple & Orange
0.1 miYellow & Orange
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
44 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
44 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
57Baseball
35Tennis
14Basketball
8Pickleball
3Skate park
3Football
2Volleyball
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Frankfort Township: April and September
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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 48 | 61 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Frankfort Township →
Next door
Frankfort Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Orland Township32 miRich Township29 miOrland Park22 miFrankfort Township22 miGreen Garden Township12 miNew Lenox Township3.9 miMatteson3.1 miFrankfort2.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort Township | 6% | 0.6 | 20 | 98% | A− |
| Orland Township | 10% | 0.9 | 13 | 99% | A |
| Rich Township | 11% | 0.8 | 12 | 96% | A− |
| New Lenox Township | 8% | 0.1 | 35 | 89% | B+ |
| Frankfort | 5% | 0.1 | 26 | 99% | B+ |
| Orland Park | 5% | 1.0 | 14 | 98% | A− |
| Matteson | 4% | 0.3 | 8 | 99% | B+ |
| Green Garden Township | 1% | 0.3 | 34 | 3% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Frankfort Township
Where can I hike in Frankfort Township?
The longest trail networks: Hickory Creek Preserve, 11.1 miles; Hecht Park, 0.7 miles; Arbor Park, 0.5 miles; Union Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Frankfort Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Frankfort Township’s trails?
Hickory Creek Preserve and Hecht Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Frankfort Township?
44 miles of bike routes are on the map: 44 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Frankfort Township?
13,540 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Frankfort Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,257 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Frankfort Township have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #165 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 Frankfort 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 →