Franklin Creek State Natural Area
Managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
303 acres3.7 mi of trail
Pioneer Pass TrailBlack Bass TrailQuarry Pass TrailNorwegian Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Franklin Grove Township
6% of Franklin Grove Township’s land is conserved: 976 acres
The biggest trail networks: Franklin Creek State Natural Area (3.7 mi), Nachusa Grasslands (1.1 mi), Hurd Tract (0.5 mi). 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 11 acres are parks and preserves, 8.1 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
976 acres · of 26.8 sq mi of land
Trails
5.7 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
11 ac
8.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Franklin Grove Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Franklin Grove Township is ahead of 43% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin Grove Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land8.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (11 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home46% 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 43%
LessMore
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 Franklin Creek State Natural Area, with 3.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Nachusa Grasslands
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
365 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Hurd Tract
Nature preserve
39 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Franklin Creek Headwaters
Managed by Franklin Creek Conservation Association
85 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Franklin Creek State Natural Area303 acres · 3.7 mi of trail · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsNachusa Grasslands365 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Hurd Tract39 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Franklin Addition24 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Franklin Creek Headwaters85 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Franklin Creek Conservation Association
Atlasta Park10 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
976 conserved acres
6% of Franklin Grove Township’s land. Who manages Franklin Grove Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits599 ac
State natural resources304 ac
State conservation257 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)71 ac
Private owners2 ac
Conservation Easement · 655 acUnknown · 452 acPrivate Conservation · 63 acUnknown Easement · 62 acState Conservation Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 460 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Creek State Natural Area Unknown | State natural resources | 304 | Open |
| Franklin Creek Headwaters Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 86 | Open |
| Middle Rock River Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 61 | Unknown |
| Hurd Tract Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 39 | Open |
| Franklin Creek Addition Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 23 | Open |
| Temperance Hill Cemetery Prairie Private Conservation | Private owners | 2 | Closed |
| Temperance Hill Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 1 | Closed |
Things to do
3 places to go in Franklin Grove Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Franklin Grove Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Franklin Grove Township
2 waterfalls without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.5 mi
Pioneer Pass Trail1.2 mi
Black Bass Trail0.8 mi
Quarry Pass Trail0.7 mi
Norwegian Hill Trail0.5 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
3Baseball
2Tennis
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Col. Nathan Whitney HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Franklin Grove 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 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 34 | 47 | 60 | 72 | 81 | 83 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
January is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Franklin Grove Township →
Next door
Franklin Grove Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Grove Township | 6% | 0.2 | 8 | 46% | C+ |
| Nachusa Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Taylor Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ashton Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 77% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Franklin Grove Township
Where can I hike in Franklin Grove Township?
The longest trail networks: Franklin Creek State Natural Area, 3.7 miles; Nachusa Grasslands, 1.1 miles; Hurd Tract, 0.5 miles; Franklin Creek Headwaters, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Franklin Grove 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 Franklin Grove Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Franklin Creek Headwaters. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Franklin Grove Township?
6,671 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Franklin Grove Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 271 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Franklin Grove Township have?
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Franklin Grove 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 →