Heritage Canyon Park
Nature preserve
13 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Canyon Parking
Photo: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fulton Township
25% of Fulton Township’s land is conserved: 2,809 acres
The biggest trail networks: Heritage Canyon Park (0.5 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 95 acres are parks and preserves, 22 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #177 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
2,809 acres · of 17.4 sq mi of land
Trails
5.0 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
95 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.3 mi
6.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fulton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fulton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fulton Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #177 of 768 in Illinois. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fulton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (95 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home89% 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 82%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 77%
Water is 19% of Fulton Township’s area (4 of 22 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
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 Heritage Canyon Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
564 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Thomson - Fulton Sand Prairie Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
84 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Heritage Canyon Park13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsDrives Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDen Besten Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsUpper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge564 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsThomson - Fulton Sand Prairie Nature Preserve84 acres
DirectionsPleasure Park5 acres
Kiwanis Park3 acres
DirectionsCattail Park3 acres
DirectionsMickelson's Landing3 acres
DirectionsThomson Prairie2 acres
School Park2 acres
Andresen Nature Center1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,809 conserved acres
25% of Fulton Township’s land. Water is left out: Fulton Township has 17.4 square miles of land and 4.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Fulton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Army Corps of Engineers2,277 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service593 ac
Town or city61 ac
Private owners56 ac
State conservation47 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)33 ac
State natural resources30 ac
Recreation Management Area · 2,277 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 593 acConservation Easement · 80 acLocal Park · 61 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 56 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 70 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 2,277 | Open |
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 593 | Restricted |
| Prairie Trails Natural Heritage Landmark Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 56 | Closed |
| Millroad Marsh State Habitat Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 30 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Drivers Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Pleasure Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| School Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Den Besten Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Fulton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fulton Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Fulton Township
Mickelson's LandingIn Mickelson's Landing
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Fulton Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
6 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Baseball
4Tennis
1Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Lock and Dam No. 13 Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2004
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Fulton 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Fulton Township →
Next door
Fulton Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Clinton11 miYork Township5.8 miFulton Township5.0 miGarden Plain Township2.7 miUstick Township2.0 miFulton1.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton Township | 25% | 0.3 | 22 | 89% | A− |
| Fulton | 5% | 0.7 | 17 | 99%+ | A− |
| Ustick Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| York Township | 18% | 0.1 | under 1 | 15% | C |
| Garden Plain Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fulton Township
Where can I hike in Fulton Township?
The longest trail networks: Heritage Canyon Park, 0.5 miles; Drives Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fulton Township is conserved land?
25% 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 Fulton Township’s trails?
Heritage Canyon Park and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fulton Township?
6.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fulton Township?
16,112 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fulton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,377 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fulton Township have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #177 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 Fulton 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 →