Devil's Backbone Park
Park
23 acres0.1 mi of trail
River to River Trail Mississippi End
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Markkaempfer · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Grand Tower Township
More than half of Grand Tower Township’s land is conserved: 56%
56% of Grand Tower Township’s land is conserved, about 11,370 acres. 22 acres are parks and preserves, 35 per 1,000 residents. 8.0 miles of mapped trail cross Grand Tower Township, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
56%
11,370 acres · of 31.6 sq mi of land
Trails
8.0 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
22 ac
35 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
486 ft
Walker Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
4 boat launches
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 Devil's Backbone Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
11,370 conserved acres
56% of Grand Tower Township’s land. Water is left out: Grand Tower Township has 31.6 square miles of land and 1.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Grand Tower Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service11,736 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,304 ac
Town or city63 ac
National Forest · 10,789 acConservation Easement · 2,251 acUnknown · 63 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 519 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 9,784 | Open |
| Middle Mississippi Purchase Unit National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 1,004 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Town or city | 63 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Grand Tower Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Grand Tower Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Grand Tower Township
Grand Tower Ramp
DirectionsOakwood Bottoms Ramp
DirectionsRattlesnake Ferry
DirectionsTurkey Bayou
DirectionsPeaks in Grand Tower Township
Walker Hill486 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Grand Tower Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Grand Tower Township
Turkey Bayou CampgroundForest Service/Friends of Turkey Bayou
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Fountain Bluff2.2 mi
Oakwood Bottoms Pond Trail0.6 mi
Oakwood Bottom Interp. Bdwlk0.2 mi
Oakwood Bottoms Pond Trai0.1 mi
River to River Trail Mississippi End0.1 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
1Football
1Basketball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
June is the best month for walking in Grand Tower 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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 47 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 86 | 89 | 88 | 82 | 70 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.2 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Grand Tower Township →
Next door
Grand Tower 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Tower Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Pomona Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fountain Bluff Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sand Ridge 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 Grand Tower Township
Where can I hike in Grand Tower Township?
The longest trail networks: Devil's Backbone Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Grand Tower Township’s trails?
Devil's Backbone Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Grand Tower Township?
57,588 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grand Tower Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,889 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Grand Tower 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 →