Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The biggest trail networks: Volo Bog State Natural Area (6.3 mi). 9.4 miles of mapped trail cross Grant Township, 0.5 per square mile of land. 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #223 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grant Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #223 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Water is 23% of Grant Township’s area (5 of 23 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Volo Bog State Natural Area, with 6.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
16% of Grant Township’s land. Water is left out: Grant Township has 17.6 square miles of land and 5.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Grant Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 459 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volo Bog State Conservation Area | State conservation | 793 | Open |
| Fish Lake And Marl Flat Forest Preserve State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 358 | Closed |
| Marl Flat 2 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 70 | Restricted |
| Stanley Road Bog State Conservation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Land Conservancy Of Lake County Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 10 | Open |
| Heron View Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
| Veterans Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Fairfield Park Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Meadowview Park Local Park | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Lake Front Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Grant Township →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Township | 16% | 0.5 | 17 | 79% | A− |
| Wauconda Township | 5% | 0.1 | 14 | 81% | B− |
| McHenry Township | 5% | 0.5 | 18 | 81% | B+ |
| Avon Township | 20% | 0.5 | 39 | 99%+ | A |
| Volo | 13% | under 0.1 | 21 | 88% | B |
| Lake Villa Township | 21% | 0.6 | 55 | 99% | A |
| Round Lake | 6% | 0.2 | 11 | 99% | B+ |
| Antioch Township | 39% | 0.4 | 264 | 92% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Volo Bog State Natural Area, 6.3 miles; Grant Woods Forest Preserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
16% 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.
Volo Bog State Natural Area and Grant Woods Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 14 of off-road paths.
29,331 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grant Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 467 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #223 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Grant Township neighbors.
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 →