Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
30 miles of mapped trail cross Hanover Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Poplar Creek Forest Preserve (9.1 mi), Shoe Factory Road Woods (3.7 mi), Bluff Spring Fen (2.4 mi). 6% of Hanover Township’s land is conserved, about 1,245 acres.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #197 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, Hanover Township is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #197 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
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 Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, with 9.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
6% of Hanover Township’s land. Who manages Hanover Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 18 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heron Woods State Habitat Area Unknown | State natural resources | 279 | Open |
| Villa Olivia Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 134 | Open |
| Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Regional agency | 97 | Closed |
| Lords Park Local Park | Town or city | 92 | Open |
| Rolling Knolls Unknown | Regional agency | 52 | Open |
| Ahlstrand Park Local Park | Regional agency | 43 | Open |
| Dolphin Park Local Park | Regional agency | 38 | Open |
| Shady Oaks Park Local Park | Regional agency | 33 | Open |
| Cannon Crossings Park Local Park | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
| Valley View Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
109 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
1 disc golf course 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
January is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Hanover 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Township | 6% | 0.9 | 11 | 99% | A− |
| Wayne Township | 28% | 1.0 | 66 | 98% | A+ |
| Barrington Township | 7% | 2.1 | 82 | 79% | A |
| Schaumburg Township | 9% | 1.0 | 14 | 99% | A |
| Elgin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Elgin | 7% | 0.5 | 14 | 95% | A− |
| Bartlett | 17% | 0.4 | 43 | 99% | A |
| Dundee Township | 21% | 1.6 | 56 | 98% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, 9.1 miles; Shoe Factory Road Woods, 3.7 miles; Bluff Spring Fen, 2.4 miles; Shady Oaks Park, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
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.
Poplar Creek Forest Preserve and Shoe Factory Road Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
46 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.7 of painted or protected lanes, 35 of off-road paths and 4.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
32,629 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hanover Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,385 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #197 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 Hanover 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 →