Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
8,999 acres21.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: SD Dirk · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hanover Township
32% of Hanover Township’s land is conserved: 10,773 acres
216 acres are parks and preserves, 195 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (21.9 mi), Hanover Bluff State Natural Area (3.3 mi), Wapello Land & Water Reserve (1.8 mi). 31 miles of mapped trail cross Hanover Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
10,773 acres · of 52.0 sq mi of land
Trails
31 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
216 ac
195 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
64%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
823 ft
Lost Mound
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Hanover Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hanover Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hanover Township is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hanover Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (31 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land195 acres of park per 1,000 residents (216 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home64% 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 89%
LessMore
Water is 8% of Hanover Township’s area (5 of 57 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 30%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, with 21.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hanover Bluff State Natural Area
Nature preserve
621 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wapello Land & Water Reserve
Nature preserve
167 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Wapello Land & Water ReserveWebsite ↗
Hanley Savanna
Nature preserve
145 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge8,999 acres · 21.9 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Hanover Bluff State Natural Area621 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWapello Land & Water Reserve167 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsHanley Savanna145 acres
Eagle's Nest Land and Water Preserve119 acres
Hanover Forest33 acres
White Park3 acres
DirectionsSpeer Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
10,773 conserved acres
32% of Hanover Township’s land. Water is left out: Hanover Township has 52.0 square miles of land and 4.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hanover Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service16,938 ac
State conservation1,196 ac
State natural resources1,080 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits995 ac
Army Corps of Engineers149 ac
Private owners55 ac
Town or city15 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 16,938 acConservation Easement · 1,602 acState Conservation Area · 796 acUnknown · 467 acPrivate Conservation · 406 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 421 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 32 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 16,938 | Restricted |
| Hanover Bluff State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 796 | Open |
| Primm's Pond State Natural Area Unknown | State natural resources | 182 | Open |
| Wapello Land and Water Reserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 170 | Open |
| Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 149 | Open |
| Hanley Savanna Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 149 | Open |
| Hanover Bluff Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 118 | Unknown |
| Eagles Nest Land and Water Reserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 118 | Open |
| Eagles Landing State Natural Area Unknown | State natural resources | 102 | Open |
| Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 55 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
2 places to go in Hanover Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hanover Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Hanover Township
Lost Mound823 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
4 lakes & rivers
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
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hanover 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 34 | 47 | 60 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hanover Township →
Next door
Hanover Township and its neighbors
Hanover Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hanover Township31 miRice Township16 miWashington Township15 miBellevue0.6 miDerinda Township0.1 miElizabeth Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Township | 32% | 0.6 | 195 | 64% | A |
| Elizabeth Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rice Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Derinda Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Washington 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 Hanover Township
Where can I hike in Hanover Township?
The longest trail networks: Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, 21.9 miles; Hanover Bluff State Natural Area, 3.3 miles; Wapello Land & Water Reserve, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hanover Township is conserved land?
32% 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 Hanover Township’s trails?
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge and Hanover Bluff State Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hanover Township?
17,863 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hanover Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 912 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hanover Township have?
Ahead of 89% 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 Hanover 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 →