14% of Independence Township’s land is conserved: 3,177 acres
5% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2 acres are parks and preserves, 1.4 per 1,000 residents. 17 miles of mapped trail cross Independence Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 37% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Independence Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Independence Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Independence Township is ahead of 37% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
3,177 conserved acres
14% of Independence Township’s land. Who manages Independence Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 3,143 | Open |
| P and E Refuge Land and Water R. State Conservation Area | Private owners | 31 | Open |
1 places to go in Independence Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 named trails
0.0 miles of bike routes
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.
June is the best month for walking in Independence 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 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 70 | 56 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
August is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.1 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Independence Township →
Independence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Township | 14% | 0.5 | 1 | 5% | C+ |
| Stonefort Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mountain Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Harrisburg Township | 6% | 0.4 | 18 | 65% | B+ |
| Carrier Mills Township | 50% | 1.2 | 3,249 | 74% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Independence Township
How much of Independence Township is conserved land?
14% 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.
Is there public land near Independence Township?
98,527 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Independence Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,154 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Independence Township have?
Ahead of 37% 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 Independence Township neighbors.
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 →