Melrose Township has 73 acres of parks, 13 for every 1,000 residents
5% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.3 miles of mapped trail cross Melrose Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 3% of Melrose Township’s land is conserved, about 828 acres.
Ahead of 24% of U.S. towns · #687 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
How much outdoors does Melrose Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Melrose Township is ahead of 24% of U.S. towns, #687 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold 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.
828 conserved acres
3% of Melrose Township’s land. Who manages Melrose Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 827 | Open |
4 places to go in Melrose Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
8 lakes & rivers
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.
The walking year in Melrose 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 66 | 52 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Melrose Township →
Melrose 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melrose Township | 3% | 0.1 | 13 | 5% | C− |
| Quincy | 9% | 0.8 | 24 | 89% | A |
| Quincy Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fall Creek Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ellington Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 6% | D− |
| Riverside Township | 28% | 0.1 | 6 | 36% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Melrose Township
How much of Melrose Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Melrose Township?
15,470 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Melrose Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 908 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Melrose Township have?
Ahead of 24% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #687 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.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Melrose 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 →