Sylvan Island
Park
37 acres4.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Kepper66 · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Moline
Moline has 11 miles of mapped trails, 0.7 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Sylvan Island (4.3 mi), Prospect Park (1.5 mi), Stephens Park (1.4 mi). 78% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Moline’s land is conserved, about 544 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #304 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
544 acres · of 16.8 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
631 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
6.0 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 3 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Moline have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Moline is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #304 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Moline’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (631 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home78% 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 70%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 60%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. 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 Sylvan Island, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 22 parks & preserves
Sylvan Island37 acres · 4.3 mi of trail
Prospect Park28 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsStephens Park28 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGreenvalley Park303 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsVelie Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Sylvan Gateway Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Riverside Park54 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Wharton Park18 acres
Jefferson Park15 acres
DirectionsPeterson Park11 acres
Harold's Landing7 acres
DirectionsMcCandless Park5 acres
Meersman Park5 acres
DirectionsPatty Southall Wilman Park4 acres
Millennium Park2 acres
Karstens Park2 acres
East Park2 acres
Calvary Park1 acres
Butterworth Park1 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Park1 acres
Stephen's Square Park1 acres
DirectionsOptimist Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
544 conserved acres
5% of Moline’s land. Who manages Moline’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city540 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4 ac
Local Park · 540 acState Conservation Area · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenvalley Nature Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 150 | Open |
| Greenvalley Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Old Greenvalley Park Local Park | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Prospect Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Stephens Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Ben Butterworth Memorial Parkway Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| 48Th Street Field Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Jefferson Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Moline
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Moline
Ben Butterworth ParkwayHours: sunrise-sunset
DirectionsPublic pools in Moline
2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Moline
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Moline
Harold's LandingIn Harold's Landing
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Moline
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
22 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
5.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
32Tennis
28Baseball
17Soccer
15Basketball
13Softball
8Pickleball
6Beach volleyball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Moline
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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 48 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Moline →
Next door
Moline and its neighbors
Moline has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rock Island15 miMoline11 miMoline Township6.2 miRock Island Township5.1 miSouth Moline Township4.7 miEast Moline1.6 miRock Island Arsenal0.2 miCoal Valley0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moline | 5% | 0.7 | 15 | 78% | B+ |
| Rock Island | 9% | 0.8 | 27 | 85% | A− |
| Moline Township | 4% | 1.0 | 10 | 97% | A− |
| East Moline | 3% | 0.1 | 13 | 92% | B− |
| Rock Island Arsenal | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| South Moline Township | 5% | 0.3 | 14 | 71% | B |
| Coal Valley | 23% | under 0.1 | 59 | 95% | A− |
| Rock Island Township | 5% | 1.1 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Moline
Where can I hike in Moline?
The longest trail networks: Sylvan Island, 4.3 miles; Prospect Park, 1.5 miles; Stephens Park, 1.4 miles; Greenvalley Park, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Moline is conserved land?
5% 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 Moline’s trails?
Sylvan Island and Prospect Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Moline?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.0 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 5.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Moline?
11,853 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Moline or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 631 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Moline have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #304 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 Moline 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 →