Lakewood Park
Managed by Morton Park District
13 acres0.8 mi of trail
Lakewood Park Walking Path
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Morton
Morton has 297 acres of parks, 18 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Lakewood Park (0.8 mi). 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.4 miles of mapped trail cross Morton, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns · #458 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
245 acres · of 12.9 sq mi of land
Trails
2.4 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
297 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.0 mi
0.5 mi lanes · 4.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Morton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Morton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Morton is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns, #458 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Morton’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (297 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home82% 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 56%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 40%
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 Lakewood Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Northwood Park
Managed by Morton Park District
97 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 12 parks & preserves
Lakewood Park13 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Morton Park District
DirectionsSouthwood Park28 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWestwood Park53 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBirchwood Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Morton Park District
DirectionsNorthwood Park97 acres · Morton Park District
DirectionsMcClallen Memorial Park38 acres · Morton Park District
DirectionsOakwood Park21 acres
DirectionsIdlewood Park14 acres
DirectionsBull Run Park5 acres · Morton Park District
DirectionsMorton Bike Trail Rest Area3 acres
DirectionsOpen space2 acres
DirectionsMemorial Plaza1 acres · Village of Morton
DirectionsWho protects it
245 conserved acres
3% of Morton’s land. Who manages Morton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city245 ac
Local Park · 111 acLocal Recreation Area · 105 acUnknown · 28 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwood Park Disc Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 70 | Open |
| Mcclannen Soccer Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Morton Park District Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Southwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Birchwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Bike Trail Unknown | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Oakwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Idlewood Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Recreation Center/Indoor Soccer Facility Unknown | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
53 places to go in Morton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Morton
4 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Morton
27 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Morton
Dogwood Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Morton
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Morton
15 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Morton
Northwood BlackHours: sunrise-23:00 · In Northwood Park
DirectionsNorthwood BlueHours: sunrise-23:00 · In Northwood Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Morton
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.1 mi
Lakewood Park Walking Path0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
30Basketball
17Baseball
13Tennis
5Football
5Soccer
3Pickleball
2Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Morton
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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 51 | 63 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 51 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Morton →
Next door
Morton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Washington Township29 miGroveland Township27 miFondulac Township12 miEast Peoria7.2 miMorton2.4 miMorton Township2.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morton | 3% | 0.2 | 18 | 82% | B |
| East Peoria | 7% | 0.3 | 40 | 76% | B+ |
| Washington Township | 3% | 0.5 | 15 | 74% | B |
| Fondulac Township | 9% | 0.7 | 62 | 80% | A |
| Groveland Township | 7% | 0.7 | 31 | 64% | A− |
| Morton 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 Morton
Where can I hike in Morton?
The longest trail networks: Lakewood Park, 0.8 miles; Southwood Park, 0.3 miles; Westwood Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Morton 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.
Are dogs allowed on Morton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Lakewood Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Morton?
5.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes and 4.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Morton?
8,638 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Morton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 324 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Morton have?
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #458 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 Morton 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 →