Fort Daniel Conservation Area
Nature preserve
192 acres4.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Eli Ulery House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Mount Zion Township
Mount Zion Township has 322 acres of parks, 45 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Fort Daniel Conservation Area (4.3 mi), Spitler Woods State Natural Area (2.1 mi), Fletcher Park (1 mi). 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Mount Zion Township’s land is conserved, about 452 acres.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #492 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
452 acres · of 66.6 sq mi of land
Trails
8.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
322 ac
45 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.7 mi
2.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mount Zion Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mount Zion Township is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #492 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mount Zion Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land45 acres of park per 1,000 residents (322 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home79% 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 51%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 36%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Fort Daniel Conservation Area, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Spitler Woods State Natural Area
Nature preserve
201 acres2.1 mi of trail
Squirrel Creek TrailExercise Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Central Park
Park
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Fort Daniel Conservation Area192 acres · 4.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSpitler Woods State Natural Area201 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFletcher Park24 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Elks park35 acres
DirectionsGoodwin Park8 acres
DirectionsMemorial Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
452 conserved acres
1% of Mount Zion Township’s land. Who manages Mount Zion Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency191 ac
State conservation158 ac
Town or city62 ac
Other state land41 ac
Local Conservation Area · 191 acConservation Easement · 158 acLocal Park · 62 acState Park · 41 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 158 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Daniel Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 191 | Open |
| Spitler Woods State Park | Other state land | 41 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Fletcher Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Goodwin Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Mount Zion Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mount Zion Township
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Mount Zion Township
Camp WarrenGeneral Assembly Church of God
DirectionsSpitler Group CampIn Spitler Woods State Natural Area
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.7 mi
Squirrel Creek Trail1.7 mi
Exercise Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Baseball
3Basketball
2Beach volleyball
1Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Eli Ulery HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Mount Zion 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 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 67 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Mount Zion Township →
Next door
Mount Zion Township and its neighbors
Mount Zion Township has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
South Wheatland Township12 miMount Zion Township8.4 miLong Creek Township3.1 miSouth Macon Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Zion Township | 1% | 0.1 | 45 | 79% | B− |
| Long Creek Township | 5% | 0.1 | 36 | 70% | B |
| South Wheatland Township | 5% | 0.4 | 246 | 51% | B+ |
| South Macon Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 148 | 67% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mount Zion Township
Where can I hike in Mount Zion Township?
The longest trail networks: Fort Daniel Conservation Area, 4.3 miles; Spitler Woods State Natural Area, 2.1 miles; Fletcher Park, 1 miles; Central Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mount Zion Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Mount Zion Township’s trails?
Fort Daniel Conservation Area and Spitler Woods State Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mount Zion Township?
2.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mount Zion Township?
5,454 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mount Zion Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 322 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mount Zion Township have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #492 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 Mount Zion 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 →