Mount Zion has 95 acres of parks, 17 for every 1,000 residents
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Fletcher Park (1 mi). 1.6 miles of mapped trail cross Mount Zion, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns · #362 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Mount Zion?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Mount Zion have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mount Zion is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #362 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land 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.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Fletcher Park, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Central Park
All 6 parks & preserves
64 conserved acres
2% of Mount Zion’s land. Who manages Mount Zion’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Fletcher Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Goodwin Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Town or city | 1 | Open |
3 places to go in Mount Zion
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
2.3 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.
August is the best month for walking in Mount Zion
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 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 67 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Mount Zion →
Mount Zion 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Zion | 2% | 0.4 | 17 | 92% | B |
| Decatur | 8% | 0.4 | 34 | 92% | A− |
| Long Creek Township | 5% | 0.1 | 36 | 70% | B |
| South Wheatland Township | 5% | 0.4 | 246 | 51% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mount Zion
Where can I hike in Mount Zion?
The longest trail networks: 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 is conserved land?
2% 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’s trails?
Fletcher Park and Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mount Zion?
2.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mount Zion?
5,478 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mount Zion or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 96 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mount Zion have?
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #362 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 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 →