Black Hawk Forest Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
178 acres4.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rock Island
Rock Island has 15 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Black Hawk Forest Nature Preserve (4.7 mi), Longview Park (1.4 mi), Lincoln Park (0.8 mi). 9% of Rock Island’s land is conserved, about 985 acres. 968 acres are parks and preserves, 27 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #147 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
985 acres · of 17.5 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
968 ac
27 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.9 mi
6.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Rock Island?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rock Island have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rock Island is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #147 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rock Island’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land27 acres of park per 1,000 residents (968 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home85% 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 84%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 81%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. 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 Black Hawk Forest Nature Preserve, with 4.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Longview Park
Park
34 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 28 parks & preserves
Black Hawk Forest Nature Preserve178 acres · 4.7 mi of trail
DirectionsLongview Park34 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Lincoln Park30 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsSchwiebert Riverfront Park6 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsSunset Park271 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Douglas Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMel Hodge Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Denkman Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hasselroth Park43 acres
Smiths Park40 acres
DirectionsBen Williamson Park40 acres
Mel McKay Park38 acres
Thirty-First Avenue Park34 acres
Reservoir Park21 acres
DirectionsSaukie Park10 acres
Haymaker Park10 acres
DirectionsHennepin Canal Parkway State Park7 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSylvan Slough Naturalized Park6 acres
DirectionsShadybrook Park5 acres
City Line Ravine4 acres
Webber Park4 acres
Martin Luther King Memorial Park4 acres
DirectionsApollo Park3 acres
Centennial Bridge Park3 acres
DirectionsOld Horace Mann Park3 acres
Hauberg Estates Park2 acres
Indian Island1 acres
Realtors Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
985 conserved acres
9% of Rock Island’s land. Who manages Rock Island’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city518 ac
Regional agency230 ac
Private owners182 ac
State conservation97 ac
Other state land48 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2 ac
Army Corps of Engineers1 ac
Local Park · 737 acState Conservation Area · 98 acConservation Easement · 98 acPrivate Conservation · 88 acState Recreation Area · 48 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Springs Golf Course Local Park | Town or city | 188 | Open |
| Sunset Park & Marina Local Park | Town or city | 122 | Open |
| Saukie Municipal Golf Course Local Park | Town or city | 120 | Open |
| Black Hawk Forest Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 94 | Closed |
| Rock River - Carr Island Private Conservation | Private owners | 86 | Restricted |
| Hennepin Canal State Recreation Area | Other state land | 48 | Open |
| Hasselroth Park Local Park | Regional agency | 45 | Open |
| Longview Park Local Park | Regional agency | 35 | Open |
| Thirty-First Avenue Park Local Park | Regional agency | 35 | Open |
| Mckay Park Local Park | Regional agency | 33 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Rock Island
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Rock Island
22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Rock Island
8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Rock Island
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Rock Island
Rock Island Quad Cities KOA at Camelot
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.6 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
36Tennis
33Baseball
12Basketball
10Beach volleyball
8Pickleball
4Soccer
4Football
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →19 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.
Denkmann-Hauberg HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itOld Main, Augustana CollegeBuilding · listed 1975
About itWeyerhaeuser HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itFort Armstrong TheatreBuilding · listed 1980
About itStauduhar HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itRock Island Lines Passenger StationBuilding · listed 1982
About itFort Armstrong HotelBuilding · listed 1984
About itBlack Hawk Museum and LodgeBuilding · listed 1985
About itConnor HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itPotter HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itRobert Wagner HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itChippiannock CemeteryDistrict · listed 1994
About it7 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Rock Island
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) | 31 | 36 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Rock Island →
Next door
Rock Island and its neighbors
Rock Island has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rock Island15 miMoline11 miSouth Rock Island Township9.3 miMoline Township6.2 miRock Island Township5.1 miSouth Moline Township4.7 miMilan2.6 miRock Island Arsenal0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Island | 9% | 0.8 | 27 | 85% | A− |
| Milan | 10% | 0.4 | 53 | 93% | A |
| Moline | 5% | 0.7 | 15 | 78% | B+ |
| Rock Island Arsenal | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Moline Township | 4% | 1.0 | 10 | 97% | A− |
| Rock Island Township | 5% | 1.1 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| South Rock Island Township | 15% | 1.3 | 28 | 70% | A |
| South Moline Township | 5% | 0.3 | 14 | 71% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rock Island
Where can I hike in Rock Island?
The longest trail networks: Black Hawk Forest Nature Preserve, 4.7 miles; Longview Park, 1.4 miles; Lincoln Park, 0.8 miles; Schwiebert Riverfront Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rock Island is conserved land?
9% 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 Rock Island’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Schwiebert Riverfront Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rock Island?
6.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.6 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Rock Island?
13,490 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rock Island or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 968 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Rock Island have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #147 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 Rock Island 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 →