Macktown County Forest Preserve
Park
126 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Rockton
Rockton has 547 acres of parks, 69 for every 1,000 residents
7.2 miles of mapped trail cross Rockton, 1.0 per square mile of land. 12% of Rockton’s land is conserved, about 538 acres. The biggest trail networks: Macktown County Forest Preserve (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #128 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
538 acres · of 6.9 sq mi of land
Trails
7.2 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
547 ac
69 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.2 mi
2.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Rockton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockton is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #128 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rockton’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land69 acres of park per 1,000 residents (547 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home59% 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 86%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 83%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to 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 Macktown County Forest Preserve, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Millrace Isle Forest Preserve
Nature preserve
133 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Rockton Athletic Fields
Park
67 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
William & Gayle Keefer Nature Reserve
Managed by Natural Land Institute
33 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Macktown County Forest Preserve126 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMillrace Isle Forest Preserve133 acres
Rockton Athletic Fields67 acres
William & Gayle Keefer Nature Reserve33 acres · Natural Land Institute
Settler's Park11 acres
DirectionsVillage Green Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
538 conserved acres
12% of Rockton’s land. Who manages Rockton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County450 ac
Town or city90 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Local Conservation Area · 446 acLocal Other or Unknown · 59 acLocal Park · 16 acLocal Recreation Area · 15 acState Conservation Area · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macktown Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 293 | Open |
| Millrace Isle Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 154 | Open |
| Ferguson Athletic Fields Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Woodland Park Site Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Settler'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| J. Norman Jensen Forest Preserve State Conservation Area | County | 4 | Closed |
| Woodlands Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Village Green Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Carl and Myrna Nygren Wetland Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Rockton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Rockton
Walt Williamson PoolIn Village Green Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Rockton
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Rockton
Barkwood Park at Thunder Rock Praire
DirectionsBoat launches in Rockton
Macktown Forest Preserve Boat RampIn Macktown County Forest Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Tennis
5Basketball
3Soccer
1Football
1Baseball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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
The best walking months in Rockton: April, July and September
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Rockton →
Next door
Rockton and its neighbors
Rockton has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rockton Township27 miRockton7.2 miRoscoe Township7.2 miOwen Township5.0 miSouth Beloit2.8 miRoscoe1.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockton | 12% | 1.0 | 69 | 59% | A |
| Roscoe | 4% | 0.2 | 21 | 48% | B− |
| South Beloit | 5% | 0.5 | 27 | 76% | B+ |
| Rockton Township | 10% | 0.8 | 57 | 70% | A− |
| Roscoe Township | 4% | 0.2 | 34 | 44% | B− |
| Owen Township | 2% | 0.1 | 154 | 28% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rockton
Where can I hike in Rockton?
The longest trail networks: Macktown County Forest Preserve, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockton is conserved land?
12% 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 Rockton’s trails?
Macktown County Forest Preserve and Millrace Isle Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rockton?
2.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rockton?
8,831 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 547 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rockton have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #128 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 Rockton 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 →