Photo: Chris Light at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Utica Township has 111 acres of parks, 59 for every 1,000 residents
1.7 miles of mapped trail cross Utica Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Utica Township’s land is conserved, about 281 acres.
Ahead of 46% of U.S. towns. What drives it
How much outdoors does Utica Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Utica Township is ahead of 46% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
281 conserved acres
2% of Utica Township’s land. Who manages Utica Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pecumsaugan Creek/ Blackball Mines State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 152 | Open |
| Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail Unknown | State natural resources | 61 | Open |
| Clark Run State Conservation Area | Other state land | 55 | Open |
| Carey Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
4 places to go in Utica Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
2 lakes & rivers
6.7 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.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Utica Township: April, August 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 36 | 48 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Utica Township →
Utica Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utica Township | 2% | 0.1 | 59 | 46% | B− |
| Deer Park Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| LaSalle Township | 1% | 0.2 | 7 | 91% | B− |
| Ottawa Township | 5% | 0.2 | 36 | 87% | B+ |
| LaSalle | 1% | 0.3 | 4 | 90% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Utica Township
How much of Utica Township 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 Utica Township’s trails?
Carey Memorial Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Utica Township?
6.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Utica Township?
5,552 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Utica Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 173 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Utica Township have?
Ahead of 46% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Utica Township 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 →