Elk City Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
3,285 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: 25or6to4 · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Independence Township
Independence Township has 731 acres of parks, 241 for every 1,000 residents
11% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5.3 miles of mapped trail cross Independence Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 2% of Independence Township’s land is conserved, about 723 acres.
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
723 acres · of 60.6 sq mi of land
Trails
5.3 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
731 ac
241 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
11%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
955 ft
Walker Mound
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Independence Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Independence Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Independence Township is ahead of 38% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Independence Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land241 acres of park per 1,000 residents (731 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13AParks close to home11% of residents within a half mile of a park · KS 76% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 38%
LessMore
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Independence Township’s 2% is ahead of 48% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 26% of them.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Montgomery State Fishing Lake
Managed by Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
340 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Elk City State Park
Managed by Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
250 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
723 conserved acres
2% of Independence Township’s land. Who manages Independence Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land386 ac
State parks319 ac
Town or city18 ac
State Recreation Area · 386 acState Park · 319 acLocal Recreation Area · 17 acLocal Park · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery State Fishing Lake State Recreation Area | Other state land | 386 | Open |
| Elk City State Park State Park | State parks | 319 | Open |
| Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Independence Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Independence Township
Elk City State Park BeachIn Elk City State Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Independence Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Independence Township
Walker Mound955 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Independence 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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 45 | 50 | 60 | 69 | 77 | 86 | 91 | 91 | 83 | 71 | 59 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 4.5 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 6.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Independence Township →
Next door
Independence Township and its neighbors
Independence Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sycamore Township25 miIndependence Township5.3 miLiberty Township5.2 miDrum Creek Township2.9 miRutland Township2.6 miFawn Creek Township1.8 miIndependence0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Township | 2% | 0.1 | 241 | 11% | C+ |
| Independence | 3% | under 0.1 | 17 | 59% | C+ |
| Drum Creek Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rutland Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Liberty Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fawn Creek Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Sycamore Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Independence Township
Where can I hike in Independence Township?
The longest trail networks: Montgomery State Fishing Lake, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Independence Township is conserved land?
2% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Kansas town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Independence Township’s trails?
Elk City Wildlife Area and Montgomery State Fishing Lake don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Independence Township?
1,626 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Independence Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 731 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Independence Township have?
Ahead of 38% 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 Independence 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 →