All Nature & Outdoor Recreation in Canton

Giant Goose Ranch is one of the most unique family vacation destinations in the Midwest. It is a hybrid property somewhere between a campground, a sportsman’s club, a vacation resort, a working ranch, and a private recreational farm. By combining all the best attributes of each type of property, along with the creativity and conservation of the Herman Brothers, we Read more...

The Bike Share is a partnership between Graham Health System and the Canton Park District. You can rent a bike at three locations in Canton: Wallace Park, Lakeland Park, and Graham Medical Group. Download the App “Movatic” on your cell phone and you are all set to use the Bike Share Program! Read more...

An officially designated “Important Birding Area” (IBA), and purchased in the 1980’s by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, this 4,363-acre complex of freshwater marshes, shallow lakes, and deepwater habitat, boasts over 100 individual bodies of water which offer some of Illinois’ most sought after fishing. During hunting seasons Banner Marsh is a very popular place with Illinois outdoorsmen. Diverse Read more...

Big Creek Park features a pool with a capacity to hold 400 bathers, a water slide, pool side furniture with umbrella’s and a concession stand. Other features of this park include a recreation center for teens and seniors, frisbee golf course, dog park, skate park, walking/biking paths, playgrounds, pavilion, lighted tennis court, basketball hoops and a baseball diamond. Read more...

Located just east of Canton, the 250-acre Canton Lake’s lovely, wooded, 13-mile shoreline has a public campground and boat launch, as well as private residences. Open April 15-October 15, the campground offers full-hookup sites and a restroom/shower facility. A nice sandy beach is conveniently located near the campground. Peoria area fishermen will tell you that Canton Lake’s fish are the Read more...

To promote predictable navigation of the Illinois River, the United States and State of Illinois in the 1870s and 1880s constructed locks and dams at Henry, Copperas Creek, LaGrange, and Kampsville. The Copperas Creek Lock and Dam were completed in 1876. The dam raised the river five feet from Copperas Creek, near Banner, to Henry, Illinois, nearly 60 miles north. Read more...

Measuring nearly 600 acres in size, Canton’s Lakeland Park is a prime example of the possibilities involved in restoring ecological integrity to strip mining sites. Much of the park’s terrain is tallgrass prairie habitat. In those sections which have been allowed to restore themselves, grassland birds such as meadowlark, sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, American Woodcock, Bobolink, and others frolic in the Read more...

An officially designated Important Birding Area, this complex of wetlands is composed of 5,660 acres with shallow floodplain lakes and bottomland forest habitats. Spring and fall shore birds, great flocks of waterfowl, nesting herons and osprey are all frequently seen. The forested areas, with mature stands of American elm, silver maple, cottonwood, and black willow, are a flitter with passerines Read more...

Nestled along the edge of an old growth oak-hickory forest, Spoon River College lies 4 miles southwest of Canton. It is a public community college and hosts a network of nature trails traversing a 10-acre arboretum. With the Ezra J. Clark outdoor theatre as its centerpiece, Spoon River College Arboretum is a unique natural resource that has been developed into Read more...

he Fulton County Camping & Recreation Area is owned by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of greater Chicago, and is leased too and operated by Fulton County. The Recreation Area is made up of 440 acres which includes approximately 150 acres of strip-mined lakes. It is open to the public all year round for fishing and camping. Don’t miss all Read more...