Illinois is the 25th biggest state in the US, famous for many things, but mostly its agriculture and being the Land of Lincoln. Another reason to visit Prairie State is the amazing nature and exciting hiking trails. Illinois is home to many national parks, and in the next several paragraphs, we will present the most popular ones. They are a perfect stop for every adventurer or a family looking to escape the city. Enjoy beautiful gardens, rock walls, and hidden forest paths. Many activities are also available, including renting bikes, kayaks, and canoes.
Mississippi Palisades State Park
Mississippi Palisades State Park is located along the second-longest North American river. It occupies an area of 2,500 acres and provides some of the longest trails and scenic natural rock formations. The park is situated very close to the Savanna town and has been used by native Americans for centuries. The area is rich in history, and hikers can really merge with nature here. Mississippi Palisades State Park provides steep cliffs and many caves as well. However, they are quite dangerous as most of them end with holes leading straight down. Always use guides or proper equipment!
Near the Apple and Mississippi rivers, tourists will find an affluent animal and plant life. Ornithologists will find numerous wild turkeys, waterfowls, woodpeckers, shorebirds, and even eagles searching for prey in the river waters. If you want to spot larger animals, keep your eyes open for white-tailed deers, skunks, squirrels, foxes, and, if you are really lucky, badgers. The Mississippi Palisades State Park is preferred by many families and individuals for camping. Several areas service campers, offering electrical hookups, showers, toilets, and more. Lodge and hotel accommodations are also available within a few miles of the park. You can find more information on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources web page!
Pere Marquette State Park
The same applies to the Pere Marquette State Park, located near Grafton on an area of more than 8,000 acres. If you like to drive, it’s just 5 hours from Chicago! The place is perfect for hiking and biking, with its 12-mile marked trails. You can see the park from above, riding a gondola or going through it hooked to one of the nine operational zip lines. Plenty of adventures can be found here, including horse riding in the summer and even a hunting area open to the public and taking around 2,000 acres. The usually allowed targets are deers and wild turkeys.
Besides the mighty Mississippi River, within the limits of Pere Marquette State Park is also the Illinois river. Visitors can hire private boats from several locations and explore them both during the season. The experience is hard to imagine, and if you find yourself near the town of Grafton, the park is a must-visit location. Similar to Mississippi Palisades State Park, many birds, animals, and plants can be seen here. Over 200 bird species have been spotted, and the meadows are dappled with the flowers’ blossoms during the spring and summer months.
Other Parks Across Illinois
Mississippi Palisades State Park and Pere Marquette State Park are just two of the many national parks across the state of Illinois. It all depends on the time you have and the mileage you are willing to cover. Here are a few more places to visit, together with their locations:
- Moraine Hills State Park – McHenry, IL – 2,200 acres
- Buffalo Rock State Park – Ottawa, IL – 298 acres
- Starved Rock State Park – Utica, IL – 2,600 acres
- Matthiessen State Park – Oglesby, IL – 1,940 acres
- Homer Lake Forest Preserve – Homer, IL – 892 acres
- Shawnee National Forest – Herod, IL – 298,000 acres
- Lincoln Home National Historic Site – Springfield, IL, 12 acres
- Giant City State Park – Mkanda, IL, – 4,000 acres
- Ferne Clyffe State Park – Goreville, IL – 2,400 acres
- White Pines Forest State Park – Morris, IL – 385 acres.
Each of these Illinois National Parks is worth your time and has some unique scenes to offer. Like the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, some are priceless from a historical point of view. Others offer virgin forests and lands stretching over hundreds of thousands of acres. On the Starved Rock State Park territory are 18 unparalleled sandstone bluffs’ canyons and amazing waterfalls. Together with the Matthiessen State Park, it’s also one of the top-ranked camping places, too. Other great places to park your RV and enjoy nature are the Chain O’Lakes State Park near Spring Grove, the Kankakee River State Park – Bourbonnais, and the Rock Cut State Park – Rockford.
If you prefer primitive camping, we recommend considering Castle Rock State Park. It is located 5 miles from Oregon and is accessible only by boat. There are some campsites on the Rock River west shore but no electricity and amenities. Even so, plenty of activities and higher-class accommodation is available nearby.
Final Lines
Discover new territories and free your mind from the noise of the big city. The state parks in Illinois offer many amenities, great lodging, and entertainment for kids and grown-ups. Hiking, boating and swimming, canoe adventures, hunting, and camping are only some of the available activities. You’ll find many well-services launching ramps on the rivers, electric sites for RVs, and nearby lodges and hotels. And all this is in perfect sync with the wildlife around! Deers, badgers, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, and turtles are only a few of the numerous species living in Illinois National Parks.
