I have never hiked at a prairie before and I am so glad that I chose this place for my exercise…read more Very well maintained park with lots of trails. The wildflowers alone will bring me back to this beautiful place.

The Buffalo Trace Prairie is a system of trails that are on the far western edge of the Lake of the…read moreWoods Forest Preserve. To be sure, there is much more to Lake of the Woods than just Buffalo Trace. The easiest entrance is located just north of Exit #172 off I-74 in Mahomet, on the left across from the botanical garden and before you get to the Early American Museum. Can't miss it. The trails run all through this medium-sized forest preserve and are perfect for jogging, biking, or dog walking. There is one major asphalt trail that runs E-W and several smaller trails that are really just places that they mow the prairie down every week or so. The asphalt trail is a little more than a mile long, and connects to a trail that is 5 mi in total. The intertwined grass trails are much longer all told, but since there are so many, you can customize as long or short of a walk as you want. The terrain is rolling hills, and the biome(s) are a pleasant transition from prairie to woods. None of the trails that I was on were at all challenging or in disrepair. I would suggest that if you intend to take the grass trails, take a good long look at the map before you leave the trail head, or bring one along. Thankfully, there are not really that many people making use of this park, which is cool. If you make use of the trail map, the trail in the far south of this park (by the highway) actually dead-ends and does not connect back to the parking lot, as is indicated on the map. Not a big deal, just a lil back-tracking. I needed the exercise.

I've been going to this campground my whole life. great staff clean campsites swimming hole is…read moregreat in the summer plants/trees are always trimmed and kept up. Bathroom is clean water is hot.

We couldn't be happier with the accommodations of this park. Everything is as expected from the…read morewebsite. Water hook us are sparse so bring the extra long hose and a splitter. Clean lake and shower facilities. Staff is so friendly and knowledgeable of the area. We came down the weekend before the "season" began. Had our pick of sites, quiet, and very impressed with the trails within the park. Our new favorite home away from home!

Located between Ottawa Illinois and Utica,this park is along the Illinois River across from Starved…read moreRock State Park. We didn't stay long but walked to the lookout where we saw many kayakers on the river. Picnic areas and kids play areas are throughout the park. Plenty of parking.

We were at Mattheson State Park and Starved Rock and worker said this state park had 2 Buffalo…read more Say no more! Tatanka and Bison are so beautiful. There is really nothing here other than 2 Bison. We are enroute to Illinois State in Normal for NDSU football game on Saturday. So it comes full circle.

Weldon Springs State Park is about a 2 hour drive from Chicago Western suburbs. It's located in a…read morelittle town of Clinton in DeWitt County. It's a huge park offering 550 acres with varied trails, river fir swimming, camping, fishing, picnic areas, two amphitheaters and a nice veteran tribute area. For a late May weekend, there was hardly anyone there. We felt we had the whole place to ourselves. The trail was clean and moderately easy. There was a meadow of wildflowers and they even have a "box" trail where they have many hummingbird nests. Birds can be spotted all over but hard to catch in snapshots! Veterans Point is very nicely done alongside the water with much patriotism which is always good to see. The walk along the water was very nice and we also discovered a dam, people hosting and kayaking. This makes for a nice day out here!

We booked the Lakeview shelter for a get together on a Saturday. There were 3 covered picnic…read moretables, enough room for 14 of us and food since we had a few lawn chairs. There was a firepit by the shelter. The restrooms were about 50 yards away. They were clean but the mens room had a bunch of mosquitoes. Surprisingly, the shelter itself was mostly bug free. Beyond the restrooms, a short stroll away, there was an overlook and another short walk led us to a boat ramp. All in all, it was a nice park.

Beautiful natural area, nature center is very kid-centered with friendly help, small gift shop,…read morebenches and picnic tables for resting!

Review Visit: September 29th, 2013…read more I remember coming here a few times as a kid on field trips. It was awesome as kid. They taught us about animals, bugs, nature and everything else outdoorsy. Then we got to hike a smaller trail as a group. Maybe this is what caused me to be such an avid outdoors person. Coming back here after about 2 decades was a huge nostalgic trip. Nothing had changed from what I remember as a kid. I'm sure things have been changed and updated since the early 90's, but it still retained that feel and look I remember as kid. The main building has set hours, but I do believe you can hike there before they open, as long as you follow the rule of 'no hiking before sunrise and after sunset'. Don't quote me on that. Inside the building is a small gift shop. There are quite a few learning activity areas to enrich yourself on local foliage and fauna. They hold a lot of events here, so you are surely able to drop in once a week and encounter some fun activity going on. There are plenty of trails to hike. If you want a quick hike, they have short trails. If you desire something challenging, you can hike some tough trails. Just be careful, I know a few people who have wandered off the path and ended up in a business area of Peoria Heights. The last time I was there, they had a 100-mile hike challenge. It was $10-15 to sign up and you record your hiking distances in a book there. Once you reach 100 miles, you get an award of some sort. I think it was a t-shirt and a certificate. Ive been wanting to sign up for it since I learned about it. But life gets busy. :/ Parking is plentiful but be warned; its a popular place, so there is usually a good amount of cars there at all time. But you shouldn't have a problem most of the time finding a parking spot. If you are native to the area and haven't been here, do yourself a favor and check it out. If yo are from out of town, also do yourself a favor and stop by for a quick hike. You won't regret it.

Great break as we drive along 155. Cute nature center for children and short hiking trail so they…read morefelt like they were out in the woods away from everyone

Sugar Grove Nature Center is a wonderful little gem in central Illinois. This is an area dedicated…read moreto teaching children and their families about the natural wildlife and vegetation native to the region. There are several miles of well kept trails, a learning center, and a children's play area. The play area is especially unique in that it encourages kids to get dirty, dig, and play in the creek. Also, there are events held all year round, many are free and most are very cheap when they are not. We visit regularly and love it.

Matthiessen State Park is such a gem. The trails take you through gorgeous canyons, lush greenery,…read moreand peaceful streams that make you forget how close you are to the city. The waterfall views are the highlight and absolutely worth the hike in, especially when the sun hits the rocks and everything feels like a hidden escape. The trails are well marked and offer a good mix of easy walks and more adventurous climbs, so there is something for everyone. Even on a busier day you can still find quiet corners to enjoy the sound of the water and the view of the sandstone cliffs. If you enjoy hiking, photography, or just want a beautiful spot to reset in nature, this park is a must visit. Bring good shoes, some water, and be ready to take a ton of photos.

Fantastic place to hike and explore. Not too crowded and lots of space to wander and exploreread more

Very peaceful place for a morning walk in the middle of Bloomington-Normal. Very nice tree lined…read moretrail.

Great place to bike,walk or run. The different sections of the path total approximately 42 miles!…read moreThere are several sections of the path where you can ride several miles without having to cross a street. The path connects many parks as well as the ISU campus, Uptown Normal and downtown Bloomington. Much of the path is along former railroad right of ways and is shaded by mature trees which is great in the summer heat. This is a great asset for the area

Our recent camping stay was fantastic. The park is starting the transition to fall and the colors…read moreare phenomenal. The changes that have been made to the campground for the 2022 season have resulted in a positive impact, overall. New people have discovered this Jewel of a Campground hidden away in Central Illinois and I predict more of the same in the future. Still not satisfied with the drastic cost increase for daily camping that was passed on to the customer as a result of the park improvements.

Visiting from Long Island, NY, and enjoyed hiking here for the first time. Definitely worth the…read moretrip.

Review Visit: August 9th, 2016…read more Somehow I am usually the last to learn of cool places. Farmdale Reservoir is no different. I have driven past signs for Farmdale many times in my life and just thought it was a giant water reservoir or something like that. Then one day I decided to google it to see what it was. Well, talk about kicking yourself in the ass for taking forever to do something. I came out here and hiked for a few hours and enjoyed every second of it. I decided to hike the 'tough' trails and they proved to be a challenge. Especially if you were mountain biking. While I only hiked about 4 miles and it was just a small section of the map, I was very impressed and will be back in 2017. The entire area is beautiful and far enough removed from society that you do feel isolated, but not far from help and home. This could be a great place to bring dogs, if you have one and they are properly trained. They say Illinois is boring... but we have beautiful places like this to help dispel that notion.

Hidden Washington backyard gem, hiking, running, biking, and dog walking trails all over with some…read moresurprising views for central Illinois sprout out this suburban park as essential oxygen to check in frequently. Coming from Indiana I didn't realize what was here til introduced recently and quickly fell for this lil slice of Gatlinburg. Parking isn't well marked but just like life I kept going until I found what I wanted. A decent Saturday morning gave clear nice weather without a crowd, will definitely be back!