1. Viola Park

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    Viola, IL

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    Viola Park

    4.0 (1 review)

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    10 years ago

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    Loud Thunder Forest Preserve - Considered our second tent on our camp site..

    Loud Thunder Forest Preserve

    2.4(7 reviews)
    21.0 mi

    We hiked at both the main park and the Ralph Martin Conservation Area (off of Loud Thunder Road)…read more The latter is 240 acres of conservation land, with wide mowed paths (a few long uphills); the Conservation Area might be a good place to hike if you like very peaceful walks but I would recommend visiting the main park first especially if you have limited time). At the Conservation Area we found only one small deserted parking lot and walked about half a mile in and back, never encountering a soul but traipsing through various fields and wooded areas....bring some sort of bug repellent! So.....the main park is where you probably want to be...this covers a huge area, has a beautiful scenic lake, boating ramps, playgrounds, a horse arena, camp sites and of course, plenty of hiking trails, many difficult to navigate and easy to get lost on... The Sac Fox South Trail goes through a meadow (the South Prairie Restoration I think) which is filled during the summer with an abundance of wild bergamot. But this trail is very long...make sure to have a map and water with you and allow plenty of time....

    Not sure why al the bad reviews but they were from a few years ago. Staying at the new Deer Haven…read morecampground, they have full hookups, just opened for this season. Quiet ,clean, friendly staff at Park office. Lake George is beautiful. The only thing lacking is some trees around campsites, but showers and flush toilets are clean.

    Wild Cat Den State Park

    Wild Cat Den State Park

    4.3(4 reviews)
    23.6 mi

    This is a beautiful park with super interesting geological formations (especially striking at the…read morelower level picnic area and the Punchbowl Trail). For a quick visit the Punchbowl Trail is a good short hike (a couple of miles to and back?) but there are some steep stairs if you end up on certain paths. To avoid the stairs park at the lower level and hike on the (mostly) level path to and back... The Boundary Trail is also awesome and usually very peaceful, but it takes quite a bit longer and there will be a few steep hills... The Pine Creek Grist Mill is a picturesque historic site in the park, with its own spacious parking lot, a cool bridge across the creek, and an old schoolhouse and cabin...the mill is open limited hours during part of the year...it was interesting to see the mill machinery and learn about the historic flour-making processes (but it's very hot in the building during the summer months)... Nice shelters and campsites, too, some with fireplaces and fire pits...there's probably not a spot in the park that is not scenic!

    Visited for the first hike of the spring. It is my first time here. We drove from Iowa City and it…read morewas about 50mins of views of empty corn field (well it is just Iowa). The park is not very big. We went on an hiking trail near the parking lot. It would have been nice to have some sort of map or marking/signs in the park but we failed to find any. As an result I think we made a wrong turn and had too short of a hike as the result. No running water available in the bathroom so be prepared to bring hand sanitizer. But otherwise the visit was enjoyable, my friends' bunny enjoyed hopping around on the grass near the picnic area (pretty clean).

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    Wild Cat Den State Park
    Wild Cat Den State Park
    Wild Cat Den State Park

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    Viola Park - parks - Updated July 2026

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