After a busy week of labor within the fast-paced metropolis of Chicago, escaping for a breath of contemporary air is a vital technique to recharge. Whereas guests could not come to the Windy Metropolis seeking a nature expertise, locals know that there’s far more to Chicago than meets the attention.
Inside a comparatively brief drive, you will be immersed among the many towering dunes of Indiana Dunes Nationwide Park, discover vertical sandstone cliffs at Starved Rock State Park, or watch bison retake their pure prairie habitat in Midewin Nationwide Tallgrass Prairie. On this information, we’ll spotlight seven outside getaways for Chicagoans to get their dose of nature with out a lengthy, burdensome drive.
1. Indiana Dunes Nationwide Park
From the shores of Indiana Dunes Nationwide Park, you may see the skyline of Chicago throughout Lake Michigan. Only a 1-hour drive east of the town, the park’s ecosystems of expansive seashores, thick forest canopies, and shifting dunes really feel worlds away from the bustle of metropolis life.
Granted Nationwide Park standing in 2019, Indiana Dunes is among the nation’s latest parks, boasting 13,000 preserved acres, 15 miles of Lake Michigan’s coast, and 15 path methods that stretch over 50 miles. Its proximity to Chicago makes it a fast and handy escape to discover a slower tempo within the open air.
One of the vital fashionable mountain climbing trails is the Succession Path at West Seaside — a 1-mile loop that climbs 75 ft as much as the highest of Diana’s Dune through an extended staircase. For an extended hike, the 4.7-mile Cowles Lavatory Path gives a wide range of habitats, together with ponds, marshes, black oak savannas, and seashores. Don’t be afraid to take a look at the park exterior of the summer season season for extra solitude away from the summer season crowds.
- Size: 1-5 miles
- Issue: Straightforward to average
- Restrooms: Obtainable all through the park
- Parking: Varied entry factors; $25 per automobile, $20 per motorbike, $15 per individual on bicycle or foot; passes are legitimate for 7 days
- Canine friendliness: Canines allowed on leash
- Hours: Varies in every space of the park, for instance: West Seaside and Porter Seaside are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Kemil Seaside is open 24 hours, and all different seashore areas are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
2. Starved Rock State Park
Starved Rock, probably the most visited state park in Illinois, sits on the banks of the Illinois River southwest of Chicago. A hanging distinction to the standard central plains panorama, the park is famend for its 18 sandstone canyons carved by floods from retreating glaciers 14,000 to 17,000 years in the past. These canyons function dramatic overhangs and rain-fed waterfalls, surrounded by dense forests of oak, maple, hickory, pine, and cedar.
There’s one thing for everybody at Starved Rock, whether or not you need a brief stroll or an extended hike. You may climb as much as Sandstone Level overlook, take a look at St. Louis Canyon’s waterfall, or discover the depths of Wildcat Canyon, amongst many different trails.
- Size: 1-8 miles
- Issue: Straightforward to average
- Restrooms: Obtainable all through the park
- Parking: Free
- Canine friendliness: Canines allowed on leash
- Hours: 7 a.m. to sundown
3. Midewin Nationwide Tallgrass Prairie
Positioned within the city of Wilmington simply an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago, Midewin Nationwide Tallgrass Prairie gives a fast escape into nature with 18,225 acres of land and 34 miles of trails, 12 of that are reserved for mountain climbing.
The park is a mannequin of habitat restoration, returning huge areas to their unique prairie state and reintroducing bison, which as soon as roamed the area in abundance.
For the most effective probability of recognizing grazing bison, hike the Group 63 Loop Path and convey binoculars in case they’re at a distance. To expertise the array of habitats inside the park, take a look at the Prairie Creek Woods Path the place you’ll find ponds, woodlands, and restored tallgrass prairie.
- Size: 1-10 miles
- Issue: Straightforward to average
- Restrooms: Sure, accessible at trailheads
- Parking: Free at trailheads
- Canine friendliness: Canines allowed on leash
- Hours: 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.
4. Waterfall Glen Forest Protect
Out on the sting of Chicago’s suburban sprawl, Waterfall Glen Forest Protect is a well-liked hike amongst metropolis dwellers to get a dose of rolling hills, thick forests, and various wildlife. The park, which gives 11 miles of trails over its 2,503 acres, is understood for its ecological variety of fauna, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
A well-liked route is the Waterfall Glen Path. This well-maintained 9.3-mile loop showcases the park’s major points of interest: Rocky Glen waterfall, the scenic overlooks over Des Plaines River and Sawmill Creek, and savannas and prairie ecosystems. Don’t be afraid to go to exterior the summer season months, as a snowshoe exploration will be simply as enjoyable within the park.
- Size: 9.3 miles
- Issue: Straightforward to average
- Restrooms: Sure, at entrance parking heaps
- Parking: Free, three parking heaps within the park
- Canine friendliness: Canines allowed on leash
- Hours: One hour after dawn to at least one hour after sundown
5. Moraine Hills State Park
Moraine Hills State Park is a wonderful instance of Illinois’ glacial historical past. From the glacier-formed lakes to the moraine deposits, mountain climbing across the park offers a geology lesson in regards to the formation and retreat of glaciers within the space 1000’s of years in the past. The 48-acre Lake Defiance is one such glacial lake and one of many few examples in Illinois that is still unaltered, basically left in its unique state.
The two,200-acre park consists of lakes and wetlands with greater than 10 miles of trails. The world is especially recognized for its biodiversity, that includes greater than 200 species of birds that frequent the park. Nice blue herons and inexperienced herons come to feed within the park’s marshes throughout their summer season migration.
For an introduction to the park, take the Lake Defiance Path — a 3.8-mile loop across the largest lake within the park. And depart the headphones at house; listening to the chirping birds is a should to completely expertise Moraine Hills.
- Size: 1-6 miles
- Issue: Straightforward to average
- Restrooms: Sure, accessible in day-use areas
- Parking: Free all through the park
- Canine friendliness: Canines allowed on leash
- Hours: Varies by season, however it’s a day-use space solely, so plan on returning to your automobile earlier than sundown
6. Deer Grove Forest Protect
Northwest of Chicago within the city of Palatine, rolling upland forest, wooded ravines, wetlands, and prairies await at Deer Grove Forest Protect. The park spans 2,000 acres and is traversed by each paved and unpaved trails. Whereas strolling via the quiet woodlands, maintain a watch out for the white-tailed deer, the park’s namesake.
A well-liked hike in Deer Grove is the Yellow Loop Path, which provides hikers a style of the woodlands, deep ravines, and quaint bridges. If visiting within the spring, keep watch over the vernal ponds that kind and supply habitats for amphibians like blue-spotted salamanders and refrain frogs.
- Size: 1-7 miles
- Issue: Straightforward to average
- Restrooms: Sure, all through the park
- Parking: Free, a number of parking heaps within the park
- Canine friendliness: Canines allowed on leash
- Hours: Dawn to sundown
7. Illinois Seaside State Park
Illinois has 63 miles of shoreline alongside Lake Michigan, however most of it has been developed. The final remaining swath of pristine shore is protected inside Illinois Seaside State Park. The 6.5 miles of lakeshore and 4,160 acres of land supply ever-shifting dunes, oak savannas, marshland, and rivers.
The park is cut up into two areas — the North Unit and South Unit — every with its personal path system. A well-liked selection is the Useless River Path within the South Unit. The two.5-mile loop crosses a wide range of ecosystems earlier than it reaches the Useless River, which alternates between free-flowing and blocked resulting from sand build-up at its mouth into Lake Michigan.
- Size: 1-3 miles
- Issue: Straightforward
- Restrooms: Sure, a number of all through the park
- Parking: Free, parking heaps within the North Unit and South Unit
- Canine friendliness: Canines are allowed on trails and in campgrounds/picnic areas whereas on leash; canine not allowed on the seashore or nature protect
- Hours: 8 a.m. to sundown
This put up was sponsored by Fjällräven.