Iroquois County State Wildlife Area

The 38th park we visited was Iroquois County State Wildlife Area, located a few miles away from Beaverville, IL, about 80 miles south of Chicago, and less than a mile away from the Indiana border. It is very much off the beaten path, in the far northeast corner of Iroquois County.

The original land was acquired by the state in 1944 in order to protect prairie chickens. Unfortunately, they did not survive and the land became a popular place for public hunting. The vast majority of the park is still used for hunting today. In 1984, Illinois obtained more land to be used exclusively as a nature preserve. This part is called the Hooper Branch Savanna, and it is considered the largest single area of rare native savanna in the state.

There are two main trail options in the park: the Hooper Branch Trail and the Iroquois Woodland Loop, the latter of which is partially accessible. After driving down the more dusty than average road to the trailhead for Hooper Branch, we realized that there are actually quite a few other unmarked trails as well. However, we decided to stick with our original plan so we didn’t have to worry about getting lost.

This first trail was about a mile and a half long all together, going through the savanna of the nature preserve. The majority of parks we have been to were either forest/woods hikes, prairie hikes, or paths that interact with water in some way. This was none of those, with the environment being mostly open. The trees did not provide a lot of shade, and the grasses were not tall. It would not surprise me if there had been a controlled burn relatively recently, with patches of dried plant remains dotted with new growth. It was overall a very nice, quiet walk.

The second trail was only a mile, with a portion being completely accessible with a well maintained sidewalk. After about a third of a mile, the sidewalk abruptly ends and turns into a grass path instead, and remains that way for the rest of the loop. Unlike the Hooper Branch Trail, this loop is much more forested, and feels more alive. We spotted a red-headed woodpecker, and followed it for the duration of the walk, snapping photos all the way.

Our final stop of the day was Grapes and Hops, in Kankakee on our way back home. It is neither a winery nor a brewery, as they do not make their own product. Instead, they are a local taproom showcasing Illinois beer and regional wine. We opted for the wine flights, choosing one from each of the six featured wineries, including our longtime favorite: August Hill. We will surely come back to Grapes and Hops whenever we are in Kankakee again.

We both really enjoyed our day at Iroquois County SWA. The two main trails were very well maintained, even though the accessible trail was not fully accessible. For people without mobility issues, both trails are easily done in about an hour and a half, and more experienced hikers are not left out with all the other trails throughout. However, this park is very out of the way, and closer parks offer similar experiences. We were the only people there that day at all, when it is normal for us to see at least one or two other cars, even if we don’t see people on the trail. So we would recommend a visit only if you are in the area anyway, but would recommend it to people of all skill levels.