Harry ‘Babe’ Woodyard SNA and Middle Fork SFWA

The final parks of the 2024 hiking season were Harry “Babe” Woodyard State Natural Area and Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area. These were parks 67 and 68, which marked the halfway point of the whole project, and we thought that would be the best way to finish the season. Middle Fork SFWA is in Danville, IL, about 2 hours and 40 minutes south of Chicago or 35 minutes west of Champaign. Harry “Babe” Woodyard SNA is in Georgetown, about 40 minutes south of Middle Fork.

Our first stop of the day was Harry “Babe” Woodyard SNA. It is named after a local farmer who eventually went on to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives, and later in the Illinois Senate. The park itself is about 1,100 acres dedicated to hunting. 

We knew heading into this park that it was going to be another one without much hiking. We did manage to find a very short loop trail that seemed to be carved out of a more forested part, as the outside edge was entirely lined with trees while the inside was all grassy. It was a bit more enjoyable because the leaves were starting to change colors, but the trail was so short, and there were so few other places for us to go that we ended up leaving after only 30 minutes.

The next park we visited was Middle Fork SFWA. This park is almost always talked about in tandem with Kickapoo State Park. They are next door to each other, the land was purchased at the same time, and the natural features of each affect the other. They are so closely linked that we had originally planned to visit Middle Fork in April 2024, the same day we visited Kickapoo, but we couldn’t because it seemed as though only hunters had access that day.

Middle Fork is a lot larger than Kickapoo, and most of the trails onsite are designed for horseback riding. There are 9 miles of regular hiking trails, but there are 35 miles of equestrian/cross country skiing trails. We ultimately decided to just walk on a bit of the equestrian trail, because the AllTrails app doesn’t distinguish them from designated hiking trails, and we had trouble figuring out anywhere else we could go. The first half of our hike wove through a prairie landscape, with the trees further in the distance. Eventually that trail brought us back to the main road, and we went across to the more forested part.

Walking through the forest was much more fun. We had hoped that we would get a little more color on the trees, but everything was only just starting to change. Still, the trail was very pretty and went along a river for part of it. We even came across a group of women on their horses, and they very kindly let us take a picture.

After wrapping up at the parks, we went to Big Thorn Farm and Brewery for lunch. We were so excited to visit here because they have built a treehouse bar. In terms of ambience, few other breweries can compare. Just be aware that if you are sitting in the treehouse, you have to walk to another building to order food.

Lastly, we visited Wyldwood Cellars in St. Joseph. This is a small town winery, and we decided to get a bottle and have a glass outside to enjoy the nice weather for our last day of hiking for the year.

Harry “Babe” Woodyard SNA is very much designed for hunters. We cannot recommend you go here if you want to do anything other than hunt, despite how pretty some of the scenery was. Middle Fork definitely has more to offer, especially if you want to bring your horse, but with it being next door to Kickapoo SP you are more likely to have fun there. Still, if it seems like Kickapoo is too crowded, Middle Fork would be a decent alternative.