Closing out our Springfield weekend from August of 2023, we went to Clinton Lake State Recreation Area. This park is in DeWitt, IL, about two hours and 45 minutes away from Chicago, right around halfway between Bloomington/Normal and Decatur. The day we went was very overcast, and a little humid, but nonetheless a good day... Continue Reading →
Now deep in summer, our next trip scheduled was a weekend in Springfield in order to visit the State Fair. After a very fun day exploring and meeting folks from the IDNR, we devoted the rest of the weekend to hiking, with the closest park being Sangchris Lake State Park. Sangchris Lake SP is in... Continue Reading →
The next park we visited over the summer of 2023 was Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area. This park is located in Will County, just off of interstate 55 in Wilmington. We visited on an overcast day, with the plan of exploring the nature preserve that is onsite. The land was owned by the... Continue Reading →
For our next park, we finally got out to Castle Rock State Park in Oregon, IL. This is part of a 4-park cluster in Ogle County near the Rock River. Castle Rock has been one of the most requested parks for this project, and is probably the most well known park for this area, and... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
After a string of cold and rainy weekends in March and April, we finally decided to risk bad weather and head back out to the Starved Rock area to get the two parks in the area that did not have hiking: Marseilles State Fish and Wildlife Area and LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area.... Continue Reading →
One of the things that has come up during planning for this project is the fact that parks tend to be clustered together. For example: Starved Rock, Matthiessen, and Buffalo Rock are all within a 20 minute drive of each other. Around Oregon, IL you will find 4 parks in the area so close that... Continue Reading →
The second park on our kick off weekend in March was Spitler Woods State Natural Area. This is a very small park at only 200 acres, located in Mt. Zion, IL, just outside of Decatur. Unlike the previous day, it was a beautiful, early spring morning that day, and we were able to enjoy a... Continue Reading →
We decided to start the 2023 hiking season by heading down south for a quick overnight trip, visiting a couple parks near Decatur. The first park of the weekend was Edward R. Madigan State Park in Lincoln, IL. It was a very chilly morning, even snowing as we picked up some morning coffee, but by... Continue Reading →
Whether its visiting Harbor Brewing after Illinois Beach State Park, Stopping in at Obscurity Bier Garden after a trip to Starved Rock, or some much needed time with friends on Church Street’s sprawling patio, we know that time outdoors and Illinois made beer go together very well. We are excited to announce that Ilinois Craft Brewers... Continue Reading →
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