This beautiful 4.3-mile loop adjacent to the Illinois River adds welcome relief--waterfalls, sculpted sandstone canyons, and impressive overlooks--to the usually pancake-flat landscape.

Enjoy the views and solitude of this 9.6 mile out-and-back trek through wind and water-scoured ravines to glacier-carved moraines in southeast Chicago.

Explore a 59-acre lake and get a bird's-eye view of a buzzing wetland on this 2.9-mile hike through an historic state park in central Illinois.

Whet your feet--and your appetite for nature--on this moderate 3.6-mile loop in Illinois' Shawnee National Forest with two creek fords, year-round wildflowers and soaring fern-covered cliffs.

This 9.8-mile loop covers the Shawnee National Forest essentials: lovely waterfalls, scenic sandstone cliffs, singing birds, and colorful wildflowers.

Traversing trickling falls, spongy boulders, and finger coves along Kinkaid Lake's western shore, this 9.2-mile out-and-back ends high above the lake‰ÛÓand leaves you dry.

This Shawnee National Forest hike loops 2.8 miles and drops 350 feet through a water-carved slot into Illinois' Little Grand Canyon. Sure footing and a sense of adventure required.

An exposed fault above the Illinois River and 30-mile views of St. Louis make this 3.5-mile loop in Illinois' largest state park a worthwhile escape from the Gateway City.

An easy, family-friendly dayhike, this 2.8-mile loop tours the mature forests and wildlife-festooned shores of the Sam Dale Lake Conservation Area.

Birders take note: The shallow depths of Horseshoe Lake and the grain-rich fields of Walkers Island attract an unusually wide range of feathered fliers to this 3.8-mile loop just outside St. Louis.