Illinois Trails

Scope for wildlife on bluffs high above the Illinois River on this easy 3-mile loop hike.

Scout for waterbirds in the marshes and peer through dense tallgrass on this easygoing 5.25-mile hike through Goose Lake Prairie.

This 4.3-mile loop follows the Des Plaines River as it winds through stunning forestland chock-full of stately hardwoods and colorful flowers.

Hike rolling prairies, expansive wetlands, and a peaceful stretch of the Fox River on this easy 5.6-mile hike in Chain O Lakes State Park.

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.

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—and leaves you dry.

Monee Reservoir’s 2.5-mile nature trail offers a family friendly wetland wander through a suburban wildlife sanctuary (and an idyllic fishing spot).

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.

This out-of-the-way 967-acre park boasts the highest piece of land between St. Louis and Cincinnati and is packed with wooded ravines and seasonal treasures.

Join two easy loops through this peat-covered bog for a 3.3-mile hike that would make a botanist quake with envy.

Follow the muddy waters of Clear Creek and the footprints of resident albino deer on this 2-miler in western Illinois' Sangchris Lake State Park.

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.

Get a glimpse of glacial wetlands in northwest Illinois.

Explore wetlands and wooded hills in Illinois's largest state park.

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.

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.

Take a break from baiting hooks and hit the trail for this 4.8-mile loop around Shabbona Lake. You're guaranteed to catch lake views, dense woodland silence, and wetland vistas.

Oak forest, marshes, and small lakes highlight the rolling terrain on this 2.6-mile loop in Lakewood Forest Preserve.

A lush, green garden of waterfalls and giant pools awaits on the dells of Matthiessen State Park; this route tacks on a bluff-top viewpoint for 5.8-miles of prime Illinois day-hiking.

Look for the hidden surprises--wildflowers, turtles, a mineral-rich well, and even a historic greenhouse--on this family-friendly, 3.3-mile loop around Pilcher Park.

Follow this 3-miler through glacial moraine and across a man-made dam for panoramic views of Johnson Lake, a snack-bar pit stop, and a sampling of this state recreation area's year-round attractions.

Stop for a bluff-top look at the Sangamon River on this 4.1-miler that loops through lush forests in a designated National Natural Landmark—and one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois.

Link a network of hiking trails in Deer Grove Forest Preserve for a 9.3-mile meadow- and ravine-touring escape from the Windy City.

Explore deep woods, ancient dune ridges, and wetland thickets on sandy trail that loops 9.7 miles through the center of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Wind through a hand-laid collection of wooded hills on an ancient glacial moraine on this 2.3-mile double loop northwest of Chicago.

Explore wetlands and the shores of Lake Michigan at the only hike-in beach in the Chicagoland area on this easy 2.3-mile loop through the southern side of Illinois Beach State Park.

Link a DuPage county high point, oak and hickory woodlands, a marshy pit-stop for migrating birds, and the hiding spot for a woolly mammoth on this 6.1-miler west of Chicago.

Link Morton Arboretum's gently rolling east side loops for a 3.4-mile tour cruising ornamental rhododendrons, an autumn rainbow of beech, and 500 acres of oak and sugar maple woodlands--a veritable smorgasbord for tree lovers.

Stroll native woodlands on this 1.6-miler through the north side of Morton Arboretum, a living museum that's home to more than 3,400 species of trees and plants.

Dip into 7 water-carved canyons on this 7.3-mile lollipop loop through the quieter side Starved Rock State Park. Soaring cascades (and a steep, stair-step climb) will take your breath away.

Wind, twist, bob and weave. This 2.7-mile loop on the west side of Starved Rock State Park hits some of the state’s most dramatic sandstone canyons, rocky cliffs, and wooded bluffs—all alongside the mighty Illinois River.

This 18-mile paved pathway is the Windy City's ultimate quick fix.

Cross deep, vine-laced forests to bluff-top views over rivers and prairie.

Cross deep, vine-laced forests to bluff-top views over rivers and prairie.

Access is limited, but well worth the view.