After a busy week of work in the fast-paced city of Chicago, escaping for a breath of fresh air is an essential way to recharge. While visitors may not come to the Windy City in search of a nature experience, locals know that there is much more to Chicago than meets the eye.
Within a relatively short drive, you can be immersed among the towering dunes of Indiana Dunes National Park, explore vertical sandstone cliffs at Starved Rock State Park, or watch bison retake their natural prairie habitat in Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. In this guide, we’ll highlight seven outdoor getaways for Chicagoans to get their dose of nature without a long, burdensome drive.
1. Indiana Dunes National Park
From the shores of Indiana Dunes National Park, you can see the skyline of Chicago across Lake Michigan. Just a 1-hour drive east of the city, the park’s ecosystems of expansive beaches, thick forest canopies, and shifting dunes feel worlds away from the bustle of city life.
Granted National Park status in 2019, Indiana Dunes is one of the nation’s newest parks, boasting 13,000 preserved acres, 15 miles of Lake Michigan’s coast, and 15 trail systems that stretch over 50 miles. Its proximity to Chicago makes it a quick and convenient escape to find a slower pace in the outdoors.
One of the most popular hiking trails is the Succession Trail at West Beach — a 1-mile loop that climbs 75 feet up to the top of Diana’s Dune via a long staircase. For a longer hike, the 4.7-mile Cowles Bog Trail offers a variety of habitats, including ponds, marshes, black oak savannas, and beaches. Don’t be afraid to check out the park outside of the summer season for more solitude away from the summer crowds.
- Length: 1-5 miles
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Restrooms: Available throughout the park
- Parking: Various access points; $25 per vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, $15 per person on bicycle or foot; passes are valid for 7 days
- Dog friendliness: Dogs allowed on leash
- Hours: Varies in each area of the park, for example: West Beach and Porter Beach are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Kemil Beach is open 24 hours, and all other beach areas are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
2. Starved Rock State Park
Starved Rock, the most visited state park in Illinois, sits on the banks of the Illinois River southwest of Chicago. A striking contrast to the typical central plains landscape, the park is renowned for its 18 sandstone canyons carved by floods from retreating glaciers 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. These canyons feature dramatic overhangs and rain-fed waterfalls, surrounded by dense forests of oak, maple, hickory, pine, and cedar.
There’s something for everyone at Starved Rock, whether you want a short stroll or a long hike. You can climb up to Sandstone Point overlook, check out St. Louis Canyon’s waterfall, or explore the depths of Wildcat Canyon, among many other trails.
- Length: 1-8 miles
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Restrooms: Available throughout the park
- Parking: Free
- Dog friendliness: Dogs allowed on leash
- Hours: 7 a.m. to sunset
3. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Located in the town of Wilmington just an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie offers a quick escape into nature with 18,225 acres of land and 34 miles of trails, 12 of which are reserved for hiking.
The park is a model of habitat restoration, returning vast areas to their original prairie state and reintroducing bison, which once roamed the region in abundance.
For the best chance of spotting grazing bison, hike the Group 63 Loop Trail and bring binoculars in case they are at a distance. To experience the array of habitats within the park, check out the Prairie Creek Woods Trail where you can find ponds, woodlands, and restored tallgrass prairie.
- Length: 1-10 miles
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Restrooms: Yes, available at trailheads
- Parking: Free at trailheads
- Dog friendliness: Dogs allowed on leash
- Hours: 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.
4. Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve
Out on the edge of Chicago’s suburban sprawl, Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve is a popular hike among city dwellers to get a dose of rolling hills, thick forests, and diverse wildlife. The park, which offers 11 miles of trails over its 2,503 acres, is known for its ecological diversity of fauna, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
A popular route is the Waterfall Glen Trail. This well-maintained 9.3-mile loop showcases the park’s main attractions: Rocky Glen waterfall, the scenic overlooks over Des Plaines River and Sawmill Creek, and savannas and prairie ecosystems. Don’t be afraid to visit outside the summer months, as a snowshoe exploration can be just as fun in the park.
- Length: 9.3 miles
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Restrooms: Yes, at entrance parking lots
- Parking: Free, three parking lots in the park
- Dog friendliness: Dogs allowed on leash
- Hours: One hour after sunrise to one hour after sunset
5. Moraine Hills State Park
Moraine Hills State Park is an excellent example of Illinois’ glacial history. From the glacier-formed lakes to the moraine deposits, hiking around the park provides a geology lesson about the formation and retreat of glaciers in the area thousands of years ago. The 48-acre Lake Defiance is one such glacial lake and one of the few examples in Illinois that remains unaltered, essentially left in its original state.
The 2,200-acre park is composed of lakes and wetlands with more than 10 miles of trails. The area is particularly known for its biodiversity, featuring more than 200 species of birds that frequent the park. Great blue herons and green herons come to feed in the park’s marshes during their summer migration.
For an introduction to the park, take the Lake Defiance Trail — a 3.8-mile loop around the largest lake in the park. And leave the headphones at home; listening to the chirping birds is a must to fully experience Moraine Hills.
- Length: 1-6 miles
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Restrooms: Yes, available in day-use areas
- Parking: Free throughout the park
- Dog friendliness: Dogs allowed on leash
- Hours: Varies by season, but it’s a day-use area only, so plan on returning to your car before sunset
6. Deer Grove Forest Preserve
Northwest of Chicago in the town of Palatine, rolling upland forest, wooded ravines, wetlands, and prairies await at Deer Grove Forest Preserve. The park spans 2,000 acres and is traversed by both paved and unpaved trails. While strolling through the quiet woodlands, keep an eye out for the white-tailed deer, the park’s namesake.
A popular hike in Deer Grove is the Yellow Loop Trail, which gives hikers a taste of the woodlands, deep ravines, and quaint bridges. If visiting in the spring, keep an eye on the vernal ponds that form and provide habitats for amphibians like blue-spotted salamanders and chorus frogs.
- Length: 1-7 miles
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Restrooms: Yes, throughout the park
- Parking: Free, several parking lots in the park
- Dog friendliness: Dogs allowed on leash
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
7. Illinois Beach State Park
Illinois has 63 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan, but most of it has been developed. The last remaining swath of pristine shore is protected within Illinois Beach State Park. The 6.5 miles of lakeshore and 4,160 acres of land offer ever-shifting dunes, oak savannas, marshland, and rivers.
The park is split into two areas — the North Unit and South Unit — each with its own trail system. A popular choice is the Dead River Trail in the South Unit. The 2.5-mile loop crosses a variety of ecosystems before it reaches the Dead River, which alternates between free-flowing and blocked due to sand build-up at its mouth into Lake Michigan.
- Length: 1-3 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Restrooms: Yes, several throughout the park
- Parking: Free, parking lots in the North Unit and South Unit
- Dog friendliness: Dogs are allowed on trails and in campgrounds/picnic areas while on leash; dogs not allowed on the beach or nature preserve
- Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset
This post was sponsored by Fjällräven.
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