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Quick and easy guide to hiking in Illinois covering the following major areas
- There are dozens of trail maps for these areas. This site also links to Illinois state parks with info on tons of trails and an Illinois map showing the location of the major park and hike areas and highways nearby.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
From the beginning you are presented with maps of the different regions in Illinois. You can click to see hiking trail links in each different region. Also another link gives you a very large hiking locator map of all of Illinois. The state offers 270 trails that total more than 700 miles. There are trails for visually impaired hikers and the physically disabled. Plus plenty of trails for family hiking. For the dedicated hiker there are three long trails: the 155-mile Hennepin Canal Parkway, the 50-mile Illinois & Michigan Canal, and the 27-mile Rock Island Trail. An example of what you can find in Illinois –click on the state map’s
east central section. On this page you find great info about Fox Ridge from its location 8 miles south of Charleston to history of the area to detailed description of the ten connected trails. Each of the trails has a descriptive marker to start you off on the right path along ravines of glacial moraine and through 18 picturesque wooden bridges. Eight separate but looping trails allow you to extend or cut short you walk. You can walk along the Embarrass River and through the deciduous forest. Fitness trails, handicapped accessible trails and a Teams Challenge Trail are available for groups. Photos are included of the 144 step staircase to Eagle's Nest and of the lake it overlooks. Oh yes, we don’t want to forget to mention. Included is a link to the nearby Abraham Lincoln historic log cabin site which has wonderful photos of folks demonstrating the Lincoln families daily activities. Click here to enter your favorite Illinois Hike. |
Choosing
and planning a hiking vacation becomes an enjoyable task with the help of this
site.
