Walking among the green stalks of a cornfield and admiring the lakeside flowers were part of our adventure on Walker’s Island at Horseshoe Lake State Park.

It is the second-largest natural lake in Illinois and is about 25 minutes away from Edwardsville and just a few miles across the river from downtown St. Louis. It had once been part of the Mississippi River before it changed course closer to the city at some point in the past.

Past Experience Includes Big Foot

David and I have been here a few times in previous years. The first time we came here looking for a lake full of birds but they had already headed south. We faced a cold icy landscape and did not stay long with the freezing winds blowing off the partially frozen lake.

The second time we met “Big Foot,” well actually a gentleman who goes by “Big Foot,” at least. He is tall, has a big build, scruffy, and in faded overalls with a long white beard. He handed us a sheet of paper with a picture of “Big Foot” and said, “You can now say you have found Big Foot.”

Back to the Present

Anyway, today we headed out across the low bridge to Walkers Island in the middle of the lake. Here there is a trail that goes along the shoreline of the whole island.

In winter you can see easily from the trail the lake. During summer the lakefront is filled in with leafy plants and trees and blocks this view.

 The pathway we take heads north from the first parking lot. The trail is wide and perfect for social distancing and allowed for Andrew to run easily which is always good with an energetic five-year-old.

What we Saw Along the Way

David was good about pointing out the many flowers along the route. A flowering plant near the grassy bottom had an insect taking pollen from the yellow center of the white flower. 

Vines hanging in the tree had narrow bright red flowers to gaze up at.

Andrew came across a butterfly on a plant with black wings that had orange circles surrounded by a blue ring.

As we came out of the woods, the field area included tall stalks of purple flowers blooming and light violet thistles.

 Cropland Walk

We walk on a path through farm fields. The state of Illinois allows for crops on the island.

First, we came across a yellow wheat field ready for harvesting. I found a fallen one and showed the seeds at the top and told Andrew the kernel is what we eat and is used to make flour and even his favorite cereals like Lucky Charms or Apple Jacks.

Then as we made our way back to the parking lot we walked by the green cornfield. The ears of corn have not formed. The stalks were high enough to be hidden by them if you went through the empty spaces between the rows of corn. Andrew and I checked out the corn stalks.

 Since we don’t live near farm fields this is one of those times we could check them out. I detasseled corn once in high school so I’ve spent time in fields like these. Detasseling corn is removing the top pollen-producing bodies, the tassel, from the corn plant so it doesn’t pollinate.

Lunch Is Served

We had lunch with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips with water in the hatchback of the SUV, which is one of Andrew’s favorite part in hiking, snack time!

I think this is a good park to visit for us since it is a short drive away from our house. It is flat so it is an easy hike for everybody.

I Hate Flies

The only major problem for me today was flies. They were really buzzing me. David just let them, I found them annoying. I haven’t had a problem with these as much in the woods so far this summer, but this walk was bad. Maybe because it was humid today or the time of year.

Final Thoughts

This park was good for late-morning. The fishermen were out on the lake, but no one was on the trail beside us. David and I made a good decision to head out early to have it to ourselves.

It was great that we could do a hike with him that was only minutes away from home.

Details

Hours: Sunrise to 10 pm with camping available.

Admission: Free

Address: 3321 Highway 111 Granite City IL 62040

More Dad Hikes

Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park

Illinois Mississippi River Bluffs

Dad Hikes is a new section on my blog. I will many times do these hikes alone to learn the lay of the land before we do it as a family. Feel free to share suggestions for hikes to do. Also, share any questions you might have on the hikes!