The 2023 Top Ten Hikes include a former train tunnel, a white sand lake, unique rock formations, and cliff-top river views. I chose them based on length, how much I enjoyed them, and what natural…
Posts tagged Illinois
Pere Marquette State Park: Goat Cliff and Ravine Hike
Pere Marquette State Park has Illinois River lookouts, rocky cliffs, and springs among technicolor trees in the fall. Along with trails, it has a lodge with an indoor pool, cabins, campgrounds, horse riding, a restaurant,…
Engelmann Farm Park Walk
Walk through grassy fields, among the trees, and by a historic family cemetery at Engelmann Farm Park in O’Fallon, Ill. This park is 143 acres and includes two homesteads circa the 1830s and 1880s. It…
Schranz Memorial Park: A Castle Full of Fun
Explore the castle playground which includes towers and boardwalks going in all different directions at Schranz Memorial Park in Swansea, Ill. Castle Playground The castle structure has secret passages and places to hide which allows…
Have Fun in Decatur at the Zoo
A day at Decatur, Ill., Scovill Zoo includes seeing hundreds of animals, riding a train, and spinning around a carousel. My son Andrew enjoyed his time at the zoo which included seeing the animals and…
McCully Heritage Project Hike
Hike through forested hills, around numerous ponds, and to an overlook with Illinois River valley views at McCully Heritage Project. Located about an hour and a half north of St. Louis near Kampsville, Ill., in…
O’Fallon Family Sports Park Walk
Walk around two lakes – even one with waterfalls, baseball and soccer fields, and a large splash pad at O’Fallon Family Sports Park. We walked 1.7 miles on paved trails to check out this 200-acre…
Bellevue Park Walk in Belleville
Take a walk to see sculptures and along lake waters at Bellevue Park in Belleville, Il. This one-mile paved trail wraps around the park and up and down hills and along the lake’s shoreline. Located…
Mount Vernon: Devil’s Prop and Sculpture
Hike to rock shelters and small waterfalls at Devil’s Prop Nature Preserve north of Mount Vernon, Il., east of St. Louis on Interstate 64. Located nearby is Cedarhurst Center For The Arts with a large…
Hiking Into Cave-In-Rock
A wide cave along the Ohio River where bandits once were once found is Cave-In-Rock State Park. The 55-foot wide Cave-In-Rock was carved out of the limestone rock by water thousands of years ago. Outlaw…
