The Chicago metropolitan area, colloquially known as Chicagoland, is home to more than just towering skyscrapers, traffic, and deep-dish pizza. It is home to several locations that are perfect for a daytime hike, an overnight trip, or even a long weekend’s vacation. The best part about many Chicago hiking locations is that they can be reached by the many commuter rail lines and bus routes. Some are even located within walking distance of “The Loop.” In earlier posts I featured the best places to hike in Rhode Island and Los Angeles. This week I discuss my “homeland” with the absolute best places to take a hike in Chicagoland.
Indiana Dunes State Park. The first stop takes us across the Illinois state line into northwestern Indiana. Located less than an hour’s drive from Chicago, the Indiana Dunes State Park is home to arguably the largest sand dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan, if not all of the Great Lakes. The park can also be reached on the South Shore Line of the commuter rail system. The park begins on the prairies atop the massive dune ridges, covered in cottonwood, junipers, and even patches of marram grass. Woodlands cover the tops of many dunes, filled with giant oaks, small thickets of bushes, white pines, and black oaks. The park provides many miles of trails up and around the many dunes, with the highlight being either the view of Chicago’s expansive skyline, only 30 miles directly across Lake Michigan, or the beautiful, cooling shoreline at the end of Trail 8.
Veteran Acres Park and Sterne’s Woods. Located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, these two parks provide a glimpse into the prairie that once covered all of northeastern Illinois. The parks contain miles of woodlands, untouched prairies, and wetlands showered with colorful, native wildflowers. The parks eventually join with the regional Prairie Trail, which runs from the city of Algonquin, to about 26 miles north to the Wisconsin border. The trail traverses stands of fragrant pines, which once dotted the region, hickories, a 40-acre wetland filled with unique orchids, and even a nature center. This trail is well worth a day trip, or a long weekend, and it is located an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago, as well as right off of the Crystal Lake station of the Northwest Metra Commuter Rail line.
Kettle Moraine State Forest. The Kettle Moraine is renowned for being one of the best untouched landscapes in Wisconsin. Over 600 miles of trail exist within the two sections of the park. The Ice Age Trail, which I have reviewed in a previous article, also intersects with the park. The park features glacial terrain, steep ridges, tall bluffs, thick forests, and hilltop views of the surrounding moraines. The area is known for its isolation from development, and has also been the subject of many documentaries focusing on strange occurrences in the parks. Located about 90 miles north/northwest of Chicago, within an hour and thirty minutes you can hike in some of the most beautiful landscapes in the Midwest.
I’d love to visit the dunes in the Indiana State Park. I’ve read that there are lots of activities that can be done here.