The Byron Forest Preserve District includes more than 700 acres at four sites; a nature center with a natural history museum, an observatory, and an 18-hole golf course. The main site includes 450 acres of prairie, savanna, and woods overlooking the Rock River in northern Illinois.

created: 06 Sep 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 06 Sep 2003

The Champaign County Forest Preserve District manages four forest preserves in Champaign County. The Forest Preserve District offers a variety of recreational and educational outdoor activities.

created: 04 Sep 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 04 Sep 2003

Chicago Wilderness is an alliance of over 160 public and private organizations working to protect, restore and manage the roughly 200,000 acres of protected natural lands of the Chicago region for the benefit of the public. The organization's web site includes a section on "Exploring Chicago Wilderness". In addtion, you can find the online version of "Chicagoland Wilderness Magazine," which highlights activities in wilderness areas thoughout the area.

created: 11 Aug 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 22 Aug 2003

The Forest Preserve District of Cook County manages 68,000 acres of land for outdoor recreation and pleasure. Among the facilities provided are nature and educational centers, bike trails and other multi-use trails for hiking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing, picnic groves, fishing ponds and lakes, canoeing on rivers and streams, golf courses, swimming pools, model airplane flying fields, dog training areas, toboggan slides, a cross-country ski center, and other winter sports areas. In addition, 4,400 acres are dedicated to the Illinois Nature Preserve, a habitat for birds and other wildlife, that can be accessed by hikers.

created: 18 Aug 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 22 Aug 2003

The Forest Preserve Distirct of DuPage County manages more than 23,000 acres of land, including ovre 600 acres of lakes, 60 miles of river and streams, and over 80 miles of trails. Each year, more than 1.5 million people visit the Forest Preserve District to engage in outdoor recreational opportunies or educational programming.

created: 11 Aug 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 11 Aug 2003

The Forest Preserve District Of Will County owns and manages over 15,000 acres of land. Recreational facilities include nature centers, trails, a reservoir and much more.

created: 18 Aug 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 22 Aug 2003

The mission of the Forest Preserve is to preserve and protect open space, such as forest, prairie and wetland; to restore natural habitat for native plants and wildlife; and to provide educational programs for the appreciation, understanding and preservation of our natural areas.

created: 06 Sep 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 06 Sep 2003

The Grand Illinois Trail (GIT) is a 475-mile loop trail in northern Illinois. 200 miles of the route is on paved township and county roads while the rest is on limestone trails or paths. The Grand Illinois Trail is a work in progress, destined to link Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River and connect Chicago, Rockford and the Quad Cities with rural communities, State Parks and other Illinois attractions.

created: 06 Sep 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 06 Sep 2003

Grand Prairie Friends of Illinois is a nonprofit organization composed of people committed to preserving and restoring tallgrass prairie in East-Central Illinois. The volunteer opportunities include seed gathering, controlled burns, brush cutting and transplantatrion. In addition, they generate interest in prairies through a variety of educational programs.

created: 06 Sep 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 06 Sep 2003

The historic Illinois and Michigan (I & M) Canal extended 96 miles from Chicago to LaSalle, connecting the Great Lakes to the Illinois River. Today, the corridor has been preserved for recreational purposes. It is an affiliated area of the National Park System; however, the canal and its resources are owned or managed by state and local governments, not the federal government. It's a "park", abounding with outdoor recreational opportunites, but where people continue to live and work in the historic landscape.

created: 22 Jan 2010 by apeters ::: updated: 22 Jan 2010

The Illinois Audubon Society has been raising money to help the State of Illinois purchase and protect land since the 1950's in an effort to address statewide habitat decline for birds. By the 1980's, the I.A.S. began creating its own refuges, most of which are open to the public for hiking, bird-watching and more.

created: 09 Aug 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 22 Aug 2003

Looking for the "Resident Youth Antlerless-Only Deer Permit Application"? If so, you have found the right place! All manner of licenses, permits and stamps needed for hunting, fishing, boating and more can be found at this site. Also includes important related information on topics such as chronic wasting disease and harvesting wild ginseng.

created: 06 Aug 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 06 Aug 2003

The Illinois Prairie Path (IPP) is a 61-mike hiking and biking trail located about 20 miles west of Chicago. It runs through Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties along an old railroad right-of-way.

created: 09 Aug 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 09 Aug 2003

Provides an alphabetical listing of Illinois state parks and recreational areas. You’ll find information on a variety of outdoor activities including: camping, hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, and more.

created: 06 Aug 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 06 Aug 2003

The Kane County Forest Preserve District strives to protect plant and animal life so that present and future generations can enjoy their wonders. Areas have been set aside for a variety of all-season recreational purposes, with portions of the lands deliberately left as primitive as possible.

created: 06 Sep 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 06 Sep 2003

Lake County Forest Preserve District is comprised of a variety of award-winning facilities on over 24,000 acres of peaceful, natural settings. The district offers many opportunities for year-round outdoor recreation, nature exploration and relaxation.

created: 04 Sep 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 04 Sep 2003

The Old Plank Road Trail is a 21-mile nature and recreational trail in northeastern Illinois, running from Chicago Heights to Joliet. It was built on the remains of an old railroad right-of-way and designed to preserve the rich and diverse native landscape of the region. It is used daily by joggers, bicyclists, roller-bladers and others.

created: 09 Aug 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 09 Aug 2003

The Society promotes the responsible use of the River to River Trail trail, which runs from Battle Rock at the Ohio River acrosss southern Illinois to Grand Tower on the Mississippi River.

created: 22 Jan 2010 by apeters ::: updated: 22 Jan 2010

The Shawnee National Forest is in southern Illinois. Explore the Shawnee National Forest and enjoy the largest, most diverse natural treasure in Illinois. In contrast to the rolling farm lands in northern Illinois, the more than 270,000 acres of the Shawnee National Forest lie in the rough, unglaciated areas of southern Illinois known as the Ozark and Shawnee Hills. Seldom anywhere else will you find such a diverse combination of vegetation, wildlife, and recreation opportunities.

created: 25 Jan 2004 by mroubal ::: updated: 25 Jan 2004

The Vermilion County Conservation District was formed in 1966 by a referendum vote of the citizens of Vermilion County in Illinois. Vermilion County is located on the Indiana state line, 120 miles south of Chicago. The District features three parks: Forest Glen Preserve, Kennekuk County Park, and Lake Vermillion County Park.

created: 25 Jan 2004 by mroubal ::: updated: 25 Jan 2004

The Winnebago County Forest Preserve District maintains over 8,500 acres at 36 sites throughout this county in northern Illinois. Ranging from nature preserves to golf courses, these facilities offer recreational opportunities for millions of Winnebago County residents and visitors each year.

created: 06 Sep 2003 by mroubal ::: updated: 06 Sep 2003