The 2025 Top Ten Hikes includes Canyonland and Arches National Parks, along with rushing rivers in the Ozarks of Missouri. The list was compiled from summer travel, Midwest hikes, and outstanding natural beauty. (Rushing water…
Posts tagged Illinois
Stroll Through the Victorian Village of Elsah
Take a walk through Elsah, a 19th-century village of Victorian cottages on the Great River Road, Illinois Highway 100, 40 minutes north of St. Louis. The village is in a narrow valley tucked between towering…
Finding Camel Rock at Garden of the Gods
Awe-inspiring sandstone cliffs that form different shapes with views of the surrounding Shawnee Hills are what you will find at Garden of the Gods in southern Illinois. Driving In Heading into the Garden of the…
Dad Hikes: Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
The mile-long Old Chain of Rocks Bridge 60-feet above the Mississippi River with a 30-degree turn midway was my quest today. This bridge is historical since it once was part of a stretch of historic…
Staying at Starved Rock Lodge and First Hike
Our family spent a night at Starved Rock Lodge and then took a walk to see bright orange sundown over the Illinois River bluffs. Staying the night at the lodge at Starved Rock State Park…
Tour French Fort De Chartres In Illinois
You can travel back to the 1750s by visiting French Fort De Chartres, located an hour south of St. Louis and southeast of Waterloo, Illinois.
Rock Springs Rotary Park Hike
Rock Springs Rotary Park in O’Fallon, Ill., has a paved trail through forest and prairie grass encircling the whole park.
Gilbert Lake and Great River Road Hike
Hike along the Illinois River and Gilbert Lake, then through Pere Marquette State Park, passing by farms along the Great River Road.
Storment Hauss Nature Preserve Hike
Hike above sandstone canyons and along rocky streams deep in the woods at Storment Hauss Nature Preserve south of Waterloo, Ill. This is a 1.3-mile hike that includes the single track before the loop and…
Hiking At Cahokia Mounds Near Collinsville
Explore Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, an ancient six-square-mile city of 20,000 people and filled with huge man-made mounds. These mysterious mounds were abandoned around 1400 A.D. This walk includes Monks Mound which rises 100…
