For 2008, I am going to visit most, if not all, of the state parks, forests, fish & wildlife areas, and nature preserves in Illinois. I'll maintain a google map for it.


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For today, in not my smartest move, I visited Sand Ridge State Forest. Left over from the receding glaciers 15,000 years ago, the sand was swept into dunes during a dry period that allowed southwestern plants to flourish. The prickly pear cactus can still be seen at the nature perserve. The pine topped sand ridges follow the Illinois River contours. Sand Ridge contains the last remainng wild stands of oak and hickory in Illinois. Most of the pines were planted for timber as they grow well in sandy soil. Too bad they don't really plow the roads and half of them are gravel. Bad idea, but I still managed a small hike. Definitely worth another visit, perhaps to backpack on the Yellow Trail which follows the perimeter of the Forest. I also visited Powerton Lake. Nothing exciting unless you like gazing at the coal fired power plant.