BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF THE NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND BLOG (FOUNDED IN 2017) AND BOOK
Nachusa Grasslands is a wild and wonderful place and an environmental restoration success story. And to top that, it has bison on-site. And there are sandstone cliffs to see and ponds and creeks to explore. What more can you ask for? I visited Nachusa Grasslands for the first time a few years back and wrote a full article about its trails and more than 10 activities you can do there. Click the following link to read my article: “Nachusa Grasslands: See Bison, Savor Solitude, and Hike Through Biodiversity Hotspots.”
This article focuses on my visit to Nachusa Grasslands last week on a beautiful summer–like day. I arrived late in the afternoon after exploring several other nature spots in the area, including Lowden; Castle Rock; and White Pines Forest State Parks. My goal was to check out the Visitor Center (2075 Lowden Road, Franklin Grove, IL 61031) and hike at least one of the trails that I hadn’t been able to complete during my last visit. I ended up choosing the Clear Creek Knolls Trail (more on the trail later in this article).
The Visitor Center is not a typical indoor facility that you see at many parks. It’s an outdoor facility with informative educational displays, washroom facilities, a hand pump for water, and a short nature trail. It’s a good place (no surprise) to start your Nachusa Grasslands explorations. At the center, you’ll learn about restoration efforts; native plants, as well as bison, birds, and other animals that you might see; and other topics that will prepare you for exploring Nachusa’s more than 4,000 acres, which includes five distinct units and a bison-viewing area.
At the Visitor Center, there’s a half-mile trail (mowed) that can be accessed from several places. The trail travels past the bison unit, so keep a look-out for the herd.
I checked out the exhibits, then headed south on Lowden Road for a few blocks to see if I could spot the bison in their viewing area. During my last visit, I was able to see many bison from the road (after parking, of course). This time, the bison were tiny black-brown specks in the distance on the prairie. No matter, I’d seen bison earlier in the day at Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve so I felt that my bison quota was filled.
I headed back north, passed the Visitor Center entrance, and continued 1.5 miles on Lowden Road to the Clear Creek Knolls Trail parking area (on your right at 7850 S. Lowden Road). A prescribed burn was recently completed in a large portion of this 500-acre area, so much of the land is charred and black, which created interesting color juxtapositions between the green, mowed trail, the unburned areas, and the blue sky. The Clear Creek Knolls Trail features an initial 0.30-mile portion with a spur trail that takes hikers to a massive rock outcropping. The main trail continues to Clear Creek, which you’ll need to wade through. After wading the creek and hiking for a short time, you’ll reach a 1.5-mile loop that travels through prairie and rolling hills. At the southeast edge of the loop. There’s also a 0.59-mile spur that takes hikers to Carthage Road. You can hike on the mowed trails or off trail.
I had an hour and 15 minutes left of sunlight, so I immediately started hiking.
Prairie Reverie
Have you ever found a nature spot that moves and inspires you? A place of beauty that helps you to recharge from life’s challenges? I hope so. Nachusa Grasslands is one of those places for me. It’s a place where you can be alone in nature and be surrounded by big skies, vast rolling landscapes (and some forests, too), and hike or simply sit without any non-nature stimuli overwhelming your senses and cluttering your mind. I’ve already given you the facts (e.g., mileage) about the Clear Creek Knolls Trail, but I’d love to share some experiences (using more of a stream-of-consciousness approach) that I had as I hiked the trail.
Almost as soon as I set out on the trail, I saw a deer atop one of the distant hills. The prescribed burn had cleared the hills to rock and stubble, so the deer really stood out against the horizon. Very cool.
I walked off trail to the limestone outcropping. In the burned areas, it felt like I was walking on another planet. All the plants had been burned except a lone prickly pear cactus that had been partially burned. I was surprised to spot a bright green portion under its charred sections. Very cool to see nature quickly recovering after a prescribed burn.
From the top of the limestone bluff, I saw either two coyotes or two deer bounding through the tall prairie grass that hadn’t been burned. They were mostly obscured by the tall prairie grass. I’ll never know if they were deer or coyotes, but it was cool to see a flash of white bounding through the grass, disappearing, and then returning again for 30 seconds or so.
The trail passes straight through Clear Creek, so I had to wade it twice. The water was cold and quick (this creek had plans!), but the wading spot was relatively shallow. I loved the idea that I was wading a creek in late October on a 75-degree-ish and felt invigorated, rather than chilled. I paused as I walked through the shallows to soak in the rays of the sun and the power of the current.
I emerged from the creek and sat on the ground for about 10 minutes to dry my feet. It was magical to listen to the rush of the water, feel the warmth of the sun, and be directly connected to the earth.
As I sat, two red-winged blackbirds alit on one of the trees above me and began lightly chirping and calling. For some reason, I felt the urge to whistle back at them, and they mimicked my whistle. I was shocked and in disbelief, so I whistled again, and they again repeated my whistle and then flew away. A lovely moment on the prairie.
I walked the trail and through the burned areas. My hiking pants got really marked up from the soot-covered stalks.
The sun was directly behind me for much of the time as I hiked, which created a massive “Andy shadow” on the prairie. It’s the tallest I’ll ever be!
I had about 20 minutes until the sun set (and the preserve closed), so I headed back toward my car. I’d been alone for my entire hike. Well, along with the birds and deer. It felt wonderful to have the prairie to myself. But as I walked, I saw a young man and women (in their late teens or early 20s) running together from the parking area toward the limestone outcrop. I could see them, but they couldn’t see me. Maybe good friends or boyfriend and girlfriend? They looked so happy together—running, then jogging, and finally walking in the fading sunlight. They seemed simpatico as they walked and talked. Seeing young people at the start of their adult lives is exciting because of all the adventures they are yet to experience. A fun time in one’s life. I mentally wished them peace and joy.
I met up with the couple as I prepared to re-wade the creek. I said hello as they walked through the creek, and we went our separate ways. They jogged in the direction that I’d come from. They moved fast and soon they were just a speck in the distance.
I waded the creek, once again savoring its energy and the golden sun, then exited the water. I was going to put on my socks and shoes, but I decided to walk barefoot to my car. The grass and dirt felt soft (except for the occasional rocks), and I savored my last moments on the prairie.
I reached my car, donned my socks and shoes, and began the 100-mile trip home. The end of a day of hiking is a downer, but I’d had a great time. I’d dropped my son off at school in Chicago at 7:15 a.m. and it was now 5:45 p.m. A beautiful sunset erupted behind me as I drove home. I was able to enjoy a glimpse of it in the rearview mirror and the passenger side mirror. These views were a nice grace note to end my day.
Final Thoughts
We’re all feeling stressed because of the daily news cycle, personal challenges, toxic online discourse, disinformation campaigns that cause us to fear everything, and being inundated with artificial intelligence, data centers, and other technology (much of which we didn’t ask for or truly need). But peace and a mental reset from life and technology are out there in nature if you choose to embrace it. I hope that someday soon you can escape all the negative aspects of the world by getting outdoors. Perhaps I’ll run into you on the trails!
Before You Go:
Open year-round, sunrise to sunset
Climbing on the rock formations is forbidden.
No pets, bikes, fishing, or collecting of plants, rocks, and other objects.
Per the Nature Conservancy: “During shotgun season, this unit is closed before 9 AM and after 2 PM. Shotgun hunting season runs the Friday through Sunday before Thanksgiving and the first full Thursday through Sunday in December.”
Friends of Nachusa Grasslands is an excellent organization that works to provide long-term care to the grasslands. Visit its website for a wealth of information about this beautiful preserve.
Copyright (text): © Andrew Morkes, except quoted text
Copyright (photos): © Andrew Morkes
Looking for some other great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $19.99.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ABOUT ANDREW MORKES
I’ve been a writer and editor for more than 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I also served as a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school for five years.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 80 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, College Readiness: The Vault Guide for High School Juniors and Seniors, the Vault Career Guide to Consulting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series), Lerner Publishing, and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades, Hands-On Careers, Social Media Today, Woman in STEM Careers, Getting Started, and Cool Careers in Science series). Many titles that I have written and edited have received positive reviews in Booklist; Voice of Youth Advocates; Library Bookwatch; CHOICE, a publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries (a division of the American Library Association); and other publications.
Here’s a list of the environmental- and clean energy-focused titles that I’ve written or co-written:
- Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
- Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
- Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Environment (Getting Started series)
- Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)
- Women in Environmental Sciences (Women in STEM Careers)
Articles about my work have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Practical Homeschooling, and other publications. My photographs of musicians, artists, and the natural world have been published in several books. My poetry has been published in Cadence, Wisconsin Review, Poetry Motel, Strong Coffee, and Mid-America Review. As an amateur artist, I’m pleased to say that four of my paintings were included in the 2025 Beverly Art Walk. Additionally, six of my photographs were featured in the 2026 Beverly Art Walk.