BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED AUGUST 2023 Thousands and thousands of years ago, a spring-fed stream began to carve a ravine into a bluff that overlooked a river. As time passed, the ravine grew deeper. Native Americans (including the Potawatomi chief Black Partridge) lived in and/or travelled through the … Continue reading Black Partridge Woods: Cool Ravines, Great Hiking, and Six Other Reasons to Visit
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND BLOG UPDATED MARCH 2026 This blog often focuses on unique or off-the-beaten-path nature destinations, but there’s nothing secret, but a lot that’s special, about today’s blog destination. The Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center (LRSNC) in Willow Springs, Illinois, has been a school field trip destination for decades, … Continue reading Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center: Not Your Parents’ Little Red Schoolhouse
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED 2023 Where: 167th Street & South LaGrange Road--About 35 miles southwest of Chicago city-center Quick Summary: A large restored grassland complex with prairie, oak savannas, shrublands, ponds, wetlands, and woodlands. Perfect for hiking and birdwatching. THIS DOESN'T LOOK PROMISING, I thought to myself, as I drove … Continue reading Orland Grassland: A Respite From Malls, Motorways, and Modernity
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service. Marching Bear Group. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service. BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” UPDATED 2025 Where: Northeastern Iowa. The monument is located three miles north of Marquette, Iowa, on Highway 76.Phone: 563/873-3491, ext. 123 (visitor center front desk)Web, FacebookDistance From Downtown Chicago: … Continue reading Effigy Mounds National Monument: Massive Bears, Stunning Views, and Thousands of Years of Native American History
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND BLOG UPDATED JUNE 2025 Bison are an enduring symbol of the old American West—and our national mammal. Massive, powerful, and free, they linger in the American imagination unlike any other land animal except perhaps the bald eagle and grizzly bear. At their peak in the … Continue reading 9 Places to See Bison in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED 2023 Where: Red Gate Woods, Forest Preserve of Cook County-Palos Trail System Distance From City-Center Chicago: About 23 miles (Red Gate Woods is located in Lemont, Illinois) Quick Review: Among the highest-quality natural habitat in the Chicago area. Hiking trails that range from paved flat paths, … Continue reading Red Gate Woods: Hawks and Hills, Sloughs and Snakes, and Ghosts and Buried Nuclear Waste, Oh My!
Where: 5801 North Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60646, http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/North-Park-Village-Nature-Center Open: 7 days a week (excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays) from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Quick Review: A nature preserve and educational facility that offers easy walking trails through woodlands, wetlands, prairie, and savanna; a hands-on exploratory room of natural objects (antlers, shells, … Continue reading North Park Village Nature Center: An Oasis in the City