Category: cross-country skiing

Joliet Iron Works Historic Site Provides a Glimpse of Joliet’s (and America’s) Industrial Past 

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, biking, cross-country skiing, Forest Preserve District of Will County, hiking, Illinois, local history, snowshoeing, U.S. history

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF THE NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND BLOG (FOUNDED IN 2017) AND BOOK Joliet Iron Works Historic Site (31 Columbia Street, Joliet, IL 60432) was eerily quiet when I arrived. The quiet belied the intense industrial activity that took place at this site from the 1870s until the 1930s. During this … Continue reading Joliet Iron Works Historic Site Provides a Glimpse of Joliet’s (and America’s) Industrial Past 

Visit Winding Creek Conservation Area for Spectacular Skies, Great Hiking, Birdwatching, and Fishing

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, fall colors, fishing, hiking, Illinois, kids activities, MCHENRY COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT, prairies, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF THE “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG (FOUNDED IN 2017) AND BOOK I knew Winding Creek Conservation Area (8415 Johnson Road, Hebron, IL 60034) was a winner the moment I pulled into its first parking lot. Blue skies reigned overhead, and you could see clear to the horizon in this … Continue reading Visit Winding Creek Conservation Area for Spectacular Skies, Great Hiking, Birdwatching, and Fishing

5 Great Things About Lake in the Hills Fen Conservation Area

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, birdwatching, conservation, cross-country skiing, fall colors, fens, hiking, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, insects, kids activities, MCHENRY COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT, prairies, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, winter activities

Dragonflies Galore, Rare Hanging Fens, Great Birdwatching, and Big Skies BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF THE “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG (FOUNDED IN 2017) AND BOOK Air traffic controllers would probably quit if they had to manage the airspace above 229-acre Lake in the Hills Fen Conservation Area (LHFCA) in McHenry County. As I … Continue reading 5 Great Things About Lake in the Hills Fen Conservation Area

Heron Creek Forest Preserve Offers Great Hiking, Biking, Picnicking, Birdwatching, and a Cool Kids Playground

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, biking, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, fall colors, hiking, Illinois, kids activities, Lake County Forest Preserves, Lake County Illinois attractions, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, volunteering, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG Last week, my friend Dave and I visited 242-acre Heron Creek Forest Preserve (22890 N. Old McHenry Road, Lake Zurich, IL 60047) in Lake County to hike and do a little birdwatching after hiking earlier in the day at the splendid Reed-Turner Woodland down … Continue reading Heron Creek Forest Preserve Offers Great Hiking, Biking, Picnicking, Birdwatching, and a Cool Kids Playground

Visit LaBagh Woods to Enjoy One of Chicago’s Best Birdwatching Spots   

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, Chicago, Chicago River, conservation, cross-country skiing, fall colors, Forest Preserve of Cook County, hiking, Illinois, kids activities, local history, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, volunteering, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG Here are some crazy numbers about LaBagh Woods. Birders have recorded more than 220 bird species (according to eBird) in only 80 acres of natural areas and 80 acres of picnic groves at this beloved nature spot (Entrance: N. Cicero Avenue, north of W. … Continue reading Visit LaBagh Woods to Enjoy One of Chicago’s Best Birdwatching Spots   

The 7 Most-Popular Stories at My Nature in Chicagoland Blog in February 2026

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, books, breweries, camping, canoeing, canyons, cemeteries, Chicago, chicago park district, Chicago Parks, Chicago stories, cross-country skiing, eskers, fall colors, Forest Preserve of Cook County, glacial kames, hiking, Illinois, Illinois Nature preserves, kayaking, kids activities, Lake Michigan, nature centers, prairies, sledding, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, volunteering, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG In case you missed them, these were the seven most-popular articles last month at my blog, Nature in Chicagoland, as selected by my readers. Click on the link below to access the articles.  1. Sixteen South Chicagoland Nature Wonders: Great Destinations on the South Side … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Stories at My Nature in Chicagoland Blog in February 2026

7 Things to Do at Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, biking, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, fall colors, hiking, Illinois, kids activities, Lake County Forest Preserves, Lake County Illinois attractions, prairies, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, volunteering, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG If you’re looking for great hiking, biking, birdwatching, and wide-open spaces, than Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve in Deer Park, Illinois, is the spot for you.   I visited Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve on a sunny, late-September day with unseasonable temperatures in the high 80s. The … Continue reading 7 Things to Do at Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve

McClaughrey Springs Woods: Beautiful Spring Flowers and Fall Colors and a Birding Hotspot

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, fall colors, Forest Preserve of Cook County, hiking, Illinois, kids activities, prairies, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, volunteering, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND BLOG There’s nothing like a bird sighting to bring people together in nature. After parking at McClaughrey Springs Woods, I began walking toward a bridge that overlooks Mill Creek, which meanders through the preserve. Several men with tripods, cameras, and lenses that seemed longer than baseball bats … Continue reading McClaughrey Springs Woods: Beautiful Spring Flowers and Fall Colors and a Birding Hotspot

Celebrating the Eighth Anniversary of My Blog, Nature in Chicagoland

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, @FPDCC, astronomy, biking, birdwatching, books, botanical gardens and arboretums, bouldering, camping, canoeing, canyons, cemeteries, Chicago, chicago park district, Chicago Parks, Chicago River, Chicago stories, climbing, conservation, conservatories, cross-country skiing, Des Plaines River, Driftless Region, election candidates, eskers, fall colors, family and friends stories, far, far away from Chicago, farms, fens, fiction, fishing, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF DUPAGE COUNTY, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF KANE COUNTY, Forest Preserve District of Will County, Forest Preserve of Cook County, Galena Illinois, gardening, ghost hunting, glacial kames, hiking, holiday gifts, horseback riding, Iceland, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, Indiana, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, insects, Iowa, Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation, Jordan, Kansas, kayaking, kids activities, Lake County Forest Preserves, Lake County Illinois attractions, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lee County (IL), local history, MCHENRY COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT, meteorology, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, museums, music, National Park Service, Native American History, nature art, nature calendars, nature centers, Nature Conservancy, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, orchids, Pennsylvania, pets, photography, poems, politics and the environment, prairies, presidents, product reviews, Rockford, Illinois, settlers and Indians, skywatching, sledding, snowshoeing, social issues, social justice, South Dakota, spring wildflowers, train travel, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. history, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, volunteering, waterfalls, winter activities, Wisconsin, zoos

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” Today is the eighth anniversary of the founding of my blog, “Nature in Chicagoland,” and I’m so happy to have written nearly 300 articles about woods, wetlands, prairies, lakes, and other natural areas in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. I’m pleased that my articles on … Continue reading Celebrating the Eighth Anniversary of My Blog, Nature in Chicagoland

9 Things to Do at Marengo Ridge Conservation Area

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, astronomy, birdwatching, camping, cross-country skiing, fall colors, hiking, Illinois, kids activities, MCHENRY COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT, prairies, skywatching, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF THE “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG  In late September, I spent a morning hiking at the beautiful Marengo Ridge Conservation Area (Entrance: 2411 N. Route 23, Marengo) in McHenry County, Illinois. The sky was bright blue. The temperature was in the mid-70s. There was ample birdsong and the steady … Continue reading 9 Things to Do at Marengo Ridge Conservation Area