Trolls (the fun kind), The Wildest Spot in Cook County, Ghost Stories, Indian Burial Mounds on Towering Bluffs Above the Mighty Mississippi River. A Beautiful Suburban Grassland. The Keepataw Preserve. These were the topics of the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in September 2018 based on page views by my readers. If you missed … Continue reading The 6 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in September 2018
Category: Native American History
Why I Love the Outdoors Despite Once Being Impaled by a Cactus, Nearly Run Over by a Bison, and Having a Scratched Cornea Ruin My First Date With My Future Wife
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED AUGUST 2023 If you view many people’s Facebook, X, and Instagram posts (including mine sometimes), nature is pretty, awe-inspiring, often cuddly, and almost perfect in its beauty. In photos and stories, the spring flowers are a multi-colored blanket of … Continue reading Why I Love the Outdoors Despite Once Being Impaled by a Cactus, Nearly Run Over by a Bison, and Having a Scratched Cornea Ruin My First Date With My Future Wife
Black Partridge Woods: Cool Ravines, Great Hiking, and Six Other Reasons to Visit
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
The Field Museum: Dinosaurs, Mummies, a Bug’s-Eye View of the World, and Much More
Chicago is known for its stunning architecture, talented writers, cutting-edge food scene, winning sports teams, and its world-class museums. But if you’ve lived in Chicago your entire life, it’s easy to take our museums for granted. Many people visit these vast repositories of ideas, science, art, history, and nature when they are kids, and never … Continue reading The Field Museum: Dinosaurs, Mummies, a Bug’s-Eye View of the World, and Much More
Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland
Today is the one-year anniversary of my blog, Nature in Chicagoland. In the last year, I’ve published more than 40 articles (45,000+ words, I can’t believe it myself) about the great outdoors. I’ve covered everything from eagle watching and views of the mighty Mississippi River at Mississippi Palisades State Park, to remnants of the Manhattan … Continue reading Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland
Goodbye 2017…Hello, 2018!
I want to thank all of my Nature in Chicagoland readers for visiting my blog in 2017. I launched the blog last March not sure how many people would want to read about nature, but the number of visitors grew almost every month, with visitor and page views peaking last month. Not a bad way … Continue reading Goodbye 2017…Hello, 2018!
4 National Park Service Destinations Within 0 to 220 Miles of Chicago
Have you ever visited a national park, monument, or other National Park Service property? If not, this weekend is a great time to start. According to the NPS, “the National Park System covers more than 84 million acres and is comprised of 417 sites with at least 19 different designations. These include 129 historical parks … Continue reading 4 National Park Service Destinations Within 0 to 220 Miles of Chicago
Effigy Mounds National Monument: Massive Bears, Stunning Views, and Thousands of Years of Native American History
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