Category: snowshoeing

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 Sardeson Forest Preserve in the Driftless Region for Great Views, Challenging Hiking, and Good Birding

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, birdwatching, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, fall colors, hiking, kids activities, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, winter activities, Wisconsin

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG In late March, I completed six short hikes in five days (totaling about 15 miles) in the Driftless Region in northwestern Illinois and southwestern Wisconsin. My son came for a few hikes, my wife joined us for one trail adventure, and I was solo … Continue reading Visit Sardeson Forest Preserve in the Driftless Region for Great Views, Challenging Hiking, and Good Birding

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   

Visit Skokie River Nature Preserve for Great Birding, Hiking, and Wildflower Views

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, birdwatching, fall colors, hiking, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, Lake County Illinois attractions, orchids, prairies, Skokie River, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG White trillium blooms were everywhere in Shaw Woods at Skokie River Nature Preserve in Lake Forest, Illinois. I felt like I could stay there all-day soaking in the blooms and the silence of the woods. I also saw prairie trilliums, bristly buttercups, Virginia bluebells, … Continue reading Visit Skokie River Nature Preserve for Great Birding, Hiking, and Wildflower Views

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

Dan Ryan Woods: Urban Opportunities for Hiking, Biking, Picnicking, Fitness, and Winter Fun–Plus 20 Places to Hang Out in Beverly After Your Visit

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, Chicago, fall colors, Forest Preserve of Cook County, hiking, Illinois, kids activities, local history, sledding, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG Only a small percentage of Forest Preserves of Cook County land is located within the city limits of Chicago, and Dan Ryan Woods on the city's South Side is one of these properties. For more than a century, it’s been a popular place for … Continue reading Dan Ryan Woods: Urban Opportunities for Hiking, Biking, Picnicking, Fitness, and Winter Fun–Plus 20 Places to Hang Out in Beverly After Your Visit

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

Visit Spring Valley Nature Center & Heritage Farm for Great Hiking and Birdwatching, Fun Activities for Kids, and to Discover the Area’s German Heritage

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, birdwatching, conservation, fall colors, farms, hiking, holiday gifts, Illinois, kids activities, local history, nature art, nature centers, prairies, settlers and Indians, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, volunteering, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG They say that life is one big circle. But with the Chicagoland area being so vast, with a population of more than 9.2 million people, I sometimes doubt that. So who would’ve thought that I’d be hiking with my sixth-grade teacher (1980–81) nearly 45 years … Continue reading Visit Spring Valley Nature Center & Heritage Farm for Great Hiking and Birdwatching, Fun Activities for Kids, and to Discover the Area’s German Heritage

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