Very nice little park with tables and grills! We enjoyed the playground. I'm sure we'll be back…read morenext time we visit.

I used to come to this park often when I lived in Champaign, IL. Some friends and I used to play…read morebaseball in this park. I also brought my girlfriend to this park to talk about what was bothering her. Before moving to Champaign, IL I used to come to this park often. Later when I had moved away to another town I came back to this park with my new puppy before going on to move back into my parents home for awhile. Years later I brought a new girlfriend to this park to show her where I used to park to think things over. I also showed her a tree that had grown into a huge shade tree. I told her that many years ago it was only a sapling not much taller than me.

I have never hiked at a prairie before and I am so glad that I chose this place for my exercise…read more Very well maintained park with lots of trails. The wildflowers alone will bring me back to this beautiful place.

The Buffalo Trace Prairie is a system of trails that are on the far western edge of the Lake of the…read moreWoods Forest Preserve. To be sure, there is much more to Lake of the Woods than just Buffalo Trace. The easiest entrance is located just north of Exit #172 off I-74 in Mahomet, on the left across from the botanical garden and before you get to the Early American Museum. Can't miss it. The trails run all through this medium-sized forest preserve and are perfect for jogging, biking, or dog walking. There is one major asphalt trail that runs E-W and several smaller trails that are really just places that they mow the prairie down every week or so. The asphalt trail is a little more than a mile long, and connects to a trail that is 5 mi in total. The intertwined grass trails are much longer all told, but since there are so many, you can customize as long or short of a walk as you want. The terrain is rolling hills, and the biome(s) are a pleasant transition from prairie to woods. None of the trails that I was on were at all challenging or in disrepair. I would suggest that if you intend to take the grass trails, take a good long look at the map before you leave the trail head, or bring one along. Thankfully, there are not really that many people making use of this park, which is cool. If you make use of the trail map, the trail in the far south of this park (by the highway) actually dead-ends and does not connect back to the parking lot, as is indicated on the map. Not a big deal, just a lil back-tracking. I needed the exercise.

Beautiful spot to take a scroll for free and enjoy nature. This arboretum is very well maintained,…read morespacious, and has plenty of parking. In addition to the ponds and gardens, do make a visit to Japan House if you get an opportunity when they're open.

The University of Illinois Arboretum was a nice surprise to. This was a great oasis from a busy…read morecollege campus. My husband and I went on a Saturday afternoon, and while there people there, it was not crowded. There was a nice mixture of trees, lakes, and trails. It is a great place to rest and relax. Be sure to go when the Japan House when it's open.

Choose to kayak the Lower Fork River. Peaceful, it wasn't crowded, at all, on a Thursday afternoon…read more Did 8 miles in about 3 hours, leisurely. Ate a late lunch at Kickapoo Adventures Bar & Grill. Great food - great options! Dined outside with a view of the water. Great service. Highly recommend both experiences.

First and foremost my name is James Clark and I visited Kickapoo Adventures today as of 06/29/2025…read morewith my boyfriend Cale , and I can say it was the worst experience ever. The staff was not helpful at all. First when we get there I paid our $15.00 for Pedal Boat ride, after I paid I was told I needed my ID and sign a wavier, mind you I didn't bring my ID, so we had to drive 30 minutes away to get my ID. So when we got back I spoke with another customer service representative and they told me I DID NOT NEED MY ID. I don't know the name of the older white guy that said that I didn't need my ID, when the lady representative said right after him, we only need 1 ID for the ride and both of us to sign a wavier. Ok so be it, we're here for fun, we've been through enough hoops, let us get on the ride sheesh. We get on and they told us to pedal backwards to get going, so we're off, mind you we only got 30 minutes, when I tell you once we got in the middle of the lake and started to steer the boat either right or left, the boat steering was all out of service. We was trying to go straight and turn either left or right but the boat was going to the right inevitably and has us going in circles upon circles. It got to a point where customers that was on land taking videos of us, and shouted out "you guys are struggling". Of course we were without any help from staff. I called customer service at their establishment and spoke with THE MANAGER NAMED JULIE, forgive me if it's misspelled, however when I spoke to her and let her know our experience today, she completely discredited what I had to say as a first timer customer. I let her know that I paid for my ride and had to travel back to get my ID that wasn't needed, let her know our ride experience, let her know the customer service we experienced, and in the end of our 4 minute call on the company phone number which I hope was recorded, I asked her for a phone number to someone that was higher up then her in the company itself and JULIE HAD THE NERVE TO TELL ME THE PERSON ABOVE HER IN KICKAPOO ADVENTURES IS GOD I NEED TO SPEAK TO!!! This is unacceptable and I really hope our conversation was recorded because this was the worst experience ever, especially talking to the manager that's supposed to help and make the customer happy. All we wanted Julie was to know our discomforts within our experience, not even money back or anything, we didn't want anything back we just wanted to let her know our experience and she completely denied any wrongdoing just based off years of service and "no complaints". I'm not saying all this to make people not go however but please be aware of the staff and manager because they don't care. I hope this doesn't get deleted because people need to know experiences there. They only have 20 reviews within 20 years, come on guys the proof is in the pudding. I wish I could've spoke to Tom because apparently his name is on the Web to contact. With Julie saying I need to speak to God, please let me speak to Tom because Julie I pray and talk to MY GOD everyday thank you. My experience talking to Julie was unacceptable, what caught her off guard and made her defensive was the fact that I told her she discredited our experience!! How is that far. Not once did we get an IM SORRY!! We did not get no apology at all. Julie we expressed how we felt as customers and you don't want to hear negative aspects about experiences. We don't know how to end this unlike the staff that threw the buoy out to us and tried to help at the end with getting us wet, mind you one of the staff said "why do that you got them wet", after we docked we left no words no nothing towards staff. Tom I hope this reaches you or anyone else higher up in the Kickapoo Adventures Administration, period point blank. Thank you, I wish it was under better circumstances.

Great nature preserve, you can hike, ride bikes, walk trails or climb the observation tower. Nice…read morepavilions to rent or buildings with heat or air conditioning. For parties or gatherings.

This is a great 11 mile trail. I'd highly recommend it for someone looking to step-up from shorter…read moretrails to something closer to a full-day hike. It's located conveniently close to Champaign-Urbana, and closer still to Danville. At a good pace the trail can be finished in just over five hours. Slower hikers, or those who stop at the observation tower for lunch can take up to six and half hours. With plenty of up and down, and a few very steep hills this is good trail for anyone training or practicing. Bring waterproof boots as there are many stream crossings; also, portions of the trail itself become a bit of a quagmire during "mud season". Cool breezes come off the Vermilion river, and will cool you off when crossing the trail's river-side ridge lines. While most of the trail falls under a canopy of deciduous trees, there are portions of open prairie, and even a stretch alongside a corn field (very appropriate for the Corn Desert Hikers, huh?). There was only one spot where you might get lost, after coming out of the forest onto an old dirt (or mud) road, you follow the road up the hill. We crossed the road and were lost in just a few feet. The rest of the trail is very well blazed though. Large bread dogs will do well on this trail, but will get wet and muddy. I'd say it's a bit too long and too challenging for first-time hikers or children. There is a campground, enclosed and open shelters, and a lodge in the park, fees vary. The 11 mile backpacking trail required pre-registration one week before hiking, but that's not enforced too strickly. Unless you bring them with you, post-hike libations maybe a bit hard to come-by. The tiny near-by Westville doesn't feature any establishments that offer both (good) food and beer. The taverns feature modest viddles like microwaved hot dogs, frozen pizza, or popcorn, (seriously popcorn?). Up U.S. Route 150 in Beligum are a few Family Restaurants, basically road-side dinners, they have impressive menus, but no brews. Once you get to Westville, keep an eye out for the brown signs pointing towards Forest Glen. The turn off is at the intersection of State and Main.

It had been 40 years since I last visited, and it's still gorgeous. I'm glad I decided to run by…read moreShades with my wife for a quick walk on our drive from Indy to Lafayette: it wasn't peak leaves, but the place is just lovely - a side of Indiana that's not often viewed by folks from elsewhere, and that's a shame. It's worth your time. Be aware that it's not as large or feature-driven as the larger Turkey Run State Park a few miles west of Shades, but it's a lot quieter and it more than holds its own as a place to visit. (In fact, the more serious outdoors people I know seem to prefer visiting Shades to TR.)

What a serene and beautiful state park! Went during memorial weekend which was the perfect…read moretime/weather. We brought 2 dogs (small and medium size) with us. Recommend bringing plenty of water, bug spray, a packed lunch/snacks, a bag for trash because you must pack in and pack out - leave no trace behind. Wear hiking boots for ample ankle support and when you cross creeks/streams of water. For hiking - we hit up trail 2, then 1 and ended with 9. I'm glad we did it in that order because we did the most challenging trails in the beginning and ended with a nice walk. Easily hiked ~6 miles. We went when it wasn't crowded so we were fully immersed into nature without big groups. This park doesn't have much foot traffic compared to Turkey Run, which is what we enjoyed the most here. We went around noon and left before it got dark. PROS: $7 for Indiana residents, modern restrooms, playground for kids and benches for lunch. CONS: No trash cans

My experience at this park was for the inaugural Year for Phases of the Moon Festival. The park set…read moreup was a wonderful experience for me. We camped in Forest Tent Camping B. It was back in the woods near a clear lake. There were paved trails we rode our bikes on to get around. The boat dock was pretty looking out to another lake area. There were old buildings that were well kept on the festival grounds. Very neat! Especially the old train car that is set up as an old restaurant that used to be in service. I would love to come back to the park for the festival and other times throughout the year! I know some festivarians had unfortunate experiences getting into the festival grounds Wednesday and Thursday because of Wednesday's downpour but to me they tried their best to get things up to par as quick as possible and continued everyday throughout the weekend. They also had a small disc golf course set up and a playground that I noticed.

Unless you are a skilled hiker, I recommend going to this beautiful nature preserve when the…read moreweather has been dry. There is about 90 feet of elevation change on the 0.8 mile loop that can be a bit slippery if you pick a time when mud/rain can be a problem. I only explored the north end trail during my visit. After parking in a shaded lot, I went into the park where I had a choice of left or right. The right side has a steeper descent than the left. Fortunately, there is a hand rail for stability. I figured it easier to go down the steep side than up, so I stayed on the right hand path. There is a fairly level area before you reach the "stairs". The stairs are mostly natural, so they aren't evenly spaced. Just keep focused and you should be alright. Once the trail reaches the bottom of the gorge, there are places where elevated paths keep your feet from trekking through the mud. Depending upon how much rain has fallen, you may get some mud, but my feet stayed dry the entire loop. At the base, there are deep ravines where the trees catch the sunlight and light up in brilliant yellow greens. The rocks are layered and take on a rusty color that can make for some great photos. The highlight of the loop is finding the "arch" through the ridge of rock. It was just a bit taller than my head (I would say most folks won't need to duck going through.) After that, you will start working your way back. Although I traveled the same distance up, it was gradual and not nearly as challenging as climbing steps. I didn't see much wildlife there, but there were squirrels and butterflies that showed themselves. I like a short hike that features a destination and great scenes along the way. If you like that too, then seek out this park. Review #2840

Great trail among beautiful landforms. It's a nice hike that makes for a good day trip along with…read moreWilliamsport Falls, Attica, and the courthouse murals on Covington.

This is another great rail trail in Indiana that straddles Sugar Creek. Finding the trail is…read moretricky, winding pass farmland, through a golf course and around some tight curves. There is plenty of parking and a porta potty at the entrance we used. There was no phone connectivity, so I could not check in. This is wilderness! This was my third visit to the trail. There is short hike up a hill to access the trail. The tree lined trail is nicely paved with occasional benches and pet clean up stations. There are lots of wildflowers along the path and some picturesque views including and old train bridge across Sugar Creek. There were lots of birds chirping so a good place for bird watching. On the weekend, there are many people out walking, running, riding bikes and more. Rock hunters look for fossils under the bridge. The trail itself is accessible and navigable in a wheel chair but I don't know how a wheelchair could climb the hill to get on the trail. Perhaps there is another area with easier access. The trail closes at dusk.

This is a 4 and a half mile trail of wilderness on the outskirts of Crawfordsville. It's…read morewell-maintained and peaceful, great for walking, jogging, or biking. It's mostly paved with a short gravel section. Although it is technically part of the trail I would skip the section by Crawfordsville High School and start by Donnelly's, its more nature-y. I don't think there's any water fountains so definitely bring a water bottle. It's rural and seems very safe, I've never heard of any crime on it, but I would still recommend normal safety precautions because it is very isolated.

I've been here so many times so I can't believe I have neglected to review it. We have done many…read moreday trips for hiking and picnics, and also some camping trips. October is the best time to camp or hike here, the leaves are beautiful and the trails are mostly dry. There are easy trails, moderate trails, and rugged trails. The suspension bridge is fun to cross, although there are 70 steps to climb, and they are fairly steep. It would be nice if a ramp was added for those who can't do steps. Park maps are provided when you enter the park, and most of the trails are fairly well marked. There is one trail that is marked but does not appear on the map, trail 12. Admission fee is only $7 per vehicle.

It's no real secret that I tend to be a little harsh in my reviews when accessibility is an issue,…read morehowever, nature is nature and I've never thought it made sense to be completely harsh because the natural world isn't as accessible as I'd like. So yeah, while Turkey Run is one of Indiana's prize state works it's also one of the least accessible ones. Established in 1916, Turkey Run is consistently named Indiana's favorite state park. It gets over 1 million visitors annually and it's Inn is known for being booked up to a year in advance. The Inn has 61 rooms ranging in price from $115-180, though if you use Booking.com you can often get more affordable rates. There are also 23 rental cabins (around $155 a night) and 213 campsites. Turkey Run is a gem for hikers, though it's worth noting that an awful lot of the hiking is not wheelchair friendly. Turkey Run has over 14 miles of hiking trails (11 trails, only one described as "easy"), picnic areas, a swimming pool, a nature center that I truly love, several historic sites (including some that have been made accessible, fishing, a sand volleyball court, tennis courts, a basketball court, canoeing/kayaking, and quite a few special events. For most of the sports fields, you have to bring your own equipment. There's an amazing suspension bridge. Again, not accessible as you have to do about 70 steps to get to it. For those who can, getting to it offers the Rocky Hollow-Falls Canyon Nature Preserve. I actually did do this bridge when I was younger, though as an older wheelchair user now I wouldn't even think about it. The bridge is over Sugar Creek, though there's no swimming in the creek. Turkey Run is spread out over 2,382 acres. It was Indiana's second state park. As a slightly morbid fun fact, Col. Richard Lieber has a memorial right around the end of Trail 11. Lieber is considered the father of Indiana's state parks and was instrumental in getting Indiana to become one of the first states with a significant park system. While I can't say that Turkey Run is truly my favorite park, it's one I visit from time to time partly because it's beautiful and partly because of nostalgia as it's a place my father loved to visit. He was born in deep, rural Kentucky and I think this park kind of reminded him of home. For those who love hiking, this is a must visit park. For those who appreciate a tapestry of history, that's also a reason to visit here. While wheelchair users and/or anyone with mobility concerns will struggle here, there's still enough to make this worth a day trip and/or a visit to the Turkey Run Inn for a weekend getaway.