Cancel

Open app

Search

Rock Springs Conservation Area

4.8 (5 reviews)

Rock Springs Conservation Area Photos

More like Rock Springs Conservation Area

Recommended Reviews - Rock Springs Conservation Area

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Marissa B.

LOOOVE IT! I was thrilled to find over 1,000 acres of fantastic trails just 10 minutes from the Decatur Hotel and Conference Center. The visitor's center at the park offers maps of the various trails, ranging from .25 miles to 2.25 miles. Even if you get there after the Visitor Center is closed (5pm, weekdays) you'll be fine because everything is well-marked. The trails are all natural dirt (the only paved trail is the bike trail), winding up and down, through forests, past rivers, across prairies, and grasslands. The map was perfect, listing the types of scenery you'd pass on each trail and providing the mileage. The map also notes how long they predict it will take you to hike each trail, which I found to be pretty generous (meaning, I hiked trails in about twenty-five minutes when they predicted an hour.... although I also walk at a quick pace). My point is - don't be daunted by their time predictions. Anyways. As I mentioned, the trails were very well marked at intersections making me comfortable navigating by myself through the woods. Especially since I didn't pass one other person my entire two hours hiking! I saw plenty of wildlife at very close range: three deer, one four foot long snake (don't be scared now), and several hawks. BOTTOM LINE: A gem of an area, just 10 minutes from downtown Decatur. Totally worth the drive.

Homesteading at Rock Springs

See all

Photo of Mark S.
53
19
14

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Sejay M.
41
68
498

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

16 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Verify this business for free

Get access to customer & competitor insights.

Verify this business

Miller Park - Playground

Miller Park

4.5(13 reviews)
44.6 mi

Good park that's one of the best things about Bloomington. It of course has a zoo, the most notable…read morething about it. Miller Park is also a place for other recreational activities such as shooting hoops and walking. Has a playground to entertain young children. There's also a lake that has a cool bridge that makes for classic scenery. An interesting history about it. It's the largest park in the city to be sure. The park is best known for the zoo. Actually it has an interesting history itself. The zoo has its own business page on Yelp. As for the rest of the park, there's other stuff worth exploring. There's a pretty big lake. Go take a walk across the stone bridge. The park also has a mini golf course and softball fields among other things. Also check out a preserved steam locomotive. There's also a pavilion for those wanting to have a picnic. Has lots of activities throughout the year including festivals and fireworks. It's located east of Morris Avenue and south of Wood Street. They also have entertainment such as outdoor theater.

Great place to walk or relax. Has a splash pool for kids, a pavilion for events, paddle boating on…read morea lake, a stocked lake for fishing, trails to walk around, picnic areas, a gazebo, a baseball field, a monument to war veterans, a monument to firefighters, lots of open fields both in the sun, and shade, and easy access to downtown Bloomington. We went to the zoo, and then we spent two hours just exploring.

Photos
Miller Park - I love Miller Park is my favorite place

I love Miller Park is my favorite place

Miller Park - Pavilion

Pavilion

Miller Park - View of Lake

See all

View of Lake

Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, Buffalo Trace Prairie

Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, Buffalo Trace Prairie

4.8(5 reviews)
41.8 mi

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.

Photos
Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, Buffalo Trace Prairie
Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, Buffalo Trace Prairie
Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, Buffalo Trace Prairie

See all

Rock Springs Conservation Area - hiking - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...