Get into nature.  Explore! Here are some great natural areas nearby. Looking for a playground? Check out our playgrounds list.
If you know of one we missed, please let us know in the comments!

Allerton Park and Retreat Center: 1500 acres and over 14 miles of hiking trails, including bottomland, prairie and woodland. Also home to exquisite formal gardens walking paths.

Kickapoo State Recreation Area: 2800 acres of nature including canoeing, river scuba diving, hiking, mountain biking, and camping.

Urbana Park District Natural Areas:

Busey Woods: 59 acres of bottomland with 1/3-mile boardwalk and the Anita Purves Nature Center.

Meadowbrook Prairie: Over 80 acres of recreated original Illinois Prairie with walking path.

Champaign County Forest Preserves:

Homer Lake: 800 acres including 10 miles of trails, each ranging from .6-miles to over 4 miles in length, the Homer Lake Interpretive Center, and a fantastic Natural Playscape Playground including a waterway for exploring.

Lake of the Woods: 900 acres including the Museum of the Grand Prairie and the Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden.  Lake of the Woods also offers fishing, boating, hiking, cross-country skiing. A 3-mile paved Walking/Bike Path runs the length of the preserve.

Middlefork: Over 1700 acres including 6 trails, each 2 miles or less, a waterfowl management area, and a campground.

River Bend: 280 acres with two lakes. 1-mile nature trail and 1.2-mile multi-use trail.

Sangamon River: 160 acres of natural landscape ideal for picnicking, bird-watching and hiking.

Have questions about your local natural areas? Check out the Environmental Almanac.

Check out our nature events and our upcoming events at these natural areas!

updated: 6/15/15