As summer sets in and the weather warms up, residents and visitors to the Windy City are packing their schedules with everything the metropolis has to offer. But along with all the fun that summer has to offer also comes the crowds and the heat. It's enough to make anyone want to escape into the outdoors for a short stint.
And while Chicago itself is home to over 8,800 acres of green space to explore and plenty of waterfront for fishing, visitors and residents alike might find themselves craving a little more of the outdoors.
Thankfully, with several state parks just a few hours away, the area surrounding Chicago isn't all just hustle and bustle. Whether you're a life-long Chicagoan or just a visitor, getting away from the big city and into the quiet outdoors is easy.
With many state parks within a three hours drive, day trips are entirely possible, and well worthwhile, with many parks offering everything from canoeing to camping, hiking to fishing, and even some seasonal hunting opportunities.
Kankakee River State Park
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Travel time: 58 miles, 1 hour and 20 minutes
Surrounding both sides of the beautiful Kankakee River, this state park is on lands that have been treasured for centuries by Native Americans, farmers, and outdoor enthusiasts. With plenty of walking trails along side the river, visitors can enjoy hiking and biking. Anglers can expect to land smallmouth bass, channel catfish, walleye and Northern pike, while there are seasonal hunting opportunities for deer, waterfowl, and upland game.
Visitors can also explore this park from the back of a horse. Be sure to make a reservation at the riding stables for guided rides along the trails winding through this 4,000 acre state park.
Chain O'Lakes State Park
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Travel time: 144 miles, 3 hours and 1 minute
As the name implies, Chain O' Lakes State Park is located in the heart of Illinois' largest concentration of natural lakes and have fantastic opportunities for boaters and anglers.
Feel like spending some time lazing around on a lake canoeing or fishing? Fancy a waterskiing adventure? Chain O' Lakes borders 3 lakes, and features a river that connects to 7 other lakes. The water-based opportunities are endless, as are the northern pike, walleyes, bass, catfish, and crappies.
If being on the water isn't your thing, there's plenty of picnic tables, campgrounds, and four trail systems for hikers, bikers, and equestrians. There's also seasonal hunting opportunities for a variety of waterfowl, dove, and pheasant.
White Pines Forest State Park
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Travel time: 108 miles, 2 hours and 8 minutes
The 385-acre White Pines Forest State Park is home to an incredible amount of diversity. Visitors can hike through vine-covered limestone bluffs, view colorful beds of blossoming trout lily, Solomon's seal, and bloodroot, and drive through flowing streams, thanks to concrete fords that span the many creeks at this park.
Bow and firearm hunting is allowed in deer season, and there are plenty of fishing spots. There is also plenty of camping, but if you're looking for a more luxurious stay, check out one of the historic 1930's cabins at the White Pines Resort.
Starved Rock State Park
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Travel time: 92 miles, 1 hour and 50 minutes
Though Starved Rock State Park is less than two hours away, you'll feel a world's distance from the big city thanks to the towering sandstone formations and many canyon waterfalls here. The parks dramatic features were carved from the soft sandstone by glacier meltwater.
Starved Rock is located on the Illinois River, and was designated as Illinois' second state park in 1911. There are plenty of opportunities for hiking, camping, fishing, boating, and hunting. Roomy and secluded campgrounds in the woods offer welcome hideaways, or you can upgrade your lodging with a stay at the historic Starved Rock Lodge.
Illinois Beach State Park
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Travel time: 48 miles, 1 hour and 30 minutes
Featuring over 4,000 acres of land along Lake Michigan, from Waukegan to the Wisconsin state line , the Illinois Beach State Park is known primarily for, well, its beach. This state park also features numerous wetlands and dune areas, though, and there is plenty of camping, hiking, and biking. There is also plenty of swimming, as well as fishing in Sand Pond. Picnic areas abound, and it has one of the few Illinois campgrounds that allows alcohol, but only at the Illinois Beach Hotel.
Big Foot Beach State Park
Travel time: 84 miles, 1 hour and 45 minutes
Despite the name, you're not likely see Bigfoot here. This Wisconsin park, just over the Illinois' border, was named for a Potawatomi Native American leader named Maumksuck, who was also known as Gros Pied ("big foot") in French.
Thankfully, there's plenty to do at this park besides looking for Sasquatch. Enjoy canoeing and kayaking on Lake Geneva, which also has a 100-foot swimming area and a beach for tossing horseshoes or fishing. Surrounding the lake is a 26-mile historic trail used by Native Americans more than 4,000 years ago.
Kettle Moraine State Forest
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Travel time: 133 miles, 2 hours 30 minutes
You wouldn't think backcountry camping would exist so close to the big city, but Kettle Moraine State Forest has three hike-in shelter sites along the 31-mile Ice Age Trail. Each has a fire ring and Adirondack lean-to (with room for 10), but you can pitch a tent as well. Camping here is limited to one night. Expect to see coyotes and red foxes, cranes and hawks. It's worth it to note that hunting for deer, turkey, and waterfowl is allowed (check for season dates).
If backpacking isn't your thing, there's also plenty of day-hikes and road-accesses campsites.
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READ MORE: 18 Road Trips To Take This Summer, In Every Part of the Country
