White Pines Forest State Park
I love conifers!! Unfortunately, in our (pardon the pun) neck of the woods, they can be a little hard to find.
But they are here, you just have to know where to look (and I don’t mean in your neighbor’s yard). On several recent local outings, I discovered a number of surprising, small, but extremely charming evergreen groves. They have a very different feel from our familiar, moist and thick deciduous forest preserves. I recommend visiting some, and letting the smell of pine needles transport you —however briefly— to another place.
One of the best places to visit near Chicago for those, (sorry…) pining to see some evergreens isWhite Pines Forest SP, about 2 hours outside of downtown Chicago. In winter, if you’re tired of the bare contours of the deciduous trees —much more common in Northern Illinois— the towering white pines in this state park will be a sight for sore eyes. In the warmer months, the direr, airier space among the trees offers cooling relief.
White Pines Forest SP sits in the heart of the Rock River valley spanning 385-acres. It’s a great, easily accessible place to retreat from urban grind, and a perfect spot for quick hiking, fishing, camping and adventuring forays out of Chicago.
This park is perfectly doable as a Chicago day trip, but if you’d like to turn your trip into an overnight, if offers both camping and cabin lodging. If you spend the night, you can take your time exploring the banks of Spring and Pine creeks among the towering trees trees and dramatic, moss-covered cliffs, strung with trailing vines. Springtime is a great time to watch the forest come to life with native flowers, including trout lily, solomons seal, bloodroot, blue-eyed grass, spring beauty and more.
Summary
One of the best places to visit near Chicago for those, er… pining to see some evergreens. In winter, if you’re tired of the bare contours of the deciduous trees —much more common in Northern Illinois— the towering white pines in this state park will be a sight for sore eyes.
There are several well-marked hiking trails along the banks and ridges overlooking Pine and Spring Creeks, two good sized streams which traverse the park before emptying into Rock River. The trails form interconnected loops, which makes it easy to string them into a longer hike without retracing your steps.
The trails are not long or particularly demanding, but they can be combined, and variations in terrain as they climb over several ridges add interest and challenge. The ridge-top trails on both sides of the creek have overlooks where visitors can enjoy wonderful views of the water and a picturesque railroad bridge below. There are a couple long sets of stairs leading to bridges over Pine Creek, and a few crossings of Spring Creek over concrete stepping stones.
In addition to camping, White Pines offers three-season cabins and a lodge, which were built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The cabins were closed when we visited, but may be on the agenda for a future visit.
Illinois DNR White Pines Forest SP page.
White Pines Inn and Cabin page.