SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
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IMAGESMULTIDAY
ICE AGE TRAIL
Devil’s Lake State Park, WI
Long-distance routes that avoid
roads are in short supply around
the city, so most Chicagoans tack
on a little extra driving distance
to stretch their legs on the Ice Age
Trail. This 38.6-mile out-and-back
swings around Devil’s Lake, where a
retreating glacier pushed moraines
into both ends of a n a ncient gorge,
creating a lake. Other highlights
include a mellow boardwalk in
the Merrimac segment, views of
purple rock inside the Devil’s La ke
gorge, and the slot canyon-like route
through Parfey’s Glen (adds 1.7
miles round-trip, but totally worth
it), plus a smattering of glacial errat-
ics and stay-awhile views of a land
shaped by ice and time. Plan to camp
two nights at the same frontcountry
ca mpg round in Devil’s La ke State
Park, or do it as a 19.9-mile shuttle
hike, leaving a car at Parfey’s Glen.
Trailhead Merrimac (43.3858,
-89.6428) 187 miles northwest of
Chicago Season Ye a r - r o u n d , b u t
late summer has the best mix of
weather and bugs; foliage peaks in
mid-October Permit Reservations
required (obta in up to 11 months
in advance); wisconsin.goingtogo-
camping.com Info iceagetrail.orgChicago
OVERNIGHT
RIVER RIDGE
BACKPACK TRAIL
Forest Glen Preserve
This 11-mile loop tops hills and
bottoms out in ravines as it winds
through an 1,800-acre preserve
south of the city. The first 3 miles
tour a pond, grassland, and wetland
before dropping 100 feet into a gully,
where beech and maple leaves glow
green in the sunlight (fall foliage
peaks in early November).
“When you’re back there, you’re
rea lly on your own,” says Nick
Jeurissen (see right). “You don’t hear
cars. You don’t see the lights of the
city. All you’re going to hear are the
sounds of wildlife.”
A cluster of three primitive camp-
sites lies at mile 7.5. A scend the
72-foot observation tower to clear
the treetops and score views over
the Vermilion River.
Next day, pass through forests of
150-foot-tall trees that predate the
Declaration of Independence.
Trailhead Old Barn (40.0082,
-87.5715) 149 miles south of Chicago
Permit Required ($10); reg istration
form due a week before camping.
Season Year-round, but spring is
best for morel mushrooms and f lora
like lady slipper orchids. Info vccd
.org/forest-glen-preserveDAYHIKE
YELLOW LOOP
Sag Valley Forest Preserve
The Sag Valley trail system sits like
a dollop of dark green on Chicago’s
westward sprawl. Follow the yellow
blazes on a twisting, 8-mile loop
from the Swallow Cliff Woods North
trailhead for the nearest deep forest
to the city. Come mid-fall, a canopy
of bright yellow leaves encloses
much of the trail’s eastern half,
adding to the spectrum of foliage on
display. Trailhead Swallow Cliff
Woods North (41.6834, -87.8614) 23
miles southwest of Chicago. Season
Year-round; late October for foliage
Permit None Info bit.do/SagValleyNick Jeurissen
DISTRICT NATURALIST AND
TRAIL MANAGER, FOREST
GLEN PRESERVENICK JEURISSEN IS a legend
among fifth-graders in central
Illinois. He’s the guy who leads a
spring school program to “bust
the winter rust off ” by hiking
through the mud, learning the
names of trees, and searching
for frogs as part of a four-day
Outdoor School at the Forest
Glen Preserve. Since 1971,
roughly 70,000 kids have under-
gone this rite of childhood.
Jeurissen grew up in the
region, and has hiked all over,
but when he started spending
time in Forest Glen Preserve,
it was a revelation. “In central
Illinois, we’re the land of flat
ground, corn, and soybeans, so
having areas where you have
these large ravine systems that
are steep and make for pretty
rugged hiking—it felt like I was in
the Appalachians,” he says.Devil’s Lake
is what
happens when
unstoppable
glaciers meet an
ancient gorge.YO
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