Why have you not driven the river road? It goes from the top of the state to the bottom. Hugging the beautiful cliffs of the Mississippi River. Nature is all over; during the winter you can go up north and see the Bald Eagles. They come down for the winter and nurse their young. You can see them feeding on the ice, if there is any in the river. They have stations set up in most of the small towns that let you view them for free. The conservation department is usually there giving lectures and things like that. Up in Grafton they have the Dragon that was painted by the Native Americans. It is on the side of a cliff facing the river. WONDERFUL!! They have a huge cave next to it that makes for some great shots. There are also tons of ferries in this area, pretty cool to see and ride on. I live in MO and drive both sides of the River Road at different times of the year. During fall you can see the leaves changing, golden fields, pumpkin patches and more. Of course do not be surprised if you see fox, deer, turkey, eagles and more! There are tons of state parks, and wildlife preserves up and down the road. Little towns with small museums about the river and wildlife, there is always a festival of some sort on the river road. There are tons of great picture opps here! You will also find old steamboats which are beautiful on the river! Of course you can cross into MO and go see Hannibal where Mark Twain lived. There is a great cave up there and tons of other things to do. Mark Twain Lake is also very beautiful! Here are some sites to help:
http://www.greatriverroad-illinois.org/
http://www.greatriverroad.com/
http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/greatr��
http://www.experiencemississippiriver.co��
Apple River Canyon is also a very beautiful place. There are tons of limestone cliffs and gorges cut through the earth. Large forest line the area. They have some wonderful hiking trails!
Beall Woods State Park is just another Jewel of IL. WOW, wonderful wildlife, beautiful hikes who could ask for more! They have camping and fishing too. You also get to hike to the river which is just awesome!
Silver Springs is the place for both winter and summer. They have a ton of trails and the spring is amazing! Winter sports are huge here so is the wildlife!
Cahokia Mounds. GO HERE!!!!!! The mounds are just awesome! There is nothing else like this in the Midwest. They have a wonderful museum that is FREE, the mounds are also FREE!!! They do not have a lot of trails but, the mounds are just breathtaking! The largest gives you the best views of STL and the surrounding area. People come from all over to see the mounds; I cannot explain the beauty of them you really just need to go see them!
Trail of Tears Forest. The Trail of Tears is just amazing and they have several wonderful parks along it. This park in IL is wonderful! They have well maintained trails which highlight the forest and let you see nature up close and personal! There are tons of hills and valleys here and the views are just beautiful!
Rock Cut State Park is just HUGE!!! They have trails that go on for 20 miles. There is a beautiful lake here and the hiking cannot be beat! They also have camping. This place is wonderful and I highly recommend it!!! There are tons of flowers and animals here. This is one of the most beautiful parks IL has to offer!!! They also have tons of winter programs here and the park is open for some great winter picture opps!
Castle Rock is also another beautiful park. We used to go there a lot when I was a kid. The best time to go here is in the fall! The leaves are just gorgeous and wow they have some great views of the river! There are tons of places to take pictures and they always have some type of wildlife program. The winter time here is also very pretty. The way the snow covered trees hang above the river are just amazing! They have a few miles of trails but, the whole place is well worth your time!
Go to IL Caverns!!!! The caves are amazing!!! If you love the outdoors you will really love it here. My dad and I used to go every year. I am sure you can get some great pictures here. They also have programs that help you learn how to explore the caves. You have to get ��certified�� for certain areas. This place is just way cool!
There are so many other wonderful places to go, you just have to do a little ��leg�� work to find them!!! This website is wonderful:
http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/par��
It lists all the state parks for IL and gives pictures and descriptions. It also has the different amenities that the parks offer. You can also email them with any questions you might have and there is a list of all the events that take place in the parks. I think you really will be surprised at what IL has to offer! Also if you want a side trip try going to TN, AR or MO they all have tons of wildlife, great parks and wonderful cities and towns!!! I hope this helps!
What ever happend to _looking for the shot_ There are many interesting things to photograph. Galena for one.
learn to look at things differently.
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