ILLINOIS

Illinois has a number of trails with minimal obstacles.  Some are very easy and others are wheelchair accessible.  Here are just a few of them.
These links were found through Internet search.  I would love to have some first-hand recommendations.  With your help, we can share our knowledge with disabled people everywhere and also increase awareness of the need for more accessibility. Please e-mail me with your suggestions using the form in the sidebar.

Federal
State
Local
Private
Miscellaneous

Federal

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State

  • A list, gleaned from the Dept. of Natural Resources by AccessibleNatureTravel.com of state parks and recreation areas that have accessible facilities.

  • Beall Woods State Park
    Beall Woods State Park is on the banks of the Wabash River in southeastern Illinois.  It preserves “…one of the few remaining tracts of virgin timber east of the Mississippi River. At Beall Woods, visitors can see trees 120 feet tall and more than 3 feet in diameter. Besides hiking, Beall Woods also offers visitors a quiet, relaxing setting for camping, picnicking and fishing. Here is their website.   Phone 618-298-2442  Be sure to call ahead to learn trail conditions.
    ? Sweet Gum Trail – “”easy” 0.5 mile  trail follows Coffee Creek and features an interesting rock cliff.  The trail is closed periodically due to flooding.
    ? Schneck Trail – “easy” 1.75-mile trail is accessed from the park’s north side. It is closed periodically due to flooding.
    Wheelchair Accessible? eyelogo copyTulip Tree Trail 1.1 mile chipped surface may accommodate wheelchairs.  From the visitor center you can pick up guides and a cassette tape for visually impaired hikers.  Here is a description of the trail from Mathprofhiker’s Trail Journal.

  • Chain O’ Lakes State Park
    “Chain O’Lakes State Park in NE Illinois is a water-oriented recreation area with outstanding opportunities for boaters, anglers and skiers.”   The park borders three natural lakes – Grass, Marie and Nippersink – and the Fox River that connects the other seven lakes (Bluff, Fox, Pistakee, Channel, Petite, Catherine and Redhead) that make up the Chain. In addition, the park contains a 44-acre lake within its boundaries.”  The park features seven picnic areas and four trail systems.  Here is their website.   Phone  847-587-5512
    Wheelchair AccessiblePike Marsh North Picnic area has a 1/2 mile accessible loop with a viewing platform.

  • “Disabled Outdoor Opportunities” as described in the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources.  This mostly concerns and fishing.

  • Fox Ridge State Park
    “Fox Ridge State Park, a 2,064-acre park just south of Charleston in east-central Illinois, is known for its steep, thickly wooded ridges, broad, lush valleys and miles of rugged, scenic hiking trails.”   Here is their website.  Phone 217-345-6416
    Wheelchair AccessibleThere are two accessible trails in the east central area: …”one wandering along the edge of a ravine and the other circling a small fishing pond with an accessible fishing pier.”

  • Franklin Creek State Natural Area
    Franklin Creek State Natural Area is in Lee County, Northwest Illinois.  The “…Franklin Creek flows throughout the 882-acre park. Several large natural springs, hardwood forests, bedrock outcroppings and a large variety of flora and fauna comprise a pristine ecosystem.”
    Here is their website.   Phone 815-456-2878
    Wheelchair AccessibleMill Springs Trail 0.3 miles concrete trail to Mill Spring.

  • Giant City State Park
    Giant City State Park near Carbondale is in the Shawnee National Forest, Southern Illinois.  The park “…was named for the unique impressions made by its massive sandstone structures and a landscape like none other, with lush garments of fern, moss, flowering mints, hundreds of species of wild flowers and more than 75 varieties of towering trees.”  The Giant City Visitor Center provides interpretive displays on the geology, plants, animals and history of the park, and regional tourism information.  Here is the park website.   Phone 618-457-4836.
    Wheelchair AccessibleThe Post Oak Trail is 1/3 mile, partially asphalt-paved. Brochure

  • Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
    Goose Lake Prairie is approximately 50 miles southwest of Chicago and one mile southwest of the confluence of the Kankakee and Des Plaines rivers. More than half of Goose Lake Prairie is a dedicated nature preserve. Vegetation is tall prairie grasses, such as cordgrass which grows to 8 to 12 feet high as well as many flowering plants.  Wildlife includes deer, coyote, red fox, cottontail rabbit, muskrat, beaver and badger. It is a great place for birds, reptiles and butterflies.
    Here is their website.    Phone 815-942-2899
    Wheelchair AccessibleThe “Tall Grass Self-Guided Nature Trail can be an easy 1 mile or 3.5 miles, depending on the route you take, with one loop of the trail offering a hard-packed, wheelchair-accessible surface.”

  • Here is the Department of Natural Resources map dividing the state into five geographic areas.  Click on any one of these and you will find a list of state parks, recreation areas etc. with descriptions of many of the trails.  Better yet, there are links to website for each place where you can find phone numbers to call for information.   Many trails are described as “easy”, but  you would be wise to call first.

  • Iroquois County State Wildlife Area
    The wildlife area lies 2 miles north and 3 miles east of Beaverville in northeast Iroquois County.  Here is the area’s website.   For more information try the Illinois Department of Natural Resources at 312-814-2070 or +1 217-782-6302.
    Wheelchair Accessible1/3 mile of the 3/4 mile Woodland Trail is  handicapped accessible.

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Local

  • Page 15 of the PDF version of  The Visitors Guide of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has a chart listing accessible trails.  They suggest calling the District’s ADA coordinator at 630-933-7683 for information.

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Private

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Miscellaneous

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