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Our Visit to Mattheissen State Park
Although often overshadowed by Starved Rock State Park, we loved beautiful Matheissen State park which is mere minutes away. When we visited we stayed at the cabins in Starved Rock which we posted about here, and were then conveniently close to Matheissen too. For the best experience check it out on a weekday like we did and have the park all to yourself. Whenever you go prepare for some hiking and some beautiful scenery and rock formations. Off the Main Parking lot is a large grassy space with a couple picnic tables and a small bathroom facility. The location of the hiking path is not immediately evident but we did…
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Tour Cook County’s Only Canyon
Cook County is home to only one single Canyon in the entire region. The Sagawau Canyon is located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago in Lemont, IL. Due to this the Canyon’s status and plant life access is highly restricted and tours are limited and guided. It’s not a lengthy tour at about an hour but it’s very educational and an excellent low key adventure. Reserve a Spot You can book a tour through the Forest Preserves of Cook County Website here. The tours are completely free you just have to call and put your name on the list as tour sizes seem to be limited to about ten. This…
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See Elk Near Chicago in Busse Woods
Located in the North Suburbs of Chicago is the Ned Brown Preserve. Also known as Busse Woods it is located in the aptly named Elk Grove Village, IL and is home to several Elk. We took advantage of all that the preserve has to offer which includes hiking and fishing in addition to the elk. Fishing Busse Lake Ned Brown Preserve is also home to Busse Lake a beautiful waterway with opportunities for kayaking and fishing. The designated fishing areas are concreted which is convenient for putting out your fishing gear but not convenient if your wife wants to lay out in the grass while you fish. Hiking Ryan and…