It’s time to get out of the house and get the whole family moving in a way that’s both fun and educational. Spend a day at the Palisades and before you know it, you will have explored some of the most beautiful countryside in the Midwest and learned a thing or two about the Native Americans who lived in this area.
So turn off the television, put on the sneakers, pack up a lunch and take the short drive to Savanna, IL where your local adventure awaits.
Mississippi Palisades State Park
Savanna, IL
Steep cliffs, caves, human-looking rock formations, and wooded ravines populated by a variety of flora and fauna can all capture even the most jaded and video-glazed imagination.
The park’s trails trace the footsteps of Native American pathfinders and the many others who explored this region of northwest Illinois. The five trails in the northern part of the park are generally wider and less strenuous than the five in the south, which are narrow and extremely close to the bluff.
According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, here’s what you’ll find when it comes to natural beauty:
Caves are evident as are dangerous sink holes-limestone caves that go straight down. Erosion has carved intriguing rock formations, including Indian Head, with its aquiline characteristics, and Twin Sisters, a pair of humanoid figures on the bluff tops. The U.S. Interior Department recognized the remarkable nature of this area when in 1973 it designated acreage here as a national landmark.
Wooded ravines, whose brilliant hues splash the cliffs with color each autumn, dissect the unglaciated terrain. Ferns, dot the deep ravines, while in the park’s northern region, leaves of the white birch ripple in the wind. Each spring and summer the valleys and slopes are dappled with the blooms of trillium, bluebell, lobelia, shooting star and yellow ladies’ slipper.
Animal life, within the park and the river areas immediately adjoining it, is varied. Waterfowl and shorebirds are numerous, as are wild turkeys. Striking pileated woodpeckers make their home in the park, and depending on ice conditions, eagles feed at the river in January and February. Because so many birds migrate along the river, their lyrical songs can be heard at the Mississippi Palisades each spring and fall.
But not all that’s fascinating about Mississippi Palisades’ wildlife is in the skies. White-tailed deer, gray squirrel, skunk, muskrat and weasel can be viewed in the park, as can mink, gray and red fox, woodchuck and, even occasionally, badger.
Word to the wise: be sure to bring a picnic lunch or find tasty eateries in Savanna.
For more on camping or day trips, visit the park’s website.
