Chain O'Lakes Paddling, Glacial Park & Starved Rock

Illinois's northernmost state park sits at the Wisconsin border, where the Fox River connects nine natural lakes in a paddling corridor that extends 80 miles. Grass Lake is the largest of the chain lakes — 2,100 acres with three launch points in the state park. The park rents canoes and kayaks; the calm inland water suits all skill levels. Bald eagles are common along the lake edges from November through March.

A waterfront bar and grill on Fox Lake's chain with a boat dock, outdoor seating, and the reliable fried fish, burgers, and craft beer lineup that the Chain O'Lakes region has always done well. The perch and walleye are local when available; the Friday fish fry brings in the year-round lakefront community.

Use the afternoon to explore a different trail, cool off at a swimming hole, or find a scenic spot to watch the sunset.

A craft brewery in Antioch's historic downtown, producing beers that reflect the Chain O'Lakes region — the Chain Reaction IPA and the Fox Tail Brown Ale are the house standards. The taproom occupies a renovated 1920s commercial building with original pressed-tin ceilings; the kitchen serves above-average pub food.

A 3,000-acre McHenry County conservation area in the Nippersink Creek valley preserving one of the most geologically complete kettle-kame-esker glacial landscapes in Illinois, with a bog lake formed 12,000 years ago, a kame (conical glacial deposit) visible from the trail, and a savanna restoration on a former corn field. The 6-mile Glacial Park Loop is the finest half-day hiking circuit in Chicagoland's exurban fringe — a direct continuation of the glacial geology explored at Chain O'Lakes the day before.

A McHenry restaurant on the Fox River with outdoor seating, serving burgers, sandwiches, and local craft beer — the practical midday stop between Glacial Park and the afternoon trails. McHenry's Fox River waterfront is a quiet counterpoint to the morning's glacial landscape.

A 2,200-acre state park adjacent to the Fox River chain that preserves a peat bog, kettle lakes, and moraine ridges created by the same glacial advance that shaped the Glacial Park terrain to the north. The 10 miles of paved and natural-surface trails are well-suited to the relaxed afternoon pace after the morning loop; the Lake Defiance trail circles the park's largest kettle lake through tamarack bog and sedge meadow.

Two of Starved Rock's 18 canyons are typically bypassed by casual visitors in favor of the main trail — Ottawa Canyon (1.3 miles round-trip) requires crossing the Illinois River on a seasonal bridge but rewards the detour with one of the park's widest waterfall formations. Wildcat Canyon (0.8 miles from the East Bluff) has the park's most photogenic canyon floor, with a multi-tiered falls in a cathedral sandstone space.

The lodge's main dining room serves a weekend brunch buffet that handles the post-hike appetite well — all the Midwestern standards done reliably in the 1939 CCC-built log interior. The river views from the east dining room windows are the best reason to choose a window table.

An Illinois EPA Superfund site turned remarkable public artwork — five enormous earthen effigies of native Illinois animals (catfish, water strider, turtle, frog, and snake) sculpted by Michael Heizer in 1985 on a former strip mine above the Illinois River. The largest effigy is 200 feet long; viewed from the river bluff, the five forms constitute one of the most significant examples of Land Art in the Midwest. The surrounding 298-acre park has Illinois River overlooks and a herd of resident bison.

A no-frills Utica tavern beloved by Starved Rock hikers for cold beer and hearty sandwiches. The perfect post-trail reward before the drive back to Chicago.