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Where is the photo with that many dense trees. The photos on Gooogle I see of West of Chicago are all flat grass lands. Which is the nearest West or South towns or county with those lush trees?
Thanks.
There are pockets of forests all over the place, Im not sure where you get the idea that its all flat grass lands? Most suburbs that I know of are drowning under a sea of trees. Out in the country its a lot of farmland, but if you take Rt. 64 west into Oregon, IL, youll find TONS of woods, hills, rivers, etc.
Thanks for posting those pics of Oregon, IL. Looks like a beautiful area. Are there any good hiking trails in that area? Before moving to the Midwest, we were avid hikers but it seems that we always end up being disappointed in the hiking options we've found around this area....flat, open prairie, etc. is just not what we're used to coming from the East Coast. I don't mean to offend anyone by that remark, but maybe we haven't been going to the right spots??
Thanks for posting those pics of Oregon, IL. Looks like a beautiful area. Are there any good hiking trails in that area? Before moving to the Midwest, we were avid hikers but it seems that we always end up being disappointed in the hiking options we've found around this area....flat, open prairie, etc. is just not what we're used to coming from the East Coast. I don't mean to offend anyone by that remark, but maybe we haven't been going to the right spots??
There are a few areas you can hike, but nothing really like the mountains on the East Coast, of course. You can hike Castle Rock State Park (the West side of the park--as Rt. 2 bisects it). There are TONS of trails in there for casual hiking. There are also hiking trails in the Lowden-Miller State Forest just East of Caste Rock State Park, on the other side of town. Nachusa Grasslands has some trails, but its open, rolling-hilled prairie. I prefer Nachusa because there are virtually no mosquitos there (vs Caste Rock's deep woods infestations). At Nachusa Grasslands you can view tons of native prairie plants all set in wide-open prairie, its really a serene place to visit. If youre into bird-watching, there are lots of groups in the area that do that kind of thing. There are also cacti on the grounds and limestone formations on the Southern end of the park.
You can drive another hour NW of there to the Galena area where you can visit Apple River Canyon State Park and Mississippi Palisades State Park, which have some trails, too, some of which are quite treacherous. Some trails take you inches from steep drop-offs that are over 100' in height, so utmost caution is important. They have signs warning of the dangerous trails, be wise to heed them especially if you have children. The Mississippi Palisades have nice trails, too, some of which are also a little hairy at times. I do believe they offer rock climbing at the Palisades, too, but youd have to look into that. There are venomous snakes at the Palisades, so just watch where you put your hands when in the rocky areas and dense woods.
Starved Rock State Park and Matthiessen State Parks are in the mid-central area of the state, and also offer great hiking. Matthiessen's limestone canyons arent as deep as Starved Rock, but are still really nice. And after Spring the waterfalls will be active, as theyre dependent on moisture, theyre not constant-flowing falls. Fall is GORGEOUS in both areas, lots of color and cooler temps to hike all day w/o getting fatigued like summer. Starved Rock has TONS of trails, some of which can get you completely lost and many trails are VERY dangerous in spots. Several people have fallen to their deaths at Starved Rock on some trails, so be very careful there, too.
Some of the best hiking is about 5 hours south of Chicago at the Shawnee National Forest/Garden of the Gods area. Incredible views and great trails are everywhere. But once again, some trails are ridiculously dangerous and I wouldnt hike them unless youre experienced and very sure-footed. Again, LOTS of venomous snakes in the area, so use caution.
Garden of the Gods:
Flickr Photo Download: garden of the gods (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paparutzi/175560175/sizes/o/ - broken link)
Flickr Photo Download: Garden of the Gods_CUS9206x (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dansphotoart/3018054464/sizes/l/ - broken link)
How appropriate! I found a picture of one of the signs at Apple River Canyon:
Flickr Photo Download: P1040409-1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisus/2799280305/sizes/l/ - broken link)
Some rock climbing at Mississippi Palisades:
Flickr Photo Download: Adapted climbing (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shpotnik/1449374998/sizes/o/ - broken link)
More Palisades... watch those edges! Especially with slippery leaf cover like this:
Flickr Photo Download: Mississippi Palisades State Park (http://www.flickr.com/photos/trippchicago/818404251/sizes/l/ - broken link)
Rock climbing at the Palisades:
Rock Climbing Mississippi Palisades (108) on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/akeg/460899530/ - broken link)
Starved Rock State Park:
Flickr Photo Download: St. Louis Canyon - New and Improved (http://www.flickr.com/photos/crowleymr/2966880472/sizes/l/ - broken link)
Another highlight of Starved Rock, the abundance of bald eagles:
Catch of the day-fish from the Illinois River on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27728208@N06/3303710308/ - broken link)
Some trails lead right up to the edge of some of the bluffs like this, even taller ones, too, so make sure to be aware:
Flickr Photo Download: Morning Light In the Canyon (http://www.flickr.com/photos/crowleymr/3007992642/sizes/l/ - broken link)
Winter hiking in Matthiessen State Park:
Flickr: Search (http://www.flickr.com/search/?s=int&q=mathiessen+state+park&m=text - broken link)
Peaceful hiking at Nachusa Grasslands:
Flickr Photo Download: Three Knobs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40855483@N00/217922177/sizes/o/ - broken link)
Serenity:
Flickr Photo Download: Service Road (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40855483@N00/434029642/sizes/o/ - broken link)
Thanks so much for the replies, the only questions that persists is : is Illinios worth the extra money? what makes it so special?
Worth the "extra money" versus what? Seattle ain't exactly a cheap place to live either, and at least before the real estate crash, the cost of real estate in the Seattle area had actually surpassed that of the Chicago area.
I think you'll find the cost of living in the two states is relatively comparable, especially if you compare apples to apples: Seattle v. Chicago, and rural Washington v. rural Illinois. In both cases, the metro areas are rather expensive compared to the rest of the state -- but then salaries are higher too.
As for Illinois being boring and devoid of scenery... selective imagery notwithstanding, there really isn't much to look at in Illinois. There are some pockets and corners of it that are really nice. Those are the parts that end up in scenic photographs and tourist brochures, which conveniently leave out the seemingly endless cornfields that occupy the vast majority of the space between those pockets. Use Google Maps to check out sattelite imagery of Illinois. You'll notice that most of the state looks like a green and brown checkerboard. That's because most of the state is farms. Not much to look at except for those from the Southwest who are enamored with anything green, even if it's 250 neatly planted rows of soybeans.
But there's no reason why you have to stick to Illinois for outdoor recreation. There's a reason why Chicagoans flock to Wisconsin for weekend getaways. There's lots of nice scenery up there, especially in the western half of Wisconsin (unglaciated) and the northern half (heavily forested, lots of lakes). Alternately, people who live in the southern part of the Chicago area tend to swing over to Michigan for the same reasons.
Last edited by Drover; 03-08-2009 at 02:16 PM..
Reason: additional info
Ignore this ignoramus, hes as clueless as he is thoughtless. Seriously, hes a massive t-word (I got scolded for using that word on C-D). And that particular t-word rhymes with "scroll" if that helps explain. Hes despised all over these boards, so please, ignore him and youll be juuuuust fine.
First off, welcome to the area! You didnt state how much you and yours will make or how much you can spend on a home, so its hard to point you in the right direction. Since you liked St. Charles, did you visit right next door in Geneva? Its an extremely charming city with more to do than St. Charles, for right around the same price. The towns around here that I highly recommend are: Geneva, St. Charles, Wayne, Wasco, Naperville, Winfield, Warrenville, Wheaton, Schaumburg, Campton Hills, and many others.
As far as things to do, you just might find IL's scenery to be beautiful, as I (and many others) do. While its true that the majority of IL is flat (carved out by glaciers), there are areas of the state that I find to be absolutely beautiful.
Here are some of my personal pics:
One thing you wont have to worry about here is rain. Sure it rains, but not nearly as much as Seattle, allowing you to actually get out and enjoy the outdoors w/o a raincoat. Here is a prairie just west of Chicagoland:
Vultures near the Mississippi River (with bluffs):
No more piddly drizzle like Seattle. Here youll come face to face with the TRUE storms. And unlike Seattle, they only stick around for a few hours, then its back to sunshine.
More soothing prairie:
Wide open spaces:
Some rolling hills near Oregon, IL:
More rolling hills:
Some things will be different than in Seattle. Not all of IL has rattlers, but many areas do, just a heads-up...
Something you definitely wont see in rain-soaked/cloudy Seattle... cactus!
I have TONS of other photos, but I think this is enough for now. If you want really nice scenery, Southern Illinois has lots of nice hills, deep woods, towering cliffs/bluffs, etc, etc. Flickr Photo Download: Garden of the Gods 14
I hope Ive showed a little about what IL has to offer. Youll find anything from limestone canyons to prairies to cypress swamp to sand prairies (where cacti thrive) to bluffs to hills, etc, etc. Lots to see and do if you know where to go. Of course there are no Cascades here, but if you just enjoy nature, youll find IL has tons to offer.
Illinois is BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING looking! Period! You apparently haven't been to the "Pacific Northwest", cause if you did, you wouldn't have bother to post the pics you did.
I love how you are trying to 'protray' Illinois as looking like that. EVERY state has pics like that. The BIG difference, in Illinois, you'd be on a 'wild goose chase' to find those areas. Illionois ain't Kansas, but it also ain't the Northeast or the Pacific Nothwest (or West in general for that matter).
Last edited by pittsteelerfan; 03-08-2009 at 02:52 PM..
Steelerfan you are not the first person to tell me that I will miss the scenery in Washington, but Illinios is not exactly ugly is it?
Boring would be a better way to put it. You are going have people on here who post "how beautiful Illinois", all I can say is ! Don't let these people who've NEVER been to where you live and try and compare! The Midwest as a whole (along with the plain states), is NOTHING to look at. Hometown pride can run amuck on here, don't be tricked it believing otherwise.
Worth the "extra money" versus what? Seattle ain't exactly a cheap place to live either, and at least before the real estate crash, the cost of real estate in the Seattle area had actually surpassed that of the Chicago area.
I think you'll find the cost of living in the two states is relatively comparable, especially if you compare apples to apples: Seattle v. Chicago, and rural Washington v. rural Illinois. In both cases, the metro areas are rather expensive compared to the rest of the state -- but then salaries are higher too.
As for Illinois being boring and devoid of scenery... selective imagery notwithstanding, there really isn't much to look at in Illinois. There are some pockets and corners of it that are really nice. Those are the parts that end up in scenic photographs and tourist brochures, which conveniently leave out the seemingly endless cornfields that occupy the vast majority of the space between those pockets. Use Google Maps to check out sattelite imagery of Illinois. You'll notice that most of the state looks like a green and brown checkerboard. That's because most of the state is farms. Not much to look at except for those from the Southwest who are enamored with anything green, even if it's 250 neatly planted rows of soybeans.
But there's no reason why you have to stick to Illinois for outdoor recreation. There's a reason why Chicagoans flock to Wisconsin for weekend getaways. There's lots of nice scenery up there, especially in the western half of Wisconsin (unglaciated) and the northern half (heavily forested, lots of lakes). Alternately, people who live in the southern part of the Chicago area tend to swing over to Michigan for the same reasons.
Thank you Drover for making my point, I posted before I read your post. I like the term you used "selective imagery". Some people like to use a few images and try to 'protray' an entire state with them. Anybody who's done some travelling around America, KNOWS the difference.
Boring would be a better way to put it. You are going have people on here who post "how beautiful Illinois", all I can say is ! Don't let these people who've NEVER been to where you live and try and compare! The Midwest as a whole (along with the plain states), is NOTHING to look at. Hometown pride can run amuck on here, don't be tricked it believing otherwise.
Um, I've been to Seattle, and drove into the Cascades. Yes, it is stunningly beautiful. I couldn't believe how much greenery there was even in the city itself. At the same time, though, I found all of the forests and hills and trees to be claustrophobic. That's one reason I don't think I could live there.
I think there are quite a few parts of Illinois that are beautiful in their own right, and they are not hard to find. Overall, I prefer the generally flat, open lands of the Midwest.
Um, I've been to Seattle, and drove into the Cascades. Yes, it is stunningly beautiful. I couldn't believe how much greenery there was even in the city itself. At the same time, though, I found all of the forests and hills and trees to be claustrophobic. That's one reason I don't think I could live there.
I think there are quite a few parts of Illinois that are beautiful in their own right, and they are not hard to find. Overall, I prefer the generally flat, open lands of the Midwest.
Well, we could sit here forever and debate this, after all, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". But most people would 'consider' the "Midwest" to be VERY bland and boring looking. "Generally flat and open lands" as you put it, isn't the stuff that post cards are made of.
Watch a movie like "Double Jeopordy", or any movie made in or around the Seattle area, there's NO COMPARISION betwwen the two areas!
You said there are "quite a few parts of Illinois that are beautiful in their own right". I agree, with a HEAVY emphasis on the word "FEW".
Well, we could sit here forever and debate this...
No problem. I am immortal, you know.
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Most suburbs that I know of are drowning under a sea of trees. Out in the country its a lot of farmland, but if you take Rt. 64 west into Oregon, IL, youll find TONS of woods, hills, rivers, etc.
Illinois is BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING looking! Period! You apparently haven't been to the "Pacific Northwest", cause if you did, you wouldn't have bother to post the pics you did.
! Don't let these people who've NEVER been to where you live and try and compare! The Midwest as a whole (along with the plain states), is NOTHING to look at. Hometown pride can run amuck on here, don't be tricked it believing otherwise.
I like the term you used "selective imagery". Some people like to use a few images and try to 'protray' an entire state with them. Anybody who's done some travelling around America, KNOWS the difference.
