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The midwest is certainly not Colorado or Oregon or New Hampshire or any other outdoorsy paradise--but it is filled with a lot of beautiful, lush, green areas to hike and admire the natural beauty. Which states in the midwest are best for that? Michigan? Minnesota?
Ohio has a great state park system but since the US pop has doubled in my lifetime, I think there are too many people for even Colorado or Oregon to qualify as an "outdoorsy paradise".
Every single Midwestern state has lots of forested land, rivers, lakes, etc. My personal fave is Michigan's UP. Seems like the entire peninsula is forested, with deep woods, thundering waterfalls, small canyons, amazing rock formations, gorgeous hills/mountains, incredible lakefront, etc. Check out Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, Lake in the Clouds, Oval Beach, Mackinac Island, Porcupine Mountains, the dozens of waterfalls (including Tahquahmenon Falls), etc.
Lower MI is also gorgeous, especially along the west coast... incredible beaches, towering sand dunes, dense woods, charming little villages, etc. Check out Petoskey, Charlevoix, Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, etc.
Southern IL also has the Shawnee National Forest, complete with towering bluffs, neat rock formations, caves, dense woods, prairies, rivers, etc. Check out Garden of the Gods, Cave-In-Rock, Fults Hill Prairie, etc.
NW IL is also home to the same type of scenery, but in a cooler (literally) setting. Check out the Mississippi Palisades, Apple River Canyon, Galena, Fulton Sand Prairies, etc.
Central IL is mostly flat and cornfields, but some gems still do exist there. Check out Starved Rock State Park for deep canyons, neat sandstone formations, several waterfalls, etc. Nearby is Matthiessen State Park, which has the same features, but is far less crowded.
Indiana has several areas.... Indiana Dunes are nice and peaceful at times, Brown County is gorgeous with all the hills and dense woods, quaint towns, etc.
Well you can rule out KS, IA and NE. The Ozarks in Missouri have excellent hiking and canoing as does Arkansas. I thought MN was pretty lush but don't really know about hiking and such there.
Well you can rule out KS, IA and NE. The Ozarks in Missouri have excellent hiking and canoing as does Arkansas. I thought MN was pretty lush but don't really know about hiking and such there.
VERY lush in most areas. Lots of hiking in summer, especially around the Lutsen Mountains, Sawtooth Mountains, along the shore, etc.
I agree with Brown County, Steve-O. There's some great biking down there, actually. What about western Michigan? The UP is STUNNING--but what about the rest of the state?
I agree with Brown County, Steve-O. There's some great biking down there, actually. What about western Michigan? The UP is STUNNING--but what about the rest of the state?
I mentioned that in my post.
"Lower MI is also gorgeous, especially along the west coast... incredible beaches, towering sand dunes, dense woods, charming little villages, etc. Check out Petoskey, Charlevoix, Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, etc"
There are some forests in lower MI, but nothing like the Upper Peninsula. Western Michigan is more about the beach life, with the most miles of freshwater coastline, 3-400' sand dunes, awesome resort towns, etc. Warren Dunes and Sleeping Bear Dunes are a BLAST, Id love to live somewhere near there some day, but I doubt I will.
Missouri has the Ozarks, which are beautiful. Missouri has hiking, as well as plenty of lakes and creeks, and the two major rivers. Missouri is pretty diverse geographically.
Wisconsin, Anyone?? Minocqua, WI was named a sportmans paradise by a magazine. If I remember it was Outdoor life. Wisconsin boast the Ice Age trail, over 15,000 lakes... Lots of forest land up north. Lots of recreational activities are available in our beautiful state.
Yeah I'm looking specifically for the woodsier places. The lakes and trails and stuff are great--but I'm just wondering where in the midwest it's really forest-y....
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