Mississippi Palisades State Park a great destination in any season

When you live in the Chicago area, where the highest elevation is 673 feet, there may be times when you long to see some hills or look across the landscape without first taking an elevator to the top of a skyscraper.  If you haven’t traveled much throughout the rest of Illinois, you might be surprised to know that you don’t have to go very far to see rolling hills and even wind-swept bluffs.

Much of Northwestern Illinois’s landscape was shaped by the last Ice Age, and we are fortunate to have a number of state parks that have preserved the natural beauty of that area.

One such park is the 2,500 acre Mississippi Palisades State Park overlooking the Mississippi River in Savanna, Illinois, less than 160 miles from downtown Chicago.  Here you can hike the same trails that Native Americans once trod as much as 1,000 years ago.

Hiking isn’t the only activity you can enjoy in this park, though.  Mississippi Palisades is a great get-away destination any season of the year.

Summertime is the season for picnicking, camping, boating, and fishing.  Check out the lily pads in bloom and the various species of water birds.  You can find picnic tables (with playgrounds nearby) throughout the park.  Launching ramps at the river access are free.  There are 241 Class A and B campsites with all of the modern conveniences (showers, toilets, camping store, electricity for 110 sites).

If you go in the fall, you’ll be rewarded with an explosion of colors as you hike in the wooded ravines or along the bluffs.  Lookout Point offers a panoramic view of the Mississippi River.

In winter, strap on your cross-country skis and see the park in a way that most people never do.  There’s also sledding at the park, and anglers can try their luck at ice fishing in the boat launch area.  January and February are also the best times to see bald eagles in the park. 

If you love the colors in the fall, go back in the spring for a different, but equally beautiful, display of nature’s beauty, as the spring wildflowers and ferns spread throughout the valleys and slopes.

Mississippi Palisades State Park is located at 16327A IL Rte. 84 in Savanna.