60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago
If you’re looking for the lowdown on where you can stretch your legs and escape the urban grid, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago will help you find your way.
Focusing on urban and rural areas and everything in between, the book features classic hikes at places such as Starved Rock State Park, as well as undiscovered gems like the LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area in northwestern Indiana.
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Get three chapters free
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Praise for the book
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Articles featuring the book
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Table of contents and photos
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Where to buy the book/how to get a free copy
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Get three chapters free
Chapter 31: Moraine Hills State Park Hike
Chapter 46: LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area Loop
Chapter 52: Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area: Tall Grass Trail
Praise for 60 Hikes: Chicago
“Exceptionally user-friendly….Terrifically handy for those who know what they want, but don’t know where to find it…. What makes Villaire’s book so special is that he answers the average person’s questions before they can be asked.”
~Lew Freedman, Chicago Tribune
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“The best remaining prairies, oak woods, and wetlands lie in and around the metroplolis, and Ted Villaire has found them, the wild heart of America’s Heartland! This guide has all you’ll need to get there–it’s full of juicy tidbits and great maps.”
~Debra Shore, Editor, Chicago Wilderness magazine
“60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago is a marvel of useful information.”
~Sara Burrows, Pioneer Press
“In easy-to-read style, Villaire really talks the walk…. You’ll find yourself reading every word as Villaire grabs your attention before sending you out the door…. ”
~Bob Richards, contributing editor, Silent Sports magazine
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“Finally, there is a complete resource for the hiking enthusiast in Chicago. 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago is a must-have for anyone who enjoys taking a break from the city and exploring all the area has to offer.”
~Dana Carman, Windy City Sports magazine
“Finding a spot for ‘a good stretch of the legs’ is becoming easier, thanks to a new guidebook highlighting a number of area hiking trails in its list of “60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Chicago.”
~Bill Byrns, The Daily Journal
Read reviews of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago posted on Amazon.com.
Articles featuring the book
“Cheri Lewis missed her Adirondacks. After routinely hiking the deep forests, rolling hills and soaring peaks of the northern New York mountain chain, the outdoors lover had one question when she moved to the Chicago area. Could she still find close-to-home treks? After listening to hiking enthusiast Ted Villaire speak recently at the outdoors store REI in Niles, Lewis, 46, had some answers.”
~Julie Deardorff, Chicago Tribune
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“Villaire spent the better part of two years walking, charting and documenting every last detail of dozens of trails in and around Chicago. His aching feet resulted in the 248-page book titled ‘60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Chicago.’”
~Steve Metsch, Daily Southtown
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“Finding hills [in the Chicago area] is, admittedly, a challenge. But you can get help in the book “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, Chicago.” In it, author Ted Villaire thoughtfully includes elevation profiles, graphs showing the ups and downs of each trail.”
~Barbara Brotman, Chicago Tribune
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“The northern two-thirds of Illinois is, or once was, a prairie, so a canyon hike near Chicago is a great find. Hiker and guidebook author Ted Villaire recommends the Dells Area of Matthiessen State Park, where you’ll walk in the deep shadow of 100-foot-high sandstone walls. ‘I love the prairie’s open spaces, but it’s a thrill to explore these rare, damp shady corners,’ he says.”
Sierra, the national magazine for the Sierra Club
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Table of contents
60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago
(2nd edition)
(Photos are slowly being added to each hike within the book; please check back as this project proceeds).
Overview Map
Acknowledgments…..xi
Forward…..xii
About the author…..xiii
Preface…..xv
Hiking Recommendations…..xxi
Introduction…..1
Cook County
Deer Grove Loop…..18
Crabtree Nature Center Hike…..21
Chicago Botanical Garden Hike…..25
Skokie Lagoons and River Hike…..33
Busse Woods Loop…..34
Chicago Lakeshore Hike South…..38
Chicago Lakeshore Hike North…..42
Jackson Park Loop…..46
Palos/Sag Valley Forest Preserve: Cap Sauers and Swallow Cliff Loop…..50
Palos/Sag Valley Forest Preserve: Little Red Schoolhouse Hike…..54
Palos/Sag Valley Forest Preserve: Tomahawk Slough Hike…..58
Lake Katherine Trail…..62
DuPage County and Beyond
Tekakwitha–Fox River Hike…..70
Pratt’s Wayne Loop…..74
Blackwell Forest Preserve Hike…..79
Fullersburg Forest Preserve Loop…..84
Danada Forest Preserve Hike…..88
Morton Arboretum East Hike…..92
Green Valley Forest Preserve Loop…..97
Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve Loop…..101
Silver Springs State Park Loop…..106
Shabonna State Park Loop (slide show)…..110
North Chicagoland and Wisconsin
Bong State Recreation Area Loop…..118
Geneva Lake North Shore Hike (slide show)…..122
Bristol Woods Hike…..127
Chain O’ Lakes State Park: East Hike…..132
Chain O’ Lakes State Park: West Hike (slide show)…..137
Glacial Park Loop (slide show)…..141
Illinois Beach State Park: Dead River Loop (slide show)…..145
Volo Bog State Natural Area Hike (slide show)…..149
Moraine Hills State Park Hike…..154
Des Plaines River Trail: Old School to Independence Grove…..158
Marengo Ridge Hike…..163
Lakewood Forest Preserve Loop…..168
Veteran Acres–Sterne’s Woods Hike…..172
Ryerson Woods Hike (slide show)…..176
Northwest Indiana and Environs
Warren Dunes State Park Loop…..182
Indiana Dunes State Park Loop: Dune Ridge Loop (slideshow)…..187
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Ly-co-ki-we Hike…..191
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Cowles Bog Trail…..195
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: West Beach Loop…..199
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Bailly/Chelberg Hike…..203
Oak Ridge Prairie Loop…..207
Deep River Hike…..211
Grand Kankakee Marsh County Park Hike…..215
LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area Loop…..219
South Chicagoland and the Illinois River Valley
Pilcher Park Loop…..226
Joliet Iron Works Hike…..231
Thorn Creek Hike…..235
Goodenow Grove Hike…..239
I&M Canal Trail/McKinley Woods Hike…..243
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area: Tallgrass Trail…..248
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area: Prairie View Trail…..252
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Hike…..256
Buffalo Rock State Park Hike…..260
Starved Rock State Park: East Hike…..264
Starved Rock State Park: West Hike…..268
Matthiessen State Park Dells Area Hike…..272
Kankakee River State Park Hike…..276
Iroquois County State Wildlife Area Hike…..281
Appendixes and Index
Appendix A: Outdoor Stores…..291
Appendix B: Places to buy maps…..293
Appendix C: Hiking Clubs…..294
Index…..295
Map legend Inside back cover
Where to buy the book/how to get a free copy
Options for buying the book
- All major (and most smaller) bookstores in the Chicago region carry the book.
- All Chicago-area REI stores sell the book.
- Amazon.com sells new copies.
- Amazon.com and Half.com both sell used copies.
- Trails.com allows readers to buy individual chapters.
Free books are available to
- Non-profit organizations that can use the book as a programming resource.
- Bloggers and media producers who would like to review the book for their website/publication/broadcast outlet.
- Amazon reviewers interested in posting a review on Amazon.com.
To receive a free copy, send me an e-mail.
