Short Woodland Hike
(West Ravine)
(1800 ft. - 1/3 mile)
360
Virtual Tour |
Begin at the south end of Old
Oaks Trail at North Meadow Lane. Follow the path down along the spring-fed
West Ravine. Pass by huge, old oak trees that have fallen onto the forest
floor where they are gracefully decomposing. Rich with moss and lichens
and home to wildlife including ground squirrels and woodpeckers, the area
seems primal. |
| You might enjoy walking out onto Fern Bridge to
hear the babble of the stream and observe the ferns cascading down it
steep banks. |
| Continue down Old Oaks Trail to the wooden
walkway through a diverse plant community that includes the rare albino
buckeye (Aescelus glabra lucadermis). A gradual ascent back up to North
Meadow Lane near the point of starting completes this charming hike. |
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Medium Woodland and Bluff Prairie Hike
(East Ravine & Bluff)
(3100 ft. - 2/3 mile) |
A bit longer, this jaunt starts
near Grand Oaks Park at the south end of Twin Bridges Trail. Enter the
oak-hickory woodland and cross the Upper Bridge. |
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360
Virtual Tour
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Follow the trail to the right and proceed down
the East Ravine next to the old, knarley hedge apple trees. This forest is
regenerating and contains successional woody species including sumac, honey locust
and sassafras trees. |
| Stately oaks on the opposite side of the ravine
shade hillsides covered with ferns and woodland flowers. You may find deer
in this area. |
| Cross the walkway, continue to the right and
cross the Lower Bridge. Listen for the little waterfall over the shale
outcropping. Proceed up the trail through the oaks to Grandview Drive and
the "grand view" of the Sangamon River Valley. |
| Follow the Bluff Prairie Trail, through the tall
grasses and prairie flowers, south to the lamp post on the corner of
Grandview Drive. Here you may find showy, native butterflies and moths
hovering near a rare species of thistle and other prairie forbs. |
| Follow Grandview Drive back by the old Shagbark
Hickory, noticing its namesake bark, to the point of beginning. |
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The Lost Lake Hike
(South Ravine)
(5300 ft. - 1 mile)
360
Virtual Tour |
Again start at Grand Oaks Park.
Proceed south through the woodlands on Hidden Valley Trail. Gradually
descend through this picturesque valley and cross the bridge. Turn right
at the toe of the bluff prairie and proceed to the "grand-daddy
oak." |
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You may wish to rest under the low hanging branches of
this mighty oak to enjoy its shade and to watch the bird and butterfly
activity over the adjacent prairie. |
| Follow the trail into the woods and you will
soon discover an old earthen dam and its brick overflow structure. The
flat area west of the dam is the result of years of sedimentation in the
old lake bottom. The area is appropriately named Lost Lake. In the middle
of this area is Long Bridge which begins a trail leading south up to Oak
Grove Drive. |
| Continue west along the creek to Cobble Point
Bridge where you have a choice. Turn right and return to the park area on
Cottonwood Trail, a distance of 1000 feet. Or continue across the bridge
and along the west ravine where the trail passes through one of the most
spectacular oak groves in Central Illinois. |
| Emerge from the woods at Timber Ridge Lane. You
will be greeted by a large restored prairie and trail back to the main
road and park. |
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