Jared Gorrell, EF
Assistant Editor
Over the years, several of my friends have asked me what I consider to be great places to hike around Springfield. My answers varied for each of them, for some wanted a quiet place to stroll with their dogs, while others sought more of an adventure. However, I have decided to open this up to all people. Here are a half-dozen of the best spots to hike in Sangamon County. As I have not been everywhere in this county, I will miss a few locations.
Feel free to email me with suggestions. I have decided to break this down into three ratings- easy, moderate, and difficult. By difficult, I mean that there are few trails, heavily brushy trails, and/or that some sections of the trail may have to be improvised. Moderate means grassy paths or some slight hills, as well as possible mud and tree roots. Easy is a very relative term, but I have chosen it for paths that I would trust for children.
I would recommend none of these places for differently abled persons, as the terrain in all of them is too rough. There are quite a few other places to try in this county, but these are a few selected places I recommend.
Lincoln Memorial Gardens– easy to moderate
If you want to get started, or you want to see the largest number of different habitats in one park, visit Lincoln Memorial Gardens. This well-designed, easily-walked park is ideal for the casual hiker or walker. A large number of the plants planted here are far more 
common in southern Illinois than here, including Baldcypress and Silverbell trees. Large sections of the preserve are prairies. However, one of the largest oak trees in the state lives here as well, older than the Revolutionary War.
Lincoln Memorial Gardens borders Lake Springfield, so any wildlife on the lake can be quite easily seen from shore. With a diverse mix of recreated ecosystems, Lincoln Memorial Gardens is likely the best spot to hike in Sangamon County.
Best time to visit: Anytime
Address: 2301 East Lake Shore Drive, Springfield, IL 62712
Washington Park– moderate
While the majority of the park is an open, grassy woodland with paths and playgrounds, Washington Park is so much more. The botanical gardens is a haven for many Gray Treefrogs in the summertime, while the lake is the best place to see Wood Ducks in the Springfield area. In spring, the park’s display of native woodland flowers is also stellar. 
Washington Park’s location in downtown Springfield makes it easily reachable for most residents.. The hilliness and the large numbers of tree roots on the paths in Washington Park give it the moderate rating.
Best time to visit: Spring
Address: 1740 West Fayette Avenue, Springfield, IL 62704
Centennial Park– moderate
One of the better prairies in Sangamon County, Centennial Park’s grassy paths wind through a huge restored prairie. Come in May, and the entire prairie may be a sea of white 
with Foxglove Beardtongue flowers, in the single greatest floral display I’ve seen in Sangamon County. Even at other times of year, there’s usually something to impress. If nothing else, climb to the top of the hill and look how far you can see in all directions.
Best time to visit : Late spring to fall
Address: 5751 Bunker Hill Road, New Berlin, IL 62670
Lick Creek Wildlife Area– moderate to difficult
Lick Creek Wildlife Area is one of the wilder areas on my list, and the most interesting features, including a fairly large marsh, are off-trail. If you do not like snakes, avoid this area, as, in my opinion, this is the best place to see snakes in Sangamon County. 
Mushroom hunters, kayakers, and fishermen love this area, however.
If you do venture off the trails, it is quite easy to become lost, but walking in any direction will bring you to a road, field, lake, or neighborhood. This is my personal favorite of the six places listed here, simply because it is little-known and full of life.
Best time to visit: Late winter – early summer, fall.
Address: 5700 Old Chatham Rd, Springfield, IL 62711
Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary– moderate
This is the most remote of the six places on my list. However, Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary is also one of the finest on this list. Only opened to the public a few years ago, the preserve has rare hawks and owls visiting in the winter, while in the spring chorus frogs call and 
thousands of crayfish live in its ponds. Occasionally, an albino deer can be seen on the grounds. Like Lincoln Memorial Gardens, a wide diversity of plants have been planted here,including rare ones like Prairie Bush Clover. In parts of the preserve, all you can see is prairie.
Best time to visit: Anytime. Animals most common in spring, flowers best in summer and fall. Rare hawks and owls best in winter.
Address: 9560 Withers Rd, Loami, IL 62661
Carpenter Park – moderate to difficult
Sangamon County’s only State Nature Preserve, Carpenter Park has a sandstone bluff, the scenery of the Sangamon River, and some of the largest trees in central Illinois. In the spring, the woodland floral display is one of the best in the area, and in late summer, the river’s mosquito population is also one of the best in the area. The humidity after a rain is 
also quite impressive, but let none of this stop you from exploring here.
Nothing was planted at Carpenter Park, and every plant and animal species you see has lived there for hundreds of years. As one of the few mostly intact natural areas remaining in this county, Carpenter Park is a wonderful reminder of what Sangamon County used to resemble.
Best time to visit: Late winter- early summer, fall
Address: 1 Carpenter Park Trail, Springfield, IL 62707
Jared Gorrell can be reached at [email protected]
