To a certain kind of traveler, ”getting away from it all” means finding a place in the cool and sun-dappled woods, where it is quiet and rustic.
A place that is close to nature, where the main attractions are trees, rocks, wildlife, trails and waterways–just right for hiking, swimming, fishing or boating.
These are staples of Illinois state parks. Yet two decades ago, the Illinois state park system was denounced as a ”disgrace”–crowded, run-down, abused and even unsafe in places. Camping guides urged campers to bypass the state. Even Illinois vacationers often went elsewhere.
These dismal conditions improved over the years. And spurred by competition for tourism dollars, Illinois in 1984 launched a park improvement campaign, aided by a $100-million expansion and renovation program and cash from the Build Illinois fund.
Now the ugly duckling park system is changing, and Illinois travelers are finding good reasons for relaxing in parks and wilderness areas close to home. This is the year to catch a glimpse of a new look shaping up in the six Illinois state parks with living accommodations, where tired park lodgings are being transformed into year-round recreation resort and conference centers.
Three of those parks are in northern Illinois: Illinois Beach State Park, the most popular Illinois state park, near Zion; Starved Rock, near Utica; and White Pines Forest, near Mt. Morris.
And three of them are in southern Illinois: Pere Marquette, near St. Louis; Giant City, near Marion; and Cave-in-Rock, also near Marion.
Not just a facelift, but a new philosophy of park management likely to ruffle some veteran parkgoers is emerging in these parks, such as the advent of indoor swimming pools and exercise rooms.
It is a radical departure from earlier views that state parks should be rustic, even primitive, oases of quiet with the accent on outstanding natural beauty. It was once thought that visitors to Illinois state parks sought a pioneer atmosphere and that parks were places to go if you didn`t want any excitement.
Simply stated, the new theme is ”roughing it in style.”
”Not everyone wants to camp in a two-man pup tent and (really) rough it,” says Mark Frech, Illinois conservation director. ”We are trying to attract a wider array of people. This type of development offers something for everyone, and makes it a family event.
”Maybe father wants to golf. Maybe children want to fish, and the mother wants to swim and sunbathe. We are trying to appeal to a wider segment of the population.”
This goes hand-in-hand, says Frech, with the state`s growing tourism program, aimed at promoting scenic beauty as backdrops for vacation pleasure or business conferences.
Illinois has 63 state parks, six with lodgings. Of those six, structures in four dated to the 1930s and were badly in need of repair and modernizing.
The roar of bulldozers and the aroma of paint and new carpeting in these parks, mingled with the customary forest-scented breezes, signal major renovations underway or completed.
ILLINOIS BEACH
Illinois Beach is big, with vistas of Lake Michigan and crashing waves on sandy beaches. It has the character of a breezy ocean shoreline–a haven for swimming and sunbathing–with subtle to major differences.
It is the only state-owned recreation area on Lake Michigan in Illinois, covering 6 1/2 miles of shoreline and 4,160 acres, including a 900-acre nature preserve. Children pluck colorful pebbles polished by wind and waves off the beach as though they were flowers. Nearby is a campground of 250 sites.
Illinois Beach is in Zion, in the far northeast corner of the state, a 45-mile drive from Chicago. It is the most popular state park in Illinois, drawing 1.9 million visitors last year. A $2.6-million upgrading of the park and the lodge was finished this spring.
”You have a beach and an indoor pool, the best of both worlds,” says Sheila Wasserman of Orland Park after checking in at the Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center.
The concrete, glass and stone lodge has 96 rooms, including a few suites, many overlooking Lake Michigan and the wind-swept shoreline of shifting sand dunes. The standard room rate is $68 for double occupancy, although ”budget rooms” are available Sunday through Thursday for $35 a night double occupany, and $42 for up to four in a room. The suites go for $110 a night.
For reservations, call 800-424-6065 in Illinois, and 800-424-6060 outside Illinois. Package plans are available.
”We like kids, we`re used to them,” says Elizabeth Francis, general manager. Children under 18 years old are free, if in the same room with their parents. Without a doubt, says Francis, Lake Michigan draws the visitors to the park.
”The setting is beautiful,” she says, and the hotel itself, 30 years old, offers a sense of elegance in its lobby and dining rooms, which overlook the lake. Every room has color television and air conditioning.
Buttermilk pancakes for breakfast cost $2.50, while dinner entrees, which include sirloin steak, broiled whitefish and chicken teriyaki, range from $3.95 to $13.95.
The hotel offers tennis and shuffleboard courts, bike rentals, exercise room, whirlpool and sauna, volleyball and a game room. An 18-hole golf course is five minutes away in the Zion park district.
An interpretive center is open year around in the nature area to highlight the unique dunes ecology that is preserved here, including wildlife, 500 kinds of plants and unique dunes features. Trail hikes, animal stalks, crafts and movies are free.
Fishing is allowed in the park along the shoreline, or in ponds and marshes. Five miles of trail are open in the northern park area for hiking and biking. Boats can be chartered at nearby ports for Lake Michigan salmon fishing. In the winter, there are 10 miles of cross-country ski trails.
The Great America amusement park is a short drive away in Gurnee, as well as Ravinia Park in Highland Park for outdoor concerts. Nearby are the Temple Farms, home of the world famous Lippizzan stallions, the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, and Ft. Sheridan, headquarters of the 4th U.S. Army.
WHITE PINES FOREST
About 125 miles West of Chicago, White Pines Forest State Park could easily win an award as the most improved park in the state, and one of the quietest. In contrast to the sprawling Illinois Beach State Park, White Pines is small and cozy.
Only a few years ago, the cabins were so run down that the manager, Gene Vogt, ”shuddered to rent the places.” But at a cost of $2.1 million, all the living accommodations have been remodeled, starting in the summer of 1986. Finishing touches are being added now and completion is set for September.
The park offers 13 cabins with bedroom and bath as well as three four-bedroom cabins, each room with a private entrance and bath, heat and air conditioning. A new 100-seat restaurant has been added.
”Our restaurant is known for its Paul Bunyan breakfast,” Vogt says. It includes juice, eggs, pancakes, bacon, ham, sausage, toast and a beverage for $4.25. For dinner, entrees range from $5.50 to $7.50.
White Pines is only about 350 acres, with 7 1/2 miles of hiking trails. But it has a character all its own, with a magnificent stand of white pine trees. An instant impression is of pine aroma, with cabins tucked between the dark trunks of towering pines.
”There are no phones or television in the rooms, people don`t want them,” says Vogt. ”It`s just a place of relaxation and quietness.” TV is available if guests want it, but they usually refuse.
Many visitors, like Jim and Ann Rauen of Chicago, want to get away from city noises. They open their windows at night to hear the wind whispering through the pine trees, and both comment on ”the wonderful scent of pine.”
Rooms at White Pines cost $27 to $44, depending on the number of people and beds. White Pines is in a dry county where no alcoholic beverages are served, and the park tends to cater to families and older folks, drawing heavily from the Chicago area. Vogt swears by them: ”We get repeat after repeat; we have the best customers in the world. People just love it out here.”
For reservations, call 815-946-3817.
