Flat prairie land, rolling hills and towering bluffs make for excellent biking opportunities in Illinois. The Rock Island Trail is a 27-mile greenway that serves as a hiking, biking and cross-country ski trail through the scenic and rural central region of the state. Hikers can trek through the rugged bluffs of Mississippi
... more Palisades State Park in the northwest, or the wooded ravines at Fox Ridge State Park. Canyons and waterfalls can be found at Starved Rock State Park, and there are swampy discoveries to be made at the Mermet Lake State Conservation Area in Southern Illinois. Head to Chestnut Mountain in the winter, where skiers and snowboarders can tackle its nineteen trails, from black diamond and bunny hills to the most diverse snowboard terrain park in the Midwest; there are plenty of cross-country ski and snowmobile trails through state forests. Wineries are dotting the state - find 15 unique wineries on the Northern Illinois Wine Trail and 8 award-winning wineries along the 25-mile scenic Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, which winds through the Shawnee National Forest.
