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| Lake Geneva, Wisconsin |
Illinois
McHenry County
Day hikers can enjoy fall colors and the reflections of those harvest-hued canopies in ponds and lakes at Moraine Hills State Park. The 3.7-mile Lake Defiance Trail circles the lake, passing through woodlands and oak savannas. From McHenry, take North River Road south; the road becomes South River Road at the Charles J. Miller Memorial Highway. Turn left/northeast on Main Park Road. Leave your vehicle at the hickory ridge parking lot and take the connector to the main trail.
Stephenson County
A walk through a forest of oaks, hickory and walnut awaits on the plains of northern Illinois at Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park. Autumn is a particularly good time to hike the 2.6-mile High Point Trail. Located north of the park’s 40-acre lake, the four-loop trail winds past the tan and brown leaves of oaks and hickory and the yellows of walnut, as well as an evergreen pine planation. From Freeport, take U.S. Hwy. 20 west. Turn right/north onto Ill. Hwy. 73 then in Lena left/northwest onto East Lena Street and right/north onto County Road 7/North Lake Road. At the park, go left/west toward the Site Office and follow the road past Pine Ridge Campground to the parking lot. Cross the road to the trailhead. Note: The state park is closed for remodeling of facilities during 2020.
Winnebago County
Hikers can enjoy a blufftop view of a maple-oak forest at Seward Bluff in the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County. The 0.8-mile Seward Bluffs Trail sits above Grove Creek valley and passes through a forest of yellow-, orange- and red-leaved maples and tan-colored oaks. From Rockford, take U.S. Hwy. 20 west. Turn left/south on South Pecatonica Road and then right/west onto Comly Road. Go right/north on the entry road into the preserve and take the first right/north, crossing a bridge over the creek. The road curves in a U-shaped; park in a pullout and pick up the trail heading left/west from the center of the U-shaped curved. A stem leads to a figure 8 trail.
Wisconsin
Rock County
Hikers can see unique sandstone rock formations in an oak-dominated forest at Magnolia Bluff County Park. A 1-mile looping nature trail heads along the limestone and sandstone bluff, the county’s second highest point. Autumn is colorful in the forest of black, red and white oak, shagbark and bitternut hickories, American and slippery elms, black cherry, red and sugar maples, white ash, basswood, hackberry, aspen, white birch, black walnut, and butternut. From Evansville, go south on Wis. Hwy. 59 then left/south on North Croak Road. Enter the park by turning left/east and park in the lot where the road ends. Head straight-west from the lot and follow the loop south.
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A plethora of autumn colors await at the Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville. More than a half mile of trails wind through the 20-acre site, where 4000 varieties of plants grow in 26 garden styles. The best sections in autumn include the North Woodland Path, which runs by a pond, and the woodland walk and woodland glen areas. From the intersection of Interstate 90 and U.S. Bus. Hwy. 14, take the latter northwest. Turn left/southwest onto Palmer Drive. The botanical gardens are on the right/north.
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Beautiful views of the Rock River amid a canopy of yellow and orange leaves awaits hikers at Big Hill Park in Beloit. The 190-acre park sits on bluffs overlooking the river. A great route is the 1.9-mile round trip unnamed trail that runs through the park's south side then turns north with the Rock River below and ends at a parking lot on the Big Hill's northeast side. From downtown Beloit, take Sixth Street/South Afton Road north. Turn right/east onto West Big Hill Road then left/north onto Big Hill Drive. Park at the environmental education center and walk south alongside Bill Hill Drive; the trailhead is on the road's left/east side.Walworth County
Among the best places in southwest Wisconsin to enjoy fall colors are its moraine ridges. They offer terrain relief and slopes where different trees can flourish. One great trail for hiking a moraine is the 9-mile round trip Lake La Grange Trail. Part of the trail climbs to a ridge 200 feet above the surrounding terrain, sporting a hardwood forest of yellow-orange-red sugar maple, bronze basswood, and gold to maroon-colored white ash. From Whitewater, take Bluff Road east. Turn right/south on Duffin Road. Park at the Ole Oleson Historic Log Cabin and from there join head east on the connector to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Go south on the Ice Age Trail.
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A pleasant walk through the woods past a tiny stream at Price Park Conservancy near Elkhorn will delight day hikers, especially during fall. The 0.51-mile Red Loop heads through a forest of sugar maple, shagbark hickory, elm, oak and dogwood and and a grove of evergreens near a tributary to Sugar Creek. In autumn, the trees turn orange-gold, with an occasional purple crown. From Elkhorn, take U.S. Hwy. 12 north. Turn right/east onto Potter Road. then left/north onto Hodunk Road. The parking lot is on the left/west.
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A pleasant walk alongside a small creek through a woods awaits hikers at Springs Park in Delavan. During autumn, the trees shimmer gold on the 1.3-mile round trip trail next to Swan Creek. The trail is located in the lower part of the 33-acre park. In Delavan, from the junction of Spring Lane and West Washington Street, take the latter east. Turn right/south into the park.
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Though known for its beautiful Lake Geneva shoreline, Big Foot Beach State Park is an excellent place to enjoy autumn leaves. Each fall, the leaves of hardwood trees turn gold, orange, russet and olive. One of the best routes for walking under the harvest-hued canopy is the 1.3-mile Yellow Trail, which loops through the park’s wooded western section and past Ceylon Lagoon. In Lake Geneva, take South Lake Shore Drive south to Buttons Bay. Turn left/east into the park and leave your vehicle at the first lot on the road’s left/north side. The trail is on the lot’s north side.Read Part 2
