This is winter in the Midwest looks like
Category: midwest usa
This is why I live in the Midwest
A Photo Essay
Unforgettable Winter Outdoor Outings
Winter completely changes the landscape in the Midwest, offering miles and miles of new perspective.
Illinois – Starved Rock – 13 Miles of Trails and 18 Canyons. It is not unusual to see people climbing the frozen waterfall.
Indiana – McCormick’s Creek State Park Explore the spectacular limestone canyon, flowing creek, and scenic waterfalls
Iowa – Dawn on the landscape of the Mississippi River at Pikes Peak State Park, Iowa
Kansas – Deep Creek Waterfall at Pillsbury Crossing Wildlife Area
Michigan’s Upper Pennisula averages 200 inches of snowfall each year and boasts plenty of frozen waterfalls for climbing
Minnesota – The Itasca State Park is a beautiful place to explore in the winter. Minnesota DNR
Missouri – Onondaga Cave State Park – Leasburg
Photo Credit: MHarrisW/TripAdvisor
Nebraska – Frozen waterfall along the Stone Creek Hiking Trail at Platte River State Park
North Dakota – The winding trail through part of the 200 acre nature preserve in this state park will take you through some absolutely amazing sights. There are plenty of plants and animals to be found here
Ohio – Old Man’s Cave Loop (Hocking Hills State Park)
South Dakota – Winter in the Blackhills
Wisconsin – Lake Superior Ice Caves
And here are a few other great resources.
January Beauty in the Midwest, USA
Birds of the Midwest in Winter
While most birds fly south…not all do!
Freshly Fallen Snow
Cold but not bitter temperatures across are area. The freshly fallen snow offers a new perspective on the otherwise barren trees and ground.
66 Hikes on Route 66 – #7 – Cal-Sag Trail
Imagine a marathon trail (at just over 26 miles, we mean that literally) connecting across the Chicago Southland from Indiana and the Chicago Lakefront to Lemont, Illinois and the I&M Canal Trail.
Imagine a channel that’s seen its share of booms and busts becoming a destination for recreation, a nature corridor, and a driver of good health and high quality of life.
Imagine discovering it was real. Welcome to the Cal-Sag Trail.
The once Historic Route 66, of the most famous roads in the United States that ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona and ended in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California, covered a total of 2,448 miles. It has always been iconic for roadside stops….dinners…antiquing…and many historical sites. Although it longer exists, you can still “get your kicks” on the path it took through the United States on other highways and roads. In this series, I will highlight the many places you can stop to explore nature along this route….focusing on spots in the Midwest. Looking for more stops….check out this guide.
Love the Lens – On Location
Red Barns of Wisconsin in their Winter Whites
Winter can be a great time to get outside and expand your portfolio. Winter time transforms landscapes and locations into dream-like scenes different from any other time of year. And all it takes is a few good snowfalls to bring out the beauty of the red against winter’s pure white palate.
66 Hikes Along Rt. 66 – #5
Gaylord Donnelley Trail
The once Historic Route 66, of the most famous roads in the United States that ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona and ended in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California, covered a total of 2,448 miles. It has always been iconic for roadside stops….dinners…antiquing…and many historical sites. Although it longer exists, you can still “get your kicks” on the path it took through the United States on other highways and roads. In this series, I will highlight the many places you can stop to explore nature along this route….focusing on spots in the Midwest. Looking for more stops….check out this guide.
Part of the I&M Canal National Heritage Area, the Gaylord Donnelley Trail will take you from Lockport to Joliet. Lockport and Joliet were two of the most influential Illinois cities of the 19th and 20th centuries. On this eleven mile trail you will explore canal ruins, a closed amusement park, the old Joliet prison and the ruins of the Joliet Iron Works.
A Bit of History
On its completion, the I&M Canal created a new transportation corridor. By connecting the waters of the Illinois River with those of Lake Michigan, a vast all-water route connected widely scattered sections of the United States, specifically the Northwest, South and East. Travelers from the eastern U.S. took the Erie Canal to Buffalo, New York, where steamboats brought them through the Great Lakes to Chicago. Transferring to canal boats, a 96-mile trip on the I&M Canal brought them to LaSalle/Peru. Here people boarded river steamers bound for St. Louis and New Orleans. The canal opened the floodgates to an influx of new commodities, new people and new ideas.
The I&M Canal, and the railroad and highway connections that soon paralleled its path between Chicago and LaSalle/Peru, became the great passageway to the American West. The opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848 made Chicago and northern Illinois the key crossroads of the American mid-continent. The opening of the canal heralded a new era in trade and travel for the entire nation. The I&M Canal allowed travelers the option of taking an all-water route from New York Harbor to Chicago, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri and even to New Orleans, Louisiana. This water highway provided a mud and dust-free alternative to overland travel. Passengers increasingly chose the all water route to the West, bypassing the Ohio River route. Freight could go from St. Louis to New York in 12 days via the I&M Canal and the Great Lakes, while the Ohio River route might take 30-40 days.
Love of the Lens – On Location
The Volo Bog – Illinois
Summer or winter – the Volo Bog is a place for discovery. Located in Northeast Illinois, the bog sports a half mile walk on a boardwalk (similar to a pier) and an approximately three-mile trail with views of the tamarck forests.
After the end of the last Ice Age, a chuck of retreating glacial ice lodged itself deep in the ground at what is now Volo Bog. Several thousand years later the remnant lake began to fill with salt and vegetation, creating the wetlands present today. The Volo Bog is technically known as a quaking bog because vegetation floats atop the open water….that is in the spring, summer and fall. The boardwalks you see here, take you directly over the frozen wetlands which are very near where you are stepping.
For more information, visit https://openlands.org/2018/06/05/have-you-discovered-volo-bog/
Best of the Midwest! Hiking - nature - photography 