Chain OLakes State Park

About Chain OLakes State Park

In nearby Rome City you can visit one of the most beautiful and scenic lakes in the United States, the Chain O'Lakes State Park. There will be eight interconnected lakes where you can paddle, paddle, paddle, cycle, canoe or even swim in just a few hours. The Lakeland is a small boating paradise and can be visited in less than an hour by car or boat from the city of Rome, south of the city centre.

The lake is mainly made up of freshwater bogs and deep peat deposits, and the last of the Illinois glaciers was deposited on a slightly sloping moraine hill that rises up to 200 feet.

Chain O'Lakes is a blend of oak and hickory hardwood, and nature lovers will find a rich selection of wildflowers in spring, summer and autumn. The park is also rich in colours, which attract numerous visitors in autumn, such as red, orange, yellow, pink and orange trees.

American Lotus once covered Grass Lake almost completely in summer, but the lake still covers an area of Lotus and attracts large crowds year-round, including boat trips.

Around 200 hectares of restored native prairies provide breeding habitats for grassland bird species.

Some of the wildlife you are likely to encounter in the park are the blue heron, the great white shark and many other bird species.

The Chain O'Lakes region was inhabited for thousands of years by the central Algonquin tribe before the Europeans arrived in the area. A list of almost 200 birds identified in the park can be viewed in each park office.

The dominant tribes in the region at that time were the Miami, Mascouten and Potawatomi. Indian groups led a semi-mobile lifestyle, growing corn and collecting wild plants as fodder. After crossing the Fox River to explore Illinois, the Joliet Marquette crossed what is now Chain O'Lakes State Park.

French trappers and traders were among the first Europeans to explore the area, and in the 1930s a warehouse for the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) became the Chain O'Lakes Conservation Area. In 1945, it was declared a national park when the state of Illinois made it part of the US National Park Service. The first European settlement was on a large hill that towers over the prairie and was once a lookout for Indians.

The land originally belonged to a farmer who received it as part of a land grant in 1843, and in 1957 the land was incorporated into a state park. In 1969 the Nature Conservation Authority bought the farm and the park and over the years it has been visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors and their families.

The cottages offer privacy and comfort in the forest, overlooking the lake, river and stream, as well as a variety of animal and plant species and picturesque views.

There is no fee for starting a boat in the park, but electric towing is allowed and all boats used in one of the Chain O'Lakes are subject to a charge. Boats used on the lake, river, stream, stream, lakeside or in one of the cottages can be used by yourself or a group of friends, family members and / or visitors to this park.

Stickers are available at the parking concession stands and on the jetty, stickers in the parking lot.

The park has a number of picnic areas, picnic tables, a picnic table and picnic area, as well as picnic benches.

Playground equipment must be kept, such as play equipment for children under 5 years of age, as well as play equipment and play equipment.

Groups of 25 or more must obtain written permission from the park office for picnics, and accommodation requires a reservation and a $25 fee.

Chain O'Lakes has four ways: The Nature Way is 2 km long and starts at the Oak Grove picnic area.

The Pike Marsh North picnic area is a path designed specifically for disabled users and has a length of over half a mile. The park also has two picnic areas, one for adults and two for children under 5 years.

Near Rome City, you can visit the Chain O'Lakes State Park Cycling Course, a 6 km long cycling and walking trail that can be accessed from the park entrance on the south side of the city, just outside downtown Rome. Visitors can bring their own horses to enjoy the course, as well as bicycles, hiking, cycling and horseback riding.

The Chain O'Lakes State Park Cycling Course is accessible from the park entrance on the south side of the city, just outside downtown Rome.