The Apple River of northwest Illinois rises in extreme southwestern Wisconsin. Flowing southeastward through the Driftless Area (see The Wisconsin Ozarks), it enters Apple River Canyon State Park some 25 miles east of Galena. There it slices through a ridge of Silurian dolomite and then angles to the southwest, passing Elizabeth, Illinois, and flowing through Hanover before reaching the Mississippi.
On this beautiful spring day in Illinois, we drove to Apple River Canyon State Park, where the river merges with Clear Creek and exposes scenic walls of dolomite. Five trails lead through the forest, along the river and atop the bluffs; while they surely offer spectacular vistas in winter, the dense foliage of May obscured our view in most areas and our visit was a bit disappointing.
As experienced hikers know, State Parks and Nature Preserves vary widely in the quality of their trail networks and in the access they provide to natural wonders. Then again, nature can manage just fine without human-friendly facilities and, in fact, her welfare is often threatened by the crowds that they attract. Her beauty exists whether we witness it or not and if we pick the wrong season to view a canyon, well, that's our problem!
On this beautiful spring day in Illinois, we drove to Apple River Canyon State Park, where the river merges with Clear Creek and exposes scenic walls of dolomite. Five trails lead through the forest, along the river and atop the bluffs; while they surely offer spectacular vistas in winter, the dense foliage of May obscured our view in most areas and our visit was a bit disappointing.
As experienced hikers know, State Parks and Nature Preserves vary widely in the quality of their trail networks and in the access they provide to natural wonders. Then again, nature can manage just fine without human-friendly facilities and, in fact, her welfare is often threatened by the crowds that they attract. Her beauty exists whether we witness it or not and if we pick the wrong season to view a canyon, well, that's our problem!
