White Pines Forest State Park - Mt Morris, Illinois

Deanne C.

This is one of our favorite places to come and hike. We went on a crisp fall day. The leaves were beautiful. There are multiple trails to hike with varying difficulty. They are not stroller friendly. I recommend downloading a map of the trails ahead of time so you can choose what you want to do.

One of the coolest things is the option to drive over fjords to get to other parking spots. There are bridges for foot travel. A couple trails require water crossings over cement stepping stones that are a bit worn. But we think that is fun.

There is a restaurant and cabins one can rent. We have never done so but they look
Cute. We walked around the campgrounds just to see what they were like. Most sites do not allow for much privacy from neighbors and many are not flat so probably a good idea to scope out a site before choosing.

Overall one can spend the entire day hiking and exploring this park 🙂

Missy G.

There are several hiking trails that merge together. I used AllTrails app to track and navigate the trails. The stream crossing was a little challenging. Beautiful park.

Dave K.

Great park. Attended a stage performance with buffet lunch provided. The show, food, and service were all excellent. Hiking trails with various levels of difficulty. Cabins with gas fireplace and central air for rent. Large gift shop.

amy C.

What a wonderful forest preserve!

They have benches, picnic tables, grills, hiking trails, rentable cabins, a gift shop, a restaurant and plenty of parking in a few different lots

We really enjoyed the tree specimen area and walked this whole area to learn about the different trees in the area. Plus, there were quite a few birds, bunnies, and even frogs to watch in the same spot.

We overheard a conversation about the cabins that they are rentable one by one, or if you are throwing a party or wedding, they can all be reserved for the event.

If you have time to kill and want to be engulfed in the green forest, this is a great spot to visit.

Cheyenne _.

Only been here 2 or 3 times. Theres a lot of space and a lot of different areas. definitely be careful about getting lost if your new. Also sometimes the roads flood. Most cars can drive over the few inches but if you have a low or weak car and it's rained recently I would rethink your decision and find a different park!

Mark T.

Such a great park and only 45 minutes from home. It seemed like hours away as a kid. I would have given a 5 today but when I was heading to the mens room, a female staff member tending to the salad bar dropped the F bomb, she got burned by something.
Warm raspberry pie with vanilla ice cream was fantastic and I will have that again.
I had never been in one of the cabins and was fortunate enough to get permission to check one out for everyone. What a cool place to spend a night or two with someone special to you.

Brian O.

Lovely place to spend a day, or camp for a few. Restaurant at the old CCC Lodge has great food and atmosphere.
If you’re hiking the Sleepy Hollow Trail, follow the arrows. It’s better to climb the hill at the start than to climb the stairs in the middle.

Aaron D. T. (.

The park itself is a solid 5 stars. The trails are beautiful and the grounds are kept clean. A day trip here for nature hiking is highly recommended.
I have some bad news about the cabins, though. They look adorable and have a very cozy feel to them inside, too. As far as creature comforts go, these little cabins are packed with an impressive array. Gas fireplace, spacious bathroom, television, fridge, coffee maker, etc. We were underwhelmed, however, with the overall experience during our overnight stay. The fireplace in our cabin didn't work and the shower head was more like a leaky hose nozzle. We attempted to have a relaxing evening around the outside fire pit while looking at the stars, but that turned out to be impossible. A wedding party kept pumping out loud music and drunken voices deep into the night well beyond the 10pm "quiet hours" restriction. In addition to the noise, the wedding guests filled the entire area with smoke from cigars, cigarettes, and marijuana as they wandered around the cabins. At checkout time, the staff was far too hecticly busy to hear any of these concerns. We really want to give the cabi s another shot, but next time we'll know to ask about scheduled events and the functionality of amenities prior to booking. I recommend you do the same.