Kickapoo State Recreation Area — Sauk Loop Non-Electric

Where in Illinois can you go running or hiking, canoeing, fishing for trout, camping, hunting or scuba diving -- all against a backdrop of breathtaking natural beauty? Kickapoo State Recreation Area near Danville in Vermilion County - easily accessible via I-74. Once a turn-of-the-century surface mining operation, Kickapoo State Recreation Area's 3,971 acres now provide an outdoor playground with something to appeal to every member of the family. Twenty-two deep-water ponds, ranging in size from 0.2 to 57 acres, provide a total of 221 acres of water for boaters, canoeists and anglers. Lushly forested uplands and bottomlands along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River is habitat for birds, wildlife and wildflowers, while nature trails and running trails provide pathways to inspiration and physical fitness. Kickapoo also features two major campgrounds for tent or trailer camping, with online reservations available here. Six day use areas provide facilities for picnics, with shelter reservations also available here. Kickapoo owes its crystal clear ponds and luxuriantly forested ridges and hillsides to the regenerative powers of nature. During the past 50 years, trees and vegetation have reclaimed the former mined land. The state's 1939 purchase of 1,290 acres of mined lands from United Electric Coal Co. was largely underwritten with contributions collected from Danville area residents.