Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Parks Directory of the United States / National Grasslands

Address: 30239 S SR 53
Wilmington, IL 60481
Phone: 815-423-6370;
Web: www.fs.fed.us/mntp
Size: 19,165 acres.
Location: Northeastern Illinois, 40 miles south of Chicago. Accessible by I-55 and IL 53. Nearby cities/towns include Elwood, Joliet, Manhattan, and Symerton.
Facilities: Trails, picnic areas, hunting blinds (é).
Activities: Hunting, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, bird watching, guided tours, interpretive programs.
Special Features: Nation's first federally designated tallgrass prairie. Former Army ammunition production site (Joliet Arsenal) where TNT was manufactured between 1940 and 1976. Midewin is the Potawatomi word for healing, an appropriate name for the site, which requires extensive environmental cleanup and restoration. The area is not open to unescorted public, but educational and recreational facilities are being developed.

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See other parks in Illinois.