Volo Bog State Natural Area

It’s a beautiful walk/​hike but a TON of mosquitoes so bring bug spray! We saw ticks on the bench along the way, so be careful of those too!

I love love LOVE coming here with my husband. Scenery is so beautiful, fall is the perfect time to go. The trails are long but not too difficult depending on which trail you choose. And if you ever catch sunset before they close at 6, it is breathtaking.

Easy trails with spectacular scenery– Volo is a short drive form the city but you’ll feel hours away. They have a nice visitors center with several displays.

I liked it in high school. I loved it in graduate school. I revere it as a parent.
Take your family there. Often

I have hiked here many times over thirty years. This is an Illinois treasure and a unique ecosystem. The melting of glacial ice has left a bog. Might we someday become the subject of a great PBS special when our very own bog man is found? Probably not. But come here anyway to enjoy the hiking, the nature watching, and the great outdoors. This is a fantastic birding spot, as well.

If you’ve never been to a bog, it’s about time you go. We spent a delightful afternoon walking through the bog and surrounding areas. In the welcome Center, you will find information about the type of plants in the bog area. We were able to identify most of those in the pictures. Including some very poisonous plants which appeared within easy access of touching. The trails are well-​kept and marked. The Volo blog is an exceptional view of nature at its finest.
If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, you will find the «Eye» of the bog is very interesting as it looks very similar to the marsh that Sam and Frodo had to cross. It doesn’t take too much imagination to see faces buried in the murky and dark waters.
I never realized the trees could grow on top of water. And that water is 50 feet deep.

This place was incredible and very unique. I had never been to a bog before (except passing some in Ireland where I wasn’t able to get out and explore). It was a peaceful place with lots of beautiful plants. I really liked the walkways through the bogs, but the outer trails around the forest and savannah were also very nice. I definitely hope to return.

I used to come here somewhat frequently as a kid, it was nice to be back. I guess everyone has their nature preferences, and to me the Volo Bog is a unique beauty. Stop by the visitor center first because it’s interesting to read up a bit on bogs before going out into it!
There are two trails, a .5 mile one and a 2.75 mile one, depending on how much time you have. There are boardwalks and trails that go through and around the bog so you get to be right in the middle of the water, grasses, flowers, and other plant life that can survive the environment. Frogs and turtles everywhere! Good for a stroll, hike, cross country skiing, what have you. People like to come here for artsy purposes as well.
Park closes at 8 or so, and the visitor center is something like 9 – 3 Wed.-Sun. (not 100% certain on days). Located somewhere off Route 12, I think it’s worth a visit.

It’s a nice drive here on Route 12 and the place is very nice and peaceful. We have only been on the 0.5 mi route but it’s still very nice — a couple years ago we saw some turtles in the pond and the tail of a beaver coming off the path. We just went today and saw a crane couple.

I love Volo bog! I bring my dog, go for a walk, run, or just go to relax. The scenery is pretty all seasons for the year which is the main reason I love this place! Running though it you go on a dirt path, though the forest, prairie, wetlands, everything! The path all the way around is 2.7 miles, perfect for a nice walk or run it twice for a good workout! Best part is it is NEVER crowded! :) they even have events too!

Took a little afternoon trip there today while visiting family. Great place to get outdoors and close to nature. Took the ‘Interpretive Trail’ around the bog. Keep your eyes peeled and you can find the carnivorous pitcher plants! Be sure to pick up the trail map with the descriptions for the interest points at the visitors center before starting out.

This place is unique! When I lived nearby I enjoyed going to Volo Bog for birding and easy hikes.
The plant species are very unique and the nature center has information pamphlets to guide you along the trail. There are list of birds that can be seen as well.

I love coming out here to be in Nature. It’s always amazing to see what you’ll find. Bring your camera along with you because there will be a zillion photo ops.

About 50 miles from Chicago, Volo Bog State Natural Area is great place to get lost in nature for a few hours. Stop in the visitor center that used to be a barn and silo for a map and a chat. Volo Bog has some of the most passionate volunteers I’ve ever encountered!
The Visitor Center is open W-​SUN, 9am-​3pm. Guided walking tours are given Sat and Sun, 11am and 1pm.
It really is worth it to start there, then do the short ¼ mile ring around the Volo Bog Interpretive Trail. There you’ll walk a wobbly boardwalk and be (this close) to falling in the highly acidic stew that is a bog! In fact, our docent told us a story about the farmer that used to own the land. He was missing about 16 head of cows, and it is believed that they fell or sunk in the bog, never to be found again. Check out a picture of the Bog Man in the upstairs of the nature center to see how truly preserving bogs can be.
The Tamarack View Trail is a great 2.8 mile trail that takes about 2 hours if you’re moseying. This trail will take you through a savannah, prairies, to the edge of the water of the bog itself, and through a Tamarack forest– young soft deciduous pinetree-​looking trees. I guess the Tamarack needles get quite golden in the fall, and are a sight to behold. This trail is also XC skiing friendly in the winter!
Also a sight to behold are the waterfowl that migrate here like sandhill cranes, heron, and the like. I also read that coyote, deer, beavers, and other mammals visit the bog area, but we did not see any. I loved my visit here, and can see coming to Volo Bog often!

no. they have trees and a tiny parking lot. thats about it. i’ll drive the extra 8 minutes and go to moraine hills.

I have a new acronym to toss around: PGV, or Prairie Garden Volunteer. I’ve returned to the bog in a new capacity as a volunteer. They recruit volunteer gardeners, who come out at their convenience to maintain a particular plot and to help with occasional seasonal work days. Being a woodsy and nature type, I enjoy this type of thing, and the bog remains a most unusual and attractive nature preserve for plants, animals and birds. (At least until the mosquitoes show up!)
I’ve also learned that the bog, as well as many other surrounding wetlands in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin are about to become a larger regional national wetland reserve which will have connecting trails through public and private properties and farmland. So you will be able to bike or hike from one the the other. The bog is pretty much teaming with new life in early summer, and it may be good to get out there before the bugs and hot weather arrive. Again, great place for kids, nice 2.75 perimeter trail to hike, and an attractive picnic area overlooking the bog. And for only $ 15 you can become a friend of the bog.
Maybe with all of my acronyms, I could get a job in healthcare. Or just print an impressive business card.
Jack P., PGV, SWM, OCD

Hike, kayak/​canoe, take flaura and fauna photography, bird watch, explore the great outdoors. Good for the whole family.
Bonus: historical site where chicago gangster Al Capone used to drop off bodies! Find out why he chose this location.

I just came home from a brisk late-​autumn hike at Volo Bog, which I found thanks to the Unilocal reviews, and felt I should chime in: this place is lovely.
The visitors center is very nice, and is staffed by friendly volunteers. When we arrived we were the only visitors, and a volunteer asked if we wanted to cast votes on the photo contest they were running. Why not? So we spent a few minutes walking through the classroom, which had amateur nature photographs along the walls. It was kind of a fun way to start the day.
Once our votes were cast, we went upstairs and read a bit about bogs. The exhibits are neat, and we didn’t get through all the educational stuff because we wanted to get outside — there’s a lot to read! The place has quite a few taxidermied animals around — something to be aware of if you’re bringing small kids in, as they might find them scary.
So then we got a map and a few suggestions from the volunteer, and headed off! The bog trail is almost entirely floating boardwalk, so it’s not the best for wee kids or folks who don’t have good balance. Also, dogs aren’t allowed on that trail. But if you can get out there, go. We saw quite a few waterfowl, woodpeckers, and other birds, and even in late autumn the trees and cattails are lovely.
We then hiked the perimeter trail, which is a bit less than 3 miles. This was such a nice hike, and the free map and guide we took with us explained a few of the changes in plant and animal life along the trail. It was so quiet that the racket of a group of ducks taking off from the water sounded startlingly loud! We passed a few other hikers — everyone was friendly — but most of the time we were on our own.
In the brisk weather, this was just long enough of a hike that we were happy to get in the warm car at the end. We loved the place, though. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for some peace, quiet, fresh air and waterfowl.

Volo Bog is a great place to explore and spend a day. They have a .5 mile bog floating trail, and a 2.75 wooded hiking trail. Both trails are great for exploring and seeing nature.
Some Notes:
The bog trail is not at all good for children or less able adults. Currently this trail is quite unstable. People with balance problems will be unable to hike this trail! Sections of it are in very bad shape due to the Blago years of abuse.
The visitor center is also barely open due to the Blago years of abuse. Like all state parks, bring your own water and hike with someone. Be prepared!

Ten years ago I had never seen a bog. They were things out of fairytales that I’d read about and could only dream of. Then I moved up here and my partner and I found Volo Bog like five minutes from our house. This place is all about things that shouldn’t exist around here but do: like Sandhill cranes and Tamarack trees which are both endangered here in Illinois. And have you ever seen a pitcher plant in the wild? It’s unreal!
There’s a 2.5 mile wooded hike that’s a great way to spend an hour or two. I’ve walked it a hundred times maybe more just thinking, gathering my thoughts, working things out. We’ve been there on a late summer evening for an astronomy workshop (I never saw Saturn that clearly before). I once had a mink come out of the water, walk right up to me and sit down two feet in front of me. I’ve seen coyotes grinning at me and watching me from back in the woods (A bit unnerving!) And one Xmas eve, my lover and I walked the bog in the grey dusk while it was gently snowing. The bog was frozen and we walked the floating walkway amidst the winterberry that was all in bloom. The berries were shockingly red against the delicate snowflakes. A light seemed to glow from the bog as the sunset behind the dark grey clouds. The whole place was deserted because It was so close to Xmas. It’s one of my favorite memories.
There are things I love about Chicago. Things I drive down for all the time. But Volo Bog and other parks like it up here are one of the main reasons why I don’t miss the 30 years I spent growing up and living in the crowded city with its one way streets, traffic congestion, screeching tires, parking meters and that thankfully small but vocal group of sarcastic, pretentious small-​minded and provincial pricks who are afraid to ever venture past Western Avenue.