Windfall Prairie -- Danville, IL (Vermillion Co.)

    Windfall Prairie Nature Preserve is located by Danville in Vermillion County (Illinois). It is one of the few hillside prairies remaining in Illinois. It is located within the Kennekuk County Park along with two other nature preserves: Horseshoe Bottoms with bottomland forest and Fairchild Cemetery with savanna. Other prairies and prairie restoration areas are located within the park as you enter through the gate or along the 7.5-mile Lake Mingo trail.
    Many common and uncommon prairie plants grow here. Gentians, milkweeds, quinines, compass plants, cup plants, prairie docks, rosinweeds, purple coneflowers, greay-head coneflowers, goldenrots, indian paitbrushes, purple prairie clovers, and many more. You can find little bluestem, indian grass, and side-oats grama there. Always watch out for poison ivy.
    ..(see photos below).

Basic Info

Area:    32 acres
Access:    Take Exit 210 from I-74, go east on 150 and turn left (north) on Co Hwy 1 (Henning Rd). Entrance is about 4.5 miles north on left side of Henning Road. Watch for a sign. Follow signs to a parking area at Lake Mingo Dam. Cross the dam and follow the trail. Pass a "Lake Mingo Trail" sign (go straight there, do not turn right) and you will see a sign for Collins Site and Windfall Prairie directing you to your left. Another sign will point you to your right. Enter the fenced-in preserve through a small gate.
Hours:    opens 5-8am and closes 4:30-11pm depending on season (check the official website below)
Activities: walking only; the Kennekuk County Park also offers picnicking, running, hiking, bird watching, hunting, boating/canoeing, fishing
Trails: a short guided trail through the woodlands along the prairie;18 miles of trails in the Kennekuk County Park. The Lake Mingo trail is a 7.5 mile loop.
Others:
Official WebsiteVermillion County Conservation District 

 

Photos

Picture
Windfall prairie overlooking Middle Fork River (Danville, IL)
 

More Photos