A great location to Explore
Nature Tourism

Fishing in Illinois

RiverBank Lodge is an excellent location for accessing a wide range of nearby nature-based activities. Want to know what the local's are up to? Visit the site of Prairie Rockets , they are the local Illinois Chapter of Quail Forever, and are working on a Restoration Project for nearby Oakford Conservation area.

Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish & Wildlife Preserve
Jim Edgar, a former Governor of the State of Illinois, established the nearby Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish & Wildlife Preserve (otherwise referred to as JEPC, or by many of the locals as “Site M”) in nearby Chandlerville, IL. Operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, JEPC is a 16,500 acre tract of land set aside to preserve the natural environment and offers plenty of nature-based activities. Some of these include Hiking (24 miles of trails), Fishing, Horseback Riding (26 miles of trails), Biking trails (24 miles of mountain bike trails, 10 miles of paved biking trails), Dark Sky Parties, and various other activities.

Visitors will find it useful to download the official trail map or visit the official JEPC website.

New Salem Park
While this State of Illinois owned and operated facility is best known as the home of Abraham Lincoln during an important phase of his life, it also has several self guided tours of the village and nature trails.  Interpreters are available for nature walks as well as historic and botanic canoe trips on the Sangamon River, which runs adjacent to the park.  The walking trails are relatively short, totaling 5 miles in length from several trails.

Emiquon State Fish & Wildlife Preserve
7,000 acres of levied farmland was purchased in 2000 by the Nature Conservancy with the goal of restoring the area to its condition when the European settlers discovered one of the richest fish and wildlife habitats in the U.S. The staff at the Emiquon office can explain this restoration process which has already resulted in increased traffic of migrating birds of numerous species.

RiverBank Lodge can arrange special group tours or you can visit their website here .

Chautauqua State Fish & Wildlife Refuge
Nearly 5,000 acres of carefully managed wetlands, floodplains and backwater lake habitat serve as an important resting stop for millions of migrating birds. The research station has carried on the study of several bird species and river ecosystems for over 125 years. Migratory water fowl, shorebirds, bald eagles, cranes and even pelicans are only part of the hundreds of species to be seen in the area. Chautauqua, along with its immediate neighbor Emiquon have been designated as a Globally Important Birding Area. We can arrange special tours, or you can visit their website here .