The Dune Hike in Illinois That Everyone Should Take at Least Once

It’s risky, I know, choosing hiking shoes for a dune hike in Illinois. The last time I dared myself to trudge through the sand, I poured out a sole-full of sand every five steps. But I’ve learned not all dunes are alike. The Braidwood Dunes, hidden in northern Illinois, don’t border a sea or Lake Michigan. Instead, they are subtler dunes, with their glacial sands mixed with soil, tossed beneath rugged, mostly green terrain. I’m taking the Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Loop, an easy 0.7-mile hike within the Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Nature Reserve in Wilmington, Illinois. But I’m not here for the sand, or lack thereof; I’m here for the cacti and the six-lined racerunner, the ornate box turtle, lupine, and prairie phlox.

Where This Dune Hike In Illinois Is and Why It’s Worth It 

Here, there’s a real chance to see some special and surprisingly native species you wouldn’t expect to find in Illinois. It’s also near the famous Route 66, and the small town of Braidwood, where one of my favorite ice cream shops in the Midwest, the Polk-A-Dot Drive-In, is located. The Braidwood Dunes are not well known, but they are ecologically significant, unique, and rare. The sand prairie dunes are described as crescent-shaped, ranging in height from 3 to 10 feet, and mostly covered in savanna grasses. The dunes are interesting and all, but it’s the broader ecosystem that intrigues me. The Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Loop is a gentle walk along a grassy trail with sandy soil, mostly open, with bursts of marsh and woodland.

The Features You Won’t Want to Miss: Lizards and Turtles

If you are looking for a good sand dune hike, Illinois has many, but this is the one to pick if you’re interested in seeing endemic species. You can see a lot of prickly pear cactus along the trail, but please remember not to pick it, and follow the preserve's hiking guidelines. It’s part of the delicate ecosystem here and is enjoyed by animal residents, including moths and beetles, rabbits and deer, turtles, snakes, and birds. I like to look for the six-lined racerunner, a whiptail lizard with vibrant blue, green, and yellow coloring during mating season (between April and June). And the ornate box turtle. The racerunner is most active at dawn and dusk, and the turtle is easiest to find during the warmer parts of the day, usually mid-morning to late afternoon. 

What It’s Like to Hike This Trail

The Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Loop is what I call a photographer’s trail, a scenic hike in Illinois that causes you to pause and look down rather than up at impressive vistas. The best part of this dune trail is at your feet, and I spend more time standing and squatting than actually moving when I’m here. You could waltz through this trail in 30 minutes or less, but if you’re dazzled by wildlife scurrying between cacti, wild lupine (purple wildflowers), and wild columbine (red wildflowers), give yourself two or three hours to soak it all in.

This easy hiking loop at Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Nature Preserve is clearly a contender for the most unique hikes in Illinois. There aren’t many places you’ll find glacial sand dunes, bursting with desert life, like lizards and cacti, just minutes from Route 66. It’s worth the detour, so grab a dipped cone at Polk-A-Dot-Diner and give this Illinois sand prairie the pause it deserves.