Illinois Beach State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park |
|
|---|---|
|
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
|
|
 |
|
 Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park
Location in Illinois
|
|
| Location | Lake County, Illinois, United States |
| Nearest city | Zion, Illinois |
| Area | 4,160 acres (1,683 ha) |
| Established | 1948 |
| Visitors | 1.2 million (in 2015) |
| Governing body | Illinois Department of Natural Resources |
| Designated: | 1980 |
| Official name: Chiwaukee Illinois Beach Lake Plain | |
| Designated: | 25 September 2015 |
| Reference #: | 2243 |
Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park is a special place along Lake Michigan. It is part of the Illinois state park system. You can find it in northeast Illinois, near towns like Winthrop Harbor and Zion.
This park is very important! It's part of a bigger area called the Chiwaukee Prairie Illinois Beach Lake Plain. This whole area is a globally recognized wetland. It's special because of an agreement called the Ramsar Convention. The park itself covers about 4,160 acres. It also has over six miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.
At the park, you can do many fun things. People enjoy boating, swimming, and hiking. It's also great for bicycling, camping, and watching birds. You can even have a picnic there! While the beach is famous, the park also has other cool areas. These include sand dunes, wetlands, open prairies, and black oak savannas. A part of the park is a special nature preserve. It was named a National Natural Landmark in 1980. This means it's a very important natural site in the United States.
Contents
Park History: How it Began
The park was created step by step. The state of Illinois started buying pieces of land for it in 1948. The northern part of the park was added later. This happened between 1971 and 1982. Before it was a park, this northern area was a training place. It was called Camp Logan, Illinois for the Illinois National Guard. During the American Civil War, Camp Logan was a camp for prisoners of war.
Understanding the Park's Geology
The park sits on a unique landform called the Zion Beach Ridge Plain. This plain is about 3,700 years old. It has curvy ridges and low, wet areas called swales. The ridges are home to black oak savanna trees. The swales are mostly wetlands.
Over many years, this plain has slowly moved south. Sand from the northern part of the beach washes away. This sand then travels south along the shore. This movement is called littoral drift. The sand then builds up on the southern part of the beach. This process creates the curved ridges and swales you see today.
The northern part of Illinois Beach State Park faces a lot of erosion. This means the land is washing away quickly. Building North Point Marina in 1989 made this erosion worse. Sometimes, the shore can erode by as much as 60 feet in a year! When Lake Michigan's water levels are high, the erosion gets even faster. Since 2014, the lake has had very high water levels. This has caused the park's shoreline to change rapidly.
Visiting the Park: Access Points
You can usually get to the beach from a parking area on its north side. This northern area is often the busiest in summer. If you walk south, the beach becomes less crowded. About a mile south, there's an inlet leading to a wetland.
Sometimes, a sand barrier might block this inlet from the lake. Depending on the weather, the water inside this barrier can be much warmer. Lake Michigan itself can be quite cold until August!
How the Park is Managed
Different groups help manage Illinois Beach State Park. The South Unit of the park is not inside a town. So, the Lake County Sheriff's Department provides police protection. The Beach Park Fire Department handles fire and medical emergencies. The city of Zion supplies water to this area.
The North Unit of the park is in Winthrop Harbor. This town provides police and fire services for that part. Both units are also under the care of the Illinois Department of Conservation Police. Zion also provides water service to the North Unit.
Images for kids
-
North view of public beach section
-
Prickly pear cactus in the dunes of the southern beach, winter 2019
-
Wetlands in winter near Dead River
