homer lake forest preserve

We love to take the dog and head out to Homer Lake for a nice walk in the woods along the shoreline. It is always peaceful and quiet and the trails are easy walking for folks of any age. In the fall the colors are especially beautiful. One of the nicest spots in the county.

This regional park offers pristine views of a small lake; thick forested hills with many easy hiking trails, covered and uncovered picnic tables many with build in grills, larger enclosed shelters available by reservation for large group events and a small nature center. Oh how I wish they rented canoes or kayaks but you can bring your own. Don't forget your fishing pole. This is a great family outing destination for those living in East Central Illinois. It is only 20 minutes from Champaign/Urbana. Bring a picnic, plan to hike and don't miss it when the leaves begin to change. If you are a cross-country skier this would be a great destination in the winter.

A good friend and I decided to leave Champaign and go on a weekend outing to Homer Lake. We wanted to get out of the city and do some hiking. He brought his awesome dog along and we drove for maybe 20 minutes. The preserve is a hidden forest among the corn fields and the lake is in the center of it. It's a beautiful lake and we enjoyed hiking a couple of the trails with varying lengths. The site is very well maintained with lots of places to park, restrooms and facilities. Many picnic tables are set around the lake shore, inviting many people to enjoy a picnic or a BBQ by the lake. Fishing is allowed and there are several ramps down to the water. We spent about 2.5 hours hiking and then went back home for lunch. It was a great excursion and we're glad to know this place exists in our backyard.