There’s plenty of beauty across Illinois, from the southern part to the northern part and everything in between.

Plenty of that beauty comes at state parks.

According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois has 135 state parks; 28 parks and areas are located in West Central Illinois. State Parks tend to be open from 7 a.m. to sunset unless listed as closed on their respective website on DNR.

Here’s a look at the 10 most visited state parks in 2023 according to IDNR. The estimates are based on a 12-month calendar year by visitation and guests per car.

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10. Fort Massac in Massac County

Number of visitors: 953,000

What: Overlooking the mighty Ohio River from the southern tip of Illinois, this majestic location has been preserved and maintained since 1908, when it became Illinois’​ first state park. The nearly 1,500-acre park is perfect for picnics, camping, hiking, fishing, boating, and seasonal hunting programs.  The park also has an 18-hole disc golf course. The fort is a reminder of days gone by and a good place to take a step back in time to breathe in the natural surroundings as people did over a century ago. The park is also home to special events that bring to life Colonial and early American history, including the popular Fort Massac Encampment festival each October.

9. Frank Holten in St. Clair County

Number of visitors: 991,000

What: Within view of the St. Louis Gateway Arch, Frank Holten State Park is an ideal destination for outdoor recreation in an urban setting in East St. Louis. The 1,080-acre St. Clair County park features the 18-hole Grand Marais Golf Course, two lakes for outstanding fishing, and plenty of open space for picnicking and other outdoor fun. The site is named for the late Frank Holten, who served the region in the Illinois General Assembly for 48 years.

8. Clinton Lake in DeWitt County

Number of visitors: At least 1 million

What: Clinton Lake State Recreation Area in east central Illinois can fit just about every outdoors activity into its 9,300-acre site. The 4,900-acre lake and outstanding fishing are the primary draws, with accessible boat launches at the Mascoutin and West Side Access Areas, a fishing pier at the Spillway Access Area, and bank fishing at Valley Mill. With over 3,600 usable acres for archery and deer hunting, hiking trails follow the long shoreline toward campgrounds with over 300 campsites.

7. Rock Cut State Park in Winnebago County

Number of visitors: 1.1 million

What: Rock Cut State Park is aptly named – being chiseled directly out of the rocky landmarks and hills of northern Illinois. Rock Cut’s 3,254 acres include two lakes: Pierce Lake with 162 acres, and Olson Lake with 50 acres. Both offer a retreat for people wanting to fish, ice fish or ice skate. The park’​s hiking trails, horseback riding trails and cross-country skiing and wildlife watching, as well as seasonal hunting programs, make it a year-round recreation destination.

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6. Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area in Franklin County 

Number of visitors: 1.32 million

What: Overlooking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’​ 19,000-acre Rend Lake Reservoir, Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreational Park is Southern Illinois’ biggest outdoor area with countless ways to outdoorsmen to enjoy nature’s pleasures. A large contributor to the visitations is the hunting season programs, which attract thousands annually.  Rend Lake is well-known as an outstanding sport fishery for white and black crappie and a dog training field for dog sporting. 

5. Kankakee River State Park in Kankakee County

Number of visitors: 1.3 million

What: On land first treasured by the Native tribes to the region, Kankakee River State Park offers visitors its proud heritage in an unspoiled setting. Anglers, canoeists, hunters, campers, hikers, bicyclers and other outdoor enthusiasts find the park’s recreational opportunities unsurpassed. The naturally channeled 11 miles of the Kankakee River is listed on the Federal Clean Streams Register and is the focus of the 4,000-acre park’s popularity.

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4. Kickapoo State Recreation Area in Vermilion County 

Number of visitors: More than 1.3 million

What: Since the state’s purchase of the land in 1939, trees and vegetation have reclaimed the former mined land. Once a turn-of-the-century surface mining operation, Kickapoo State Recreation Area’s 2,842 acres now provide an outdoor playground with something to appeal to every member of the family. The park offers 22 deep-water ponds, ranging in size from 0.2 to 57 acres, provide a total of 221 acres of water for boaters, canoeists and anglers.

3. Hennepin Canal State Trail spanning five counties

Number of visitors: 1.9 million

What: There are plenty of picnic tables along the 104.5-mile linear Hennepin Canal State Trail spanning five Illinois counties from Rock Island to Whiteside. The trail was first constructed in 1892 for the historic Hennepin Canal, the first American canal built out of concrete without stone cut facings. The towpath provides 155 miles of hiking/biking fun from the Illinois River to the Rock River, with the feeder canal path to Rock Falls. Segments of the trails are open to horseback riding and for those looking to plan ahead – snowmobiling is a must in the winter.

2. Illinois Beach State Park in Lake County

Number of visitors: 2 million

What: It makes sense why Chicago is such a popular city; skyscraping city lines that touch the clouds down to the transit system which buzzes across the golden coast right past Illinois Beach State Park, a gem in northern Illinois. The park is the only remaining beach ridge shoreline left in the state, with dunes and swales, sprawling marshes, forests of oak and vast arrays of animal life on its 6.5-mile stretch along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. More than 650 species of plants have been recorded in the dunes area alone, including dozens of types of colorful wildflowers. The 4,160-acre park, consisting of two separate areas offers ample opportunities for swimming, boating, picnicking, hiking, fishing, camping and simply appreciating nature.

1. Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County

Number of visitors: More than 2.3 million

What: As Illinois’ second state park ever established in 1911, the park’s beautiful 18 canyons soar above heads with moss coverings on sandstone, formed by glaciers of bygone eras past.

Previously used by the Hopewellian, Woodland, and Mississippian Native Americans who thrived in the region, in 1673, French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jesuit missionary Father Jacques Marquette passed through the area on their way up the Illinois from the Mississippi River. In 1682 however, the French would return to build Fort St. Louis atop Starved Rock for its strategic position. 

More than 13 miles of trails allow access to rain-fed waterfalls, sandstone overhangs, and spectacular overlooks. 

The Starved Rock Visitor Center is open year-round, and the 1930s-era stone and log Starved Rock Lodge offers luxury lodging, cabin rooms, and fine dining.

Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for The State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@gannett.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted

CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law Monday that expands insurance coverage during and after pregnancy with the goal of lowering infant and maternal mortality rates, especially for Black Illinoisans.

The law requires insurers that provide state-regulated health care plans to cover pregnancy and postpartum services for covered individuals, including midwife services, doula visits, and lactation consultants for up to 12 months after the end of a pregnancy. Licensed or certified midwives will need to be covered by insurance providers starting 2025, while all other outlined services must be covered by January 2026.

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Pritzker, who was joined by advocates and sponsors of the bill, Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, and Sen. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, said the state still has more work to do.

“The broad issue of maternal health, it’s not been done adequately even in some of the best hospitals, when we talk about women of color, in particular,” Pritzker said. “We’ve got to change the way this system operates.”

Collins said this is not a localized problem but a pervasive one.

“We understand that lives are on the line,” she said, “from Chicago to rural southern Illinois, women across every community, every zip code: they face unexpected complications during pregnancy and without the coverage of insurance, are faced with life-threatening complications that are preventable.”

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said the birth equity initiative is an extension of reproductive care.

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“It bolsters our administration’s belief that no government should decide when or if a family grows and ensures that when families do expand, both mom and baby have access to the care they need,” Stratton said.

Stratton noted the bill signing happened the same day Iowa’s six-week abortion ban took effect.

“I have to acknowledge how darkly ironic it is that we celebrate Illinois’ work to empower women, as our neighbors to the west woke up this morning with even fewer rights than they had last night,” Stratton said.

Gabel, who introduced the legislation in February, said the United States as a whole needs to try to make pregnancy safer.

“It is shocking that the wealthiest nation that has ever existed in this world has this problem,” she said of the country’s drastically high maternal mortality rate. “It must and will be addressed.”

The preterm birth rate in Illinois, one of the leading causes of infant death, has increased over the past decade, according to March of Dimes, a nonprofit aimed at improving the health of babies and mothers in the U.S.

The latest March of Dimes report card for Illinois gave the state a ‘D+’ preterm birth grade for a preterm birth rate of 10.6 percent, which, based on preliminary numbers, equates to about 13,000 preterm births in 2022. The country also received a ‘D+’ grade.

Jeanine Valrie Logan, a midwife and leader at Chicago Beyond, the philanthropic organization hosting the signing ceremony, expressed her vision of a society where Black women are continually cared for and kept safe, well beyond pregnancy and childbirth.

“I also envision them not only being safe in their pregnancy and postpartum but also their whole lives,” Logan said. “It saddens me to think about Sonya Massey and all the other families that are grieving now for senseless killing and preventable childbirth trauma.”

Medicaid to cover more services

Pritzker and many of the same lawmakers at the birth equity signing later celebrated a federal waiver that expands the number and scope of services the state can cover under Medicaid. The 1115 waiver allows such things as housing, food and nutrition services, and violence intervention services to be reimbursed by the health care program that serves low-income individuals and is jointly funded by the state and federal governments.

“We are using it to direct Medicaid resources toward initiatives that address the root causes of health inequalities such as housing, food insecurity, unemployment, violence prevention, reentry from prison settings, substance use treatment, and more,” Pritzker said.

The waiver took effect earlier this month. Federal approval means there are more matching funds from Washington that will now be available for programs in Illinois.

The five-year waiver is part of federal rules that allow states to stretch their Medicaid programs, and test new programs and delivery models.

One of the focus areas in the waiver is prerelease services for incarcerated people. State leaders said those who are Medicaid-eligible will be able to get help from case managers, including medication-assisted treatment, prescription medicines and medical supplies.

State lawmakers cheered the expansion as well, pointing to ongoing work to bring equity to housing, healthcare and more.

“I fully understand that we cannot advocate for people to live strong, healthy lives without addressing social determinants of health and the inequitable outcomes they result in,” Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, said. “With a focus on quality, innovation and equity, I’m excited this waiver will allow our state to tackle interconnected issues like housing, health and food security, fostering a more holistic care system where everyone can get the treatment they need.”

Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Elizabeth Whitehorn said she hopes to improve overall health in vulnerable populations. The agency expects it will take several months before all eligible programs are fully included in the expansion and available to residents.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.

CHICAGO – Illinois Lottery players who tried their luck in Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing should double check their numbers.

A winning $1 million winning Mega millions ticket was purchased for the July 26 drawing at Casey’s, located at 5965 Columbia Parkway in Rockford, according to Illinois Lottery officials.

The ticket matched all five numbers in the Friday night drawing to win the $1 million prize. The winning numbers were 2-14-33-58-65.

Casey’s in Rockford is also a big winner as they’ll receive a bonus of one percent of the prize amount, or $10,000, for selling the winning ticket.

Over 23,000 winning tickets were purchased by Illinois Lottery players for the Friday night drawing, lottery officials said. Two other $1 million winning tickets were sold in California and New Jersey, according to officials.

The next Mega Millions drawing is Tuesday night at 10 p.m. CT. The jackpot is worth an estimated $331 million.

The winner has one year from the date of the winning draw to claim their prize. Illinois Lottery officials encouraged all winners to write their name on the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place until they’re ready to collect their winnings.