Kickapoo State Recreation Area

UPDATE: The following areas of the park are CLOSED:

• Pond 6 Bridge over the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River.
  
• All Mountain bike trails following rain events are closed until they dry out.
  
• Mountain Bike Trails from the Monday before shotgun deer season until the Monday following muzzleloader season.
  
• All Activities until 1:00 PM except permitted turkey hunters, in open hunting areas during spring youth and regular turkey season.
  
• Mushroom hunting activities in nature preserves and land and water reserves.
  
• Areas posted notifying of a prescribed burn on the day of the burn.
  
• Sportsmans Lake Road, I-74 Loop, Fox campground, Erie campground, Redear campground and the Road to Inland Sea will be closed at first snowfall until spring.
  

Visitors Should Watch For: Low water crossing on 1180 E becomes slippery with algae, caution should be used, or the area avoided for walkers, bikes and motorcycles when wet.

Where in Illinois can you go running or hiking, canoeing, fishing for trout, camping, hunting or scuba diving -- all against a backdrop of breathtaking natural beauty? Kickapoo State Recreation Area near Danville in Vermilion County - easily accessible via I-74.

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. Twenty two 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. Lushly forested uplands and bottomlands along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River is habitat for birds, wildlife and wildflowers, while nature trails and running trails provide pathways to inspiration and physical fitness.

Kickapoo also features two major campgrounds for tent or trailer camping, with online reservations available at ExploreMoreIL™. Six day use areas provide facilities for picnics, with shelter reservations also available at ExploreMoreIL™.

Kickapoo owes its crystal clear ponds and luxuriantly forested ridges and hillsides to the regenerative powers of nature. During the past 50 years, trees and vegetation have reclaimed the former mined land. The state's 1939 purchase of 1,290 acres of mined lands from United Electric Coal Co. was largely underwritten with contributions collected from Danville area residents.​​​​​