Top 11 National Parks in Chicago with Beautiful Attractions

Chicago's immense conserved green spaces and beautiful architecture are just two examples of the city's splendour.

World-famous amazing works of art exist, like this computerised fountain in Millennium Park. There are abstract works of art, monuments, and murals on numerous Chicago streets almost wherever you look!

Chicago's immense conserved green spaces and beautiful architecture are just two examples of the city's splendour.

World-famous amazing works of art exist, like this computerised fountain in Millennium Park. There are abstract works of art, monuments, and murals on numerous Chicago streets almost wherever you look!

Explore the Top 11 National Parks in Chicago

1) Indiana Dunes National Park

Indiana Dunes National Park, spanning a 15-mile stretch of Lake Michigan, is a national park in Chicago, and is both the sole national park in Indiana and the most nearby to Chicago.

The park's lovely sandy beaches and excellent opportunities for bird watching make it a well-liked vacation spot on the Great Lakes.

Close to the beaches are several breathtaking dunes that can reach heights of 200 feet. There are additional blowouts, mountains, and sand valleys to explore.

You can stroll across prairie landscapes, bogs and marshes, woods, and oak savannah alongside these beautiful dunes.

2) Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

Not just the birthplace of Herbert Hoover, the site also incorporates his childhood home and even his grave, which are all preserved within the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.

The location spans more than 100 acres and has several historic structures, such as the Hoover family cottage, a school, a blacksmith shop, and a Quaker meetinghouse.

3) Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Abraham Lincoln's former neighbourhood and home are preserved at the “Lincoln Home National Historic Site”, which is situated on Route 66 in St. Louis, Illinois, some 200 miles from Chicago. It is close to several furnished apartments in Chicago.

He resided here between 1844 and 1861 before serving as the US’ 16th President.

The historic Lincoln residence, which was also the only home Lincoln ever owned, is in the centre of this magnificent park. It is among the best national parks near Chicago.

4) Ice Age National Scenic Trail

A footpath of 1200 miles called the Ice Age National Scenic Trail traces the route of the last glaciers which previously covered most of the United States. Prairies, Forests, river valleys and wetlands are just a few of the stunning and varied environments that the trail traverses.

Geologists originally started researching the area's glacial characteristics in the 1930s, which is when the Ice Age National Scenic Trail was first established. It had a team of environmentalists and hikers under the direction of Ronerson R.

5) Effigy Mounds National Mountain

Effigy Mounds National Monument is among the most significant national parks containing Native American historical sites in the central United States, preserving no less than 200 prehistoric mounds.

This area is situated along the Upper Mississippi and was known for its cultural heritage of building many of these mounds in the form of animal effigies.

They resembled typical animals of the grasslands and woodlands, such as bison, bears, birds, deer, mountain lions and lynx. There were also linear and rectangular mounds alongside these animal-shaped mounds. Their purpose has never been made apparent.

6) I & M Canal National Heritage Area

The “Illinois and Michigan Canals" along with its neighbouring towns are all included in the “I & M Canal National Heritage Area”, which is a region in north-eastern Illinois.

A special fusion of historical, cultural, and natural resources makes up the heritage area, which tells the tale of the canal and how it contributed to the settlement and growth of the area.

The Illinois General Assembly authorised the construction of the canal to link the Mississippi River with the Great Lakes in the 1820s, which is when the I & M Canal's history began. After it was finished in 1848, the canal was used for about 90 years to move people and products around the area.

7) River Raisin National Battlefield Park

The only national battleground that protects a War of 1812 location is “River Raisin National Battlefield Park”, which is in southeast Michigan. It is located around 270 miles east of Chicago.

This intriguing battlefield site honours and explains the conflicts that took place in the Monroe and Wayne counties in January 1813. It protects the location of the “Battle of Frenchtown”, during which a coalition of British and Native Americans killed 387 American men and captured another 547.

8) Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

More than 40,000 acres of varied terrain including beaches, forests, cliffs, and waterfalls, make up the park.

The park is named after the brightly coloured sandstone cliffs that flank Lake Superior's shore, which were produced by mineral deposits and are clothed in beautiful shades of red, orange, blue and yellow. The cliffs offer breath-taking scenes of the lake and the surroundings as they soar as high as 200 feet above the water.

9) Pullman National Monument

To honour the Pullman Palace Car Company, a former industrial complex and one of the biggest employers during the late 19th century as well as the early 20th century, the Pullman National Monument was declared a National Monument in 2015.

George Pullman established the Pullman Palace Car Company in 1867, and it swiftly rose to prominence as the most significant as well as the most prominent manufacturer in the nation. The business was well-known for its opulent railway sleeping cars and transformed American train travel.

Pullman built a replica of a company town on Chicago's South Side in 1880 to accommodate his workers and their families. It is among the first planned communities of the country and the town was intended to be a self-sufficient community with houses, churches, schools, parks, and other amenities.

10) Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore

A protected region known as Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore can be found in Michigan on the lake's eastern border.

The park is renowned for its magnificent natural beauty and deep cultural heritage. It spans over 71,000 acres of varied landscapes, including woods, dunes, lakes, and rivers.

A Native American tradition describes a mother bear along with her two cubs being carried away by a massive flood and floating on a raft of downed trees until they reached the beach of Lake Michigan. This is how the park got its name. When the mother bear tried to climb to the peak of a nearby dune to forage for food, the cubs went up the dune looking for her. This incredible story is the lifeblood of this destination.

11) Gateway Arch National Park

One of America's newest national parks, Gateway Arch National Park, was renamed and reclassified in 2018 after being referred to as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. It is situated in the heart of St. Louis, close to the Lewis and Clark Expedition's 1804 departure point.

It is the country's smallest national park and the only one to not safeguard a natural area.

Nevertheless, it is a very important location in the history of the country. In a way, this is the only authentic "urban national park" in the nation, even though there are several other National Park Service locations in cities.

If you have plans to visit Chicago and are looking for furnished apartments, TheSqua.re is your ultimate guide. You will find many apartments near beautiful parks and other places of interest.