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White Pines Forest State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,576 Google reviews · Running trail in Mt Morris, Illinois · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from White Pines Forest State Park's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
385-acre forested park with a lodge & camping plus hiking, fishing, picnicking & wildlife.
What runners say about White Pines Forest State Park
“The trails are beautiful and the grounds are kept clean.”
“This park is beautiful and huge, it was lovely woods and a recreation area with campgrounds and picnic grounds too.”
“A wedding party kept pumping out loud music and drunken voices deep into the night well beyond the 10pm "quiet hours" restriction.”
The park itself is a solid 5 stars. The trails are beautiful and the grounds are kept clean. A day trip here for nature hiking is highly recommended. I have some bad news about the cabins, though. They look adorable and have a very cozy feel to them inside, too.
A very popular, northern Illinois state park known for quiet setting, camping amidst tall stands of white pines, nostalgic log cabins, a lodge restaurant serving top quality meals, and fords. Yes, fords!
This is one of our favorite places to come and hike. We went on a crisp fall day. The leaves were beautiful. There are multiple trails to hike with varying difficulty. They are not stroller friendly. I recommend downloading a map of the trails ahead of time so you can choose what you want to do.
What a wonderful forest preserve! They have benches, picnic tables, grills, hiking trails, rentable cabins, a gift shop, a restaurant and plenty of parking in a few different lots We really enjoyed the tree specimen area and walked this whole area to learn about the different trees in the area.
Trail conditions & character
“This park is beautiful and huge, it was lovely woods and a recreation area with campgrounds and picnic grounds too.”
“A wedding party kept pumping out loud music and drunken voices deep into the night well beyond the 10pm "quiet hours" restriction.”
“It’s better to climb the hill at the start than to climb the stairs in the middle.”
“Gas fireplace, spacious bathroom, television, fridge, coffee maker, etc.”
Plan your run at White Pines Forest State Park
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadrestrooms — reported by runners
- DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
- Stroller / wheelchairReported as smooth and step-free enough for a running stroller or a chair.
- Trail mapOfficial trail map
- Websitednr.illinois.gov
- Phone(815) 946-3717
- Social Instagram · Facebook
Hours
| Monday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Thursday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Friday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Saturday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Sunday | 6 AM–9 PM |
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