Illinois Beach is one of the most popular Illinois state parks, offering camping, hiking, and swimming on 6.5 miles of shoreline. But it also boasts over 650 species of plants and a widely varied topography, and is a favored rest area for migrating birds. The park, located near the Wisconsin border in Zion and Winthrop Harbor, was established in the early 1950s; it now includes over 4,100 acres split into a Southern Unit and a smaller Northern Unit.
