We, the people, own 16 gorgeous state parks in the 13-county Northwest Quarterly Magazine coverage area in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. See if you can match the name of the park with its description. And, by all means, take time to get out and enjoy these bastions of natural beauty and recreation this season! You own them! No peeking — answers are posted below.
Quiz Choices
A. Apple River Canyon State Park
B. Big Foot Beach State Park
C. Blue Mound State Park
D. Castle Rock State Park
E. Governor Dodge State Park
F. Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park
G. Lowden State Park
H. Mississippi Palisades State Park
I. Nelson Dewey State Park
J. New Glarus Woods State Park
K. Rock Cut State Park
L. Shabbona Lake State Park
M. Tower Hill State Park
N. White Pines Forest State Park
O. Wyalusing State Park
P. Yellowstone Lake State Park
Quiz Questions:
1. _____ This park was named for the rock formations left standing after blasting operations in the mid-1800s.
2. _____ When you visit this park, you won’t need to bring bug spray. A large population of brown bats keeps the mosquito population in check.
3. _____ This park is situated next to a national landmark cave, and has the highest elevation in southern Wisconsin.
4. _____ Indian Head and Twin Sisters are two of the national landmark formations in this park, which also has treacherous sinkholes and overlooks the point where the Apple River joins the Mighty Mississippi.
5. _____ This state park is unique because it has a (privately run) lodge, log cabins, a restaurant and dinner theater.
6. _____ St. Peter sandstone lies beneath most of Illinois, yet it only surfaces in a few places. This park is one of them. Here, a large, sandstone rock rises up between the Rock River and Highway 2 in Illinois.
7. _____ This park was once home to a famous colony of artists, called the Eagle’s Nest. Artist Lorado Taft, who sculpted The Eternal Indian (commonly called Black Hawk statue), was among them. The park was named for a late state governor.
8. _____ The first and only man-made lake in Illinois that’s designed specifically for fishing, is in this park.
9. _____ This Wisconsin park was named for the state’s first governor. It’s not far from Dubuque, Iowa, and offers lovely vista views of the Mississippi River.
10. _____ Glaciers never covered the land in this park, which means it’s rich with fossils. A winding river has cut through the limestone, dolomite and shale in this driftless area, so that massive cliffs now rise high above the water and canyons have formed. Unique springs, streams and wildlife are here.
11. _____ Three battles of the Black Hawk War took place near this park, which takes its name from the Latin word for “water” and a nearby town.
12. _____ The 23-mile Sugar River Trail is directly accessible from this park, which is located near a Wisconsin town known for its Swiss roots.
13. _____ This enormous Wisconsin state park was once home to Ho-Chunk American Indians, lead miners and farmers, before the state bought it and named it after a governor.
14. _____ Situated in the heart of lead mining country, this park is the site of a restored lead shot tower and melting house developed in the 1800s by Daniel Whitney to produce firearm ammunition. Lead balls were made round by rolling them down long chutes of tall towers.
15. _____ Spectacular majestic views of the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers are enjoyed from 500-foot-high bluffs in this park.
16. _____ You don’t have to be a rich tycoon to enjoy the banks of Geneva Lake from this state park in Walworth County, Wis., which offers plenty of camping space.
Quiz Answers:
1. K Rock Cut
2. P Yellowstone Lake
3. C Blue Mound State Park
4. H Mississippi Palisades
5. N White Pines Forest State Park
6. D Castle Rock State Park
7. G Lowden State Park
8. L Shabbona Lake State Park
9. I Nelson Dewey State Park
10. A Apple River Canyon State Park
11. F Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park
12. J New Glarus Woods State Park
13. E Governor Dodge State Park
14. M Tower Hill State Park
15. O Wyalusing State Park
16. B Big Foot Beach State Park