North Dunes Nature Preserve Zion, IL 60099

"North and south beaches under construction Climate changed pilot project courtesy of JB Pritzker and the most expensive IDNR project in history $73 million dollars. The main trailhead is blocked off due to JB Pritzker beach “improvement projects” which aren’t happening due to the freezing temperatures however, will not be completed until October/November 2024. The project involves 250,000 tons of rock and 430,000 cubic yards of sand . They have forever changed the natural topography of the lake by adding huge piles of rocks creating a group of rock walls. Have been going here for years and the rocks piles off shore are an eye sore. They are there probably to prevent beach erosion and stop rip currents. It’s obviously a liberal attempt at passing laws and bills to stop “climate change”. Will not be visiting again. You can thank JB Pritzker for the group of rock piles. You don’t find man putting rock walls off the coast in GA, MA, MI, ME, CA, or TX to prevent erosion. You don’t see rock piles dumped off of Cape Cod National Seashore or Lake Champlain or Lake Huron. The nuclear water towers that used to divide the north and south beaches have since been torn down since 2019. The decommissioning of the nuclear power plant was completed 2023. What would make more sense is to take some the rock project money and renovate the old run down vacant dilapidated bathhouses and attractions that used to show signs of beach life. Oh wait - Pritzker priorities - “climate change” over restoring history is more important."

"A lot of the photos posted here are not accurate to where it is pinned on the Map. Follow me on maps for more photos of state parks and forest preserves that are accurate to pinned places. Now on to the review. It has great bike trails with lots of different wildlife. It is peaceful and quiet very scenic. I can't get enough of the Illinois State Beach Park North and South. I Love it!"

"Beautiful place to ride a bike."

"Beautiful and quite spot. You can take wonderful pics there. It's very nice place to take a walk, spend some time with family or just sit there and listen the lake."

"North Dunes Nature Preserve is a fantastic place for birding, walking, riding a bike, and a unique beach. The sugar white sands of Panama City Beach, FL, it ain't...but it is a very cool beach for combing. When the water warms up a bit it's a great place to wade or swim in the shallows. The beach is as much gravel as sand and the lake bottom has many smooth stones of various sizes. Hard to walk into the surf if you're barefoot BUT if you'll wear some swim boots you can have a ball. On calm days the water is very clear and snorkeling in 3-4 feet of water can be loads of fun; just checking out the bottom. The beach at North Dunes abuts the beach of Hosah Park which is a Zion Park District park. I love to walk my dog the length of the beach, probably a thousand yards and let him fetch and retrieve. I love it and if you're looking for a quiet beach with lots of adjacent trails, this just might be for you."