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Illinois Photography Guide

Midwest · 174 locations

174 photo locations in Illinois — 48 state parks, 21 botanical gardens, 21 ghost towns, 14 national wildlife refuges and more — plus 8 National Park Service sites and golden hour times for 143 cities. Milky Way core season runs March–September (best in June). Aurora needs about Kp 6.5+ in central Illinois. Wildflowers peak around April.

Photo locations
174
NPS sites
8
Milky Way season
Mar–Sep
Peak bloom
April
Aurora
Kp 6.5+

Top photo locations in Illinois

CahokiaState Park
CahokiaMadison County
Dark Sky Place
Homer GlenWill County
Charles MoundMountain Peak
Charles MoundJo Daviess County · 376 m
Morton ArboretumBotanical Garden
Morton ArboretumDuPage County
Shawnee National ForestNational Forest
Shawnee National ForestPope County
Chicago Botanic GardenBotanical Garden
Chicago Botanic GardenCook County
Ladd ArboretumBotanical Garden
Ladd ArboretumCook County
Starved Rock State ParkState Park
Starved Rock State ParkLaSalle County
Chicago Harbor LightLighthouse
Chicago Harbor LightCook County
White Pines Forest State ParkState Park
White Pines Forest State ParkOgle County
Trail of Tears State ForestState Park
Trail of Tears State ForestUnion County
Kankakee River State ParkState Park
Kankakee River State ParkKankakee County

Browse by type

State Parks48Botanical Gardens21Ghost Towns21National Wildlife Refuges14Covered Bridges12Lighthouses9Lakes8Waterfalls7Fire Lookouts6Wilderness Areas6Natural Arches6Scenic Viewpoints4Beaches3Dark Sky Places2National Forests2Caves2Mountain Peaks1Canyons1Sand Dunes1

National Park Service sites in Illinois

Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National MonumentIL/MS
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National MonumentNational Monument
Springfield 1908 Race Riot National MonumentIL
Springfield 1908 Race Riot National MonumentNational Monument
Pullman National Historical ParkIL
Pullman National Historical ParkNational Historical Park
Lincoln Home National Historic SiteIL
Lincoln Home National Historic SiteNational Historic Site
New Philadelphia National Historic SiteIL
New Philadelphia National Historic SiteNational Historic Site
Lewis & Clark National Historic TrailIA/ID
Lewis & Clark National Historic TrailNational Historic Trail
Mormon Pioneer National Historic TrailIL/IA
Mormon Pioneer National Historic TrailNational Historic Trail
Trail Of Tears National Historic TrailAL/AR
Trail Of Tears National Historic TrailNational Historic Trail

Golden hour in Illinois cities

Chicago, ILPop. 2,664,452
AU
Aurora, ILPop. 200,661
Rockford, ILPop. 148,278
JO
Joliet, ILPop. 147,861
NA
Naperville, ILPop. 147,100
Peoria, ILPop. 115,070
Springfield, ILPop. 114,394
North Peoria, ILPop. 113,004
Elgin, ILPop. 112,111
WA
Waukegan, ILPop. 88,475
CH
Champaign, ILPop. 86,096
CI
Cicero, ILPop. 83,886

Night sky

Darkest skies in Illinois

Dark Sky Place
Middle Fork River Forest PreserveVermilion County
Cache River State Natural AreaState Park
Cache River State Natural AreaJohnson County
Dixon Springs State ParkState Park
Dixon Springs State ParkPope County
Scenic Viewpoint
Lookout Point Picnic AreaMarion County · 161 m
Ferne Clyffe State ParkState Park
Ferne Clyffe State ParkJohnson County
State Park
Big River State ForestHenderson County

Nature calendars

Scenic byways in Illinois

Map