VoloBogStateNaturalArea����

Just45milesnorthwestofChicagoisastatenaturalareafeatur-ingthestate’sonlyquakingbogwithanopenwatercenter.VoloBogowesitsexistencetoglacialactivity,asdoestherestofthelandscapeofnortheasternIllinois.AstheWisconsinglacierbeganitsfinalstagesofmeltingor“receding”thousandsofyearsago,itdepositedablanketofdebris,includingclay,sand,gravelandboulders,collectivelycalledglacialtill.Embeddedinthetillwerelargechunksoficethatbrokeoffthemeltingglacier.Asthecli-matecontinuedtowarm,theiceblocksmelted,formingdepres-sionsthatdevelopedintolakes,bogsandmarshes.

VoloBogwasatonetimeadeep,50-acrelakewithsteepbanksandpoordrainage.Accordingtoresearcherswhohavestudiedpollengrainspreservedinthebog,thelakebeganfillingwithveg-etationabout6,000yearsago.Afloatingmat,consistingprimar-ilyofsphagnummoss,formedaroundtheoutsideedgesamongthelake’scattailsandsedges.Astheseplantsdiedanddecom-posed,thepeatmatthickened,formingsupportmaterialforroot-edplants.Becauseofpoordrainageandthepresenceofsphag-nummoss,thewaterinthebogbecameacidic.Thislimitedthetypesofplantsthatcouldsurviveandresultedintheuniqueplantcommunitiesfoundinthebog.

VoloBogwasfirstdocumentedbyW.G.WatermanofNorthwesternIllinoisUniversityin1921whenitwasownedby

dairyfarmerGeorgeSayer.Afund-raisingcampaign,managedbyCyrusMark,thefirstdirectoroftheIllinoisChapteroftheNatureConservancy,collected$40,000indonationstopurchasethe47.5-acrebogin1958.DeededtotheUniversityofIllinois,thelandfacedthethreatofdevelopmentinthelate1960s.Localres-identsformedthe“SaveVoloBog”committee,whoseeffortsresultedinthetransferofVoloBogtotheIllinoisDepartmentofNaturalResourcesin1970.Thatsameyear,itwasdedicatedasanIllinoisNaturePreserveandin1973wasregisteredasaNationalNaturalLandmarkwiththeU.S.DepartmentoftheInterior.Throughtheyears,morethan1,000additionalacreshavebeenpurchasedtoprotectandenlargethestatepreserve,whichnowincludesmarshes,prairierestorationareas,wood-landsandtwootherbogs.

VisitorCenter����

Arenovateddairybarnbuiltintheearly1900sservestodayasavisitorcenter.ItsdisplaysandexhibitsexplainbogsingeneralandhighlighttheinnerworkingsofVoloBog.Thebuildingalsohousesaclassroom,naturalhistoryreferencelibrary,parkoffices,publicrestroomsandabook/giftshop.Thevisitorcenterisopen9a.m.to3p.m.WednesdaythoughSundayandsomestateholidaysexceptChristmasandNewYear’sDay.

Programs����

Anexcellentoutdoorlaboratoryandclassroom,VoloBogoffersawidevarietyofeducationalprogramming.Asiteprogramcoordi-nator/naturalistisonstafftoassistgroupsinplanningprogramsandtours.GuidedpublictoursofVoloBogareconductedSaturdaysandSundays.Abroadspectrumofspecialevents,tours,lecturesandworkshopsareheldthroughouttheyear.Groupsshouldscheduleprogramswellinadvance.

NaturalFeatures����

VoloBogissignificantinthatitexhibitsallstagesofbogsucces-sion.Afloatingmatofsphagnummoss,cattailsandsedgessur-roundsanopenpoolofwaterinthecenterofthebog.Assub-stratematerialthickens,ashrubcommunitydominatedbypoisonsumacandleatherleafinvadesthemat.Thisiseventuallyreplacedbytamarackforest.Surroundingthisforestisasecond,moreextensiveshrubzone,whichabruptlyendsandbecomesamarsh/sedgemeadowcommunity.

EachseasonbringsitsownbeautyandwondertoVoloBog,andseasonalvisitsallowforobservationofawidevarietyofplantandanimallife.Inthespring,fernfiddleheadsrevealtheirbeautiful

Picnicking � � � �

A picnic area, featuring tables, a shelter with grills, and an out-door privy, is adjacent to the visitor center parking lot. Groundfires and alcohol are strictly prohibited anywhere in the park.

For more information, contact Volo Bog State Natural Area, 28478W. Brandenburg Road, Ingleside, Ill. 60041, (815) 344-1294.

Recreational Trails Program � � � �

This trail brochure was made possible due to funding provided bythe Federal Highway Administration through the RecreationalTrails Program (RTP).Monies are funded through the FederalMotor Fuel Tax and administered through the Recreational TrailsFund Act. Trail projects are supported by the federal government,which provides up to 80% reimbursement of cost. State fundsprovide the balance of the funding for the projects. The trails pro-gram encourages trails management practices to serve a widevariety of trail users.The program is administered in Illinois by theDepartment of Natural Resources in cooperation with the IllinoisDepartment of Transportation.

Exotic Species � � � �

Plants and animals not native to Illinois are exotic species. Mostof them are harmless to our state; however, some can be veryinvasive to native plant communities and can overwhelm or wipeout native species. Prevention and control of exotic, invasivespecies requires tremendous cooperation between managersand all users of parks, natural areas, and privately owned land.To learn more about exotic and invasive species and how youcan help prevent their spread, visit the IDNR Exotic SpeciesWebsite at: http://www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/ExoticSpecies/exoticspintro.htm.

State of IllinoisIllinois Department of Natural Resources

Volo BogS T A T E N A T U R A L A R E A

Volo Bog State Natural Area28478 West Brandenburg Road

Ingleside, IL 60041, (815) 344-1294

Volo BogState Natural Area

� While groups of 25 or more are welcome and encouraged to use thepark’s facilities, they are required to register in advance with the siteoffice to avoid crowding or scheduling conflicts.

� At least one responsible adult must accompany each group of15 minors.

� Pets must be leashed. No pets on the Volo Bog Interpetive Trail.

� Actions by nature can result in closed roads and other facilities. Wehope you enjoy your stay. Remember, take only memories, leaveonly footprints.

� For more information on state parks, write to the Department ofNatural Resources, Clearinghouse, One Natural Resources Way,Springfield, IL 62702-1271 visit our website at www.dnr.state.il.us.

� For more information on tourism in Illinois, call the Illinois Departmentof Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Bureau of Tourism at1-800-2CONNECT.

� Hearing-impaired individuals may call the Department of NaturalResources’ TTY number, (217) 782-9175, or use the AmeritechRelay Number, 1-800-526-0844.

Equal opportunity to participate in programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) andthose funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies is available to all individualsregardless of race, sex, national origin, disability, age, religion or other nonmerit factors. If you believeyou have been discriminated against, contact the funding source’s civil rights office and/or the EqualEmployment Opportunity Officer, IDNR, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271;(217) 785-0067; TTY (217) 782-9175.

Printed by the Authority of the State of IllinoisDNR75 –100M –11/09 • IOCI 0319-10

�

Keep Your Eye on Every Issue ofOutdoorIllinoisDNR’s monthly magazine provides currentnews and articles on hunting, fishing andother outdoor recreational activities, aswell as information on the natural and cul-tural resources of Illinois.

A one-year subscription is only $15, andeach December you’ll receive a full-color

calendar featuring important outdoor dates and events. To sub-scribe, contact DNR at (217) 782-7454. The TTY number for thehearing impaired is (217) 782-9175.

fronds.Bogbuckbean

andleatherleaf

bloomin

abundance.Agreatvariety

ofsongbirds,waterfowlandwading

birdsstop

byas

theymigrate

northto

theirsummernesting

areas.

Asspring

moves

intosum

mer,the

orchidsappear,including

thedelicate

grasspink

androse

pogonia.Great

blueand

greenherons,

sandhillcranes,white-tailed

deer,mink,

muskrat,

rac-coons

andmany

othersmallercreatures

areoften

observed.

Fallisone

ofthemostdram

aticseasons

andfeatures

thegold

ofthe

tamarack

needles,thered

ofpoisonsum

acand

thegreens

ofsphagnum

moss.

Winteris

agood

timeto

identifytrees

andshrubs

bytheirbark.

Thebrightred

berriesofthe

winterberryholly

andmaroon

leavesofthe

leatherleafareastriking

contrasttothe

brightwhitenessof

thesnow-covered

ground.Animaltracks

inthe

snowprovide

evi-dence

oflifein

thebog—

muskrat,weaseland

rabbitsmake

theirhom

esin

thepreserve.Periodically,when

seedavailability

tothe

northis

small,crossbills

willvisitthebog

andcan

beobserved

crackingopen

tamarack

cones.

Trails�

��

�

VoloBog

InterpretiveTrail:Designed

forhikersonly,this

half-mile

interpretiveloop

leadsvisitors

througheach

stageofbog

succession.Itisconstructed

ofwooddock

sections,boardwalksand

awood-chipped

path.Trailbrochures,adaptedforeach

sea-son,are

availableatthe

visitorcenter.

Tamarack

ViewTrail:This

3.0-mile

isdesigned

onlyfor

hikingand,when

thereis

aminim

umsnow

baseof6

inches,cross-country

skiing.Aspark

visitorstraverse

throughwoods,wetlands,

fieldsand

prairie,theyare

giventhe

opportunityto

observethe

diversenaturalcom

munities

withinthe

park.Fromhighereleva-

tionsalong

thetrail,they

canlook

intothe

VoloBog

basinand

viewtam

aracktrees,which

arelisted

asathreatened

speciesin

Illinois.Thetrailbegins

southeastofthevisitorcenterand

goescounterclockwise.It’s

especiallyadvisable

tomove

inthis

direc-tion

whenskiers

areon

thetrailto

avoidaccidents.

LincolnRoad

BrandenburgR

oad

Rt.134

U.S. 12U.S. 12

BigH

ollowR

oad

McHenry County

Lake County

McHenry County

Lake County

BayR

oad

SullivanLake

Road

Tamarack

ViewTrail

PrarieRidge

Trail(.9m

i)

DeerPathTrail(1.1

mi)

VoloBog

InterpretiveTrail

VoloBog

NaturePreserve

PistakeeBog

NaturePreserve

PistakeeBog

NaturePreserve

OP

–Observation

Platform

OT

–Observation

Tower

OB

–Observation

Blind

OT

OP

OB

PRIVATE

PRIVATE

PRIVATE

PRIVATE

Pond

Pond

ONLY

Pond

��Vo

lo B

og

State N

atural A

rea

60

134120120

McHenry

Volo

Fox Lake

Brandenburg Rd.

Sullivan Lake Rd.

12��

12�� Vo

lo B

og

State N

atural A

rea

NO PETS

Park Offices/Visitor C

enter

Park Boundary

Restroom

s

Parking

Interpretive Center

Interpretive Trail

Picnic Area

Cross-C

ountry Skiing

Hiking

Dog W

alk

Tamarack View

Trail (2.75 M

iles)

Volo Bog InterpretiveTrail (.5 M

ile)

Direction of X/C

Skiing

Leg

end