Welcome to Hickory Grove Highlands
Hickory Grove Highlands serves as a refuge for northern Illinois wildlife, and provides visitors with opportunities for hiking and horseback riding through beautiful woodlands. Highlands also features interpretive trail signs, two picnic shelters, and a picnic grove. A section of trail is solar lit for part of the year so visitors can enjoy cross-country skiing or hiking in the evening.
History
Throughout the years the property changed hands and up until the 1950s the woodland continued to be grazed by cattle. The cattle nibbled on the undergrowth, keeping it from growing. The older trees that weren’t big enough to be sold as timber or small enough to be eaten by grazing cattle survived to grow up and become the large trees you see today. In 1974, 220 acres that make up Hickory Grove Highlands and Riverfront was acquired. Then, in 1979 the Lyons Family made a generous 332-acre donation, today known as Lyons Prairie and Marsh. Hickory Grove Conservation Area opened to the public in 1981. Subsequent land acquisitions adjacent the original parcels bring the combined open space to 812 acres of protected land.
Geoseries Question
Mink are voracious predators and will search out their prey in wetland habitats. Mink are known to kill their prey with a bite to the neck. What are some animals that mink will prey upon?
To learn how to participate in the GeoSeries and earn a special District geocoin visit MCCDistrict.org/Geocache
Geocachers
Please join us in playing! Geocaching is a high-tech “treasure hunting” game played throughout the world by adventure seeker. All are welcome who observe and obey the rules.
- Please do not move or vandalize the container.
- Once you find it, log your name in the book, take a trinket and leave one of your own behind for the next person.
- Replace the cache in the same spot that you found it, and make sure it is completely covered.
- Please do not remove the informational card from the containers, this is an essential game piece for cachers completing the GeoSeries.
- The real treasure is finding the container and sharing your thoughts with everyone who finds it.
For a complete list of rules and instructions on how to earn a special district geocoin visit MCCDistrict.org/Geocache
Email geocaching@MCCDistrict.org with any questions or concerns
McHenry County Conservation District Information
Visit our website at MCCDistrict.org or call (815) 338-6223
Photo Release
Photos posted here may be featured on the McHenry County Conservation District's various social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram, and twitter, as well as our website (MCCDistrict.org) and print material such as Landscapes Magazine. By posting photos to this log you agree to allow us to share your work. Photographers will be acknowledged in any shares or posts of photos, so please include your name in your post if it is different from that of your username.