Trail Review: White Pines State Park

I decided to do my first trail review on White Pines State Park, which is located between Oregon and Polo. I run at this park probably more than any other due to the fact that it is not too long a drive from  my house and I think it is just a blast to run due to the fact that it doesn't have long climbing (so you can put the pedal down if you want and not bonk) and it is easily the most technical running I know of in Northern Illinois. If you have a thing for tree roots, this is the place for you! There are some bluff areas, probably no more than 30 or 40 feet high, but still take care because the trails generally get more technical nearer these bluffs.



Holy tree roots, Batman! The Razor Back Trailhead


Razor Back Trail is by far the shortest trail in the park (about 1/2 mile) but one that I never fail to hit at some point during a run or hike. It has rooty, rocky climbs at each end and the trail skirts the bluff edge. It does have railings along a good portion of the trail, though. During the Spring and Fall when the leaves are off the trees it has in my opinion the best views of the valley and Pines Creek. It is 100 percent singletrack.




Rock steps at the Sleepy Hollow Trailhead


Hands down the coolest trail at the park! As you can see from the pic above, it begins with a boulder-ish short climb that brings you out on a root-infested ridge covered in pines. It also has several creek crossings. Most of this trail is fairly wide but like Razor Back, it gets very technical in spots and measures out at a little over one mile long. You can tell it is my favorite since there are more pics from this trail below.



ridge portion of Sleepy Hollow Trail



yep, that's my shoe giving some scale to some of the roots I am talking about

Fireplace thingy along Sleepy Hollow

Sunset Trail, Whispering Pines Trail, and Look Out Trail are all interconnected on the Northeast end of the park. Consisting of mostly wide track, they give a runner or hiker a chance to eat up some miles, and Sunset borders the bluff for aways, so watch your step on the roots.  Also on the East end of the park are the Red Squirrell and Grey Squirrell Trails, which can be accessed easily from up top at the Inn's parking lot or from down below at the tree identification area. You will find some singletrack on Sunset, but mostly this side of the park is nice wide trail. I usually park near the tree I.D. area and either begin at Razor Back or Grey Squirrell. That way I can ramble around and sort of circle the park and not do too much backtracking. I have gotten in some nice 7-8 mile runs without getting repetitive about it. If you shoot down some side trails into the valley and criss cross it a bit you could get in a real decent long run.

White Pines Trail Map.

Some other nice features of the park: There are four fords in the park, two you can drive through and two toward the rear of the valley that you can wade through. They feel damn nice on your feet after a run, let me tell you! Just be careful, they can be a bit slippery. If you want a camping experience, it's a cozy camping area with a suprisingly nice store that is part of the White Pines Inn. There are also cabins, though you have to reserve those well in advance. If you are just there for the day there are several shelters, a couple that are really neat little things. Although it is nice to have a park and it's trails almost to yourself, this is almost never the case at The Pines, it is a well visited little park with a lot of activity whether it be picnics, fishing, or what have you. Me and the family and some friends spent a night camping here last weekend and had a blast. Got in a good eight-miler with my wife and did a lot of relaxing!