A strip mine in east-central Illinois has pulled off one of the more surprising comebacks in American outdoor recreation. Kickapoo State Recreation Area, just west of Danville near the Indiana border, was surface-mined for coal from around 1850 until 1939 — and is even credited as the birthplace of commercial surface mining. When the state bought the scarred land in 1939, partly funded by Danville locals, it became the first coal mine in the country converted into a public park. Nearly a century later, those mining pits have filled with water and turned into more than 22 clear ponds and lakes spread across 220-plus acres, alongside the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River.

The headline draw for many visitors is scuba diving — rare for an Illinois state park. Certified divers can register ahead of time and explore the cold, high-visibility water of the Inland Sea or Sportsman's Lake, where rock formations, dense pond weed beds and the occasional leftover mining relic await. It's an unusual freshwater diving option in a landlocked state, suitable for a range of experience levels.

Above the surface, the park works hard in every season. Paddlers rent kayaks and canoes on Clear Lake, while anglers go after bass, bluegill and sunfish (an Illinois fishing licence is required). Come autumn, over 1,000 acres open to hunters pursuing white-tailed deer, quail and rabbit, also with proper licensing. Hikers and bikers have a network of trails at various difficulty levels — the Clear Lake Trail loops past "Spooky Hollow," a hilly stretch of forest known for faces carved into tree trunks and dependable fall colour. Campgrounds run seasonally from May through October.

One timing note: parts of the Vermilion River will stay closed through autumn 2026 while a riverbank stabilisation project is underway, so paddlers should check what's open before planning a trip.

There's history here too. The land takes its name from the Kickapoo tribe, whose word is said to relate to "red bud," a plant along the river. Settlers first came for the salt springs; the tribe was forcibly removed, and salt and later coal mining followed. The park's recovery — from industrial wasteland to wildflower-filled springs and busy summers — is part of what makes a visit satisfying.

For travellers, Kickapoo is an easy add-on to a Midwest road trip. It sits between Danville and Champaign-Urbana, about 45 minutes from the latter, which has the nearest commercial airport (University of Illinois Willard, CMI). Pair it with better-known Illinois stops like Starved Rock State Park, often called the "Grand Canyon of the Midwest," for a genuinely varied itinerary through a state that gets unfairly written off.

Story via Explore.com