GPS Coordinates:
N 40.47652; W 89.94776
Site Access:
Free; Fee
Handicap Accessible
Parking
Amenities: Restrooms; Canoeing; Boating; Fishing; Camping; Picnic
Directions:
From the intersection of SR 78/N Main St. and SR 9/W Locust St. in Canton, go east on SR 9/E Locust St., following SR 9 for 8.0 miles to US 24 in the town of Banner. Go southwest (right) on US 24 for 3.3 miles to Rice Lake on the left.
Description:
Owned and operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Rice Lake wetland complex is composed of 5,660 acres featuring numerous shallow floodplain lakes and bottomland forest habitats. These forested areas feature large, mature stands of American elm, silver maple, cottonwood, and black willow, often lined at the edges with native hibiscus colonies. Check the expansive mudfl at near the north boat launch for Great Blue Herons, Ringbilled Gulls, and assorted plovers and sandpipers.
Mature planted specimens of tulip poplar, black cherry, and other hardwood trees surround the lake's headquarters. Here, right across from the headquarters' small marina, visitors can study the large baldcypress tree, which is probably one of the northernmost specimens of its kind.
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456 Fulton Street, Suite 300, Peoria, IL 61602 - 1 (800) 747-0302
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