COON CREEK (IL)

This facility overlooks the lake shore and is heavily forested with plenty of shade. Oak and hickory are the lake region's dominant tree species, and foliage turns a variety of red, orange, purple and yellow each fall, while prairie flowers dot the landscape in spring and summer. Numerous species of songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors inhabit the lake area, as do mammals such as cottontail rabbit, white-tail deer, gray and fox squirrel, muskrat and mink.

Recreation: Lake Shelbyville offers a multitude of fishing opportunities for catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, muskie, walleye, white bass and bluegill. Coon Creek provides a boat ramp, and for those without a boat, several ponds with farmed fish are available around the lake. Hunting areas within a short drive offer numerous game species, including quail, rabbit, pheasant, deer, dove, turkey, waterfowl and woodcock. Visitors can also explore the lake shore on foot via a 0.7-mile Hide N Seek at Coon Creek nature trail within the Campground. The trailhead can be located across from the amphitheater near the main shower house.

Nearby: Eagle Creek State Park, Little Illini & Chief Illini Hiking Trails, the city of Findlay, and Forrest Park in Shelbyville all provide great opportunities to explore Lake Shelbyville. The nearby Hunter & Fishermen Parking Lots, Woods Lake Waterfowl Refuge and Okaw Bluff Wetlands Complex are popular locations for wildlife watching, birding, and hunting near Lake Shelbyville.