Lowden-Miller State Forest

About Lowden-Miller State Forest

Nestled in the Rock River Valley, south of the town of Lowden-Mills, Pennsylvania, is a 2,291-acre forest area that includes the Lowell-Millen State Forest, the largest forest of its kind in North America. The scenic quality comes from the 3.5 mile long river bank, which is wooded with hardwood pines. Over several decades, an estimated 500,000 trees were sown directly under the supervision of the state Department of Natural Resources and the US Forest Service.

Since 1992, the tract has been known as Lowden - Miller State Forest, but some call it the Sinnissippi Forest, which was derived from the name of its original owner, Lowell - Millen State Park.

The soil is only partially used for harvesting, but there is a large and diverse farm that includes a variety of plants such as corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, cotton, rice and oats.

Lowden experimentally planted white pine and other tree species to see what would grow productively. The first planting of white pine was made here in 1910 and is considered the oldest in the state.

During his 1916 campaign, Lowden insisted that he wanted to serve only one term as governor, preferring to return to his farm and forest. The governor's love for the country transcended his desire to remain in political office. In his biography Squire Sinnissippi, G. Lowden wrote: "I like to think of the state forest as a place where children, children and their children gather in the old trees until they become dust planted by their own hands.

The governor remained an enthusiastic student of forestry throughout his life and in 1938 invited the new forestry department of the University of Illinois to conduct research into the development of the forest. The forest served as a field laboratory for the university while Sinnissippi was developed, and the governor and his son, G.G. Lowden Jr., remained active in the department.

The Lowden-Miller State Forest, named after the family, now covers 2,291 hectares, and the state of Illinois acquired the 1,186 hectares of woodland in June 1992. In 1993, G.G. Lowden Jr. and his wife Ann sold 1,039 acres to the state and in 1993 to their daughter, L.M. Miller. Although their land was offered for sale rather than seeing the land divided up and reallocated for development, they said they had achieved their goal of preserving the area as an actively managed forest and preserving its beauty for future generations.

There are no camping sites in the Lowden - Miller State Forest, but the area offers hunting grounds for deer, squirrels and turkeys. However, there is no need to be responsible for day-to-day operations, as the State Forest Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) offer a variety of activities for those interested in camping, hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities in the forest.

The Lowden - Miller State Forest has been well-maintained - well-maintained trails, and all trails are open year-round - except during the day - hunting season. For more information about the closure of Castle Rock State Park, please visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) website.

There are six parking spaces available to the public and information on the website is available for each property. The parking lot at Castle Rock State Park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except weekends.

Lowden - Miller State Forest is located on the east side of the Illinois River, south of Rockford, Illinois. Take I-90 to travel east from Chicago, Highway 64 to Rockman West, 15 miles to Oregon and I / 39 to travel 20 miles from Rockton, IL to South IL on H Highway 64, or take I-90.

Turn left at the first light onto Daysville Rd and then go one mile on Nashua Rd, then turn left and turn right and go two miles to the entrance to the park.

Heading west on I-88, take Exit 97 to Rochelle, IL, follow this to the Interstate 35 exit, then exit at the intersection with Interstate 40. Take Highway 64 15 miles to Oregon and then I / 39 North to Interstate 75 and exit on Interstate 80.

Head south on Highway 26 to Dixon, IL, take IL Hwy 26 and take the exit at the intersection of Interstate 35. Take ILHwy 2 North to I-88 and then take Interstate 75 to Interstate 80 and take the Interstate 40 Exit.

From Oregon, take IL Hwy 64 East to Rock River and then follow the above directions south on I-88 to Interstate 80 and take Interstate 40 Exit at the intersection of Interstate 35.

From Oregon, take IL Hwy 64 to Rock River and follow the above directions to the State Forest. From Dixon, IL, take I-88 east to Interstate 40 and exit at Dixon to Highway 26 North West to Dixon IL. Take IL Rt 2 North for 15 miles to Oregon and then head north on Interstate 35 to the intersection of Interstate 80 and Interstate 70.