Forest Park Nature Center

While Forest Park Nature Center certainly doesn't have the greatest views out of some of the other hiking spots I've covered, it's still a great hike in the Peoria area that I'd highly recommend. 

What it lacks in views and scenic cliff overlooks, it more than makes up for with elevation gain and there are some surprisingly challenging trails within the park. My personal favorite is Wake Robin trail - it's rated as the park's most difficult trail with good reason! It has almost 700 feet of elevation gain in less than five miles so it's a nice workout.

You'll also run into quite a bit of wildlife where you're there - the nature preserve has quite a few very friendly deer and you'll often see groups of turkeys running around on the trail. 

Depending on the time of year, and if you're lucky, you might get the opportunity to see a doe and fauns. 

It's pretty easy to spend the entire day out here as the park offers seven miles of trails. You can also extend your time by hiking the nearby/connecting Pimetoeui trail that could take you all the way out to Detweiler Park in Dunlap, Illinois if you wanted. 

The park by itself is pretty great, but another added bonus is the nearby areas of Peoria Heights and Grandview Drive. Once you're done hiking, definitely take the 10-minute drive over to Peoria Heights for some more great food and drinks (12 Bar, Brienzo's Wood Fired Pizza, and Publik House, to name a few places), and drive over to Grandview Drive, park your car on a river overlook and watch the sunset. 

I can't recommend this park enough. While there's definitely bigger parks with better views out there, Forest Park Nature Center is only a quick 15-minute drive from campus and is a great workout with fun stuff to do in the surrounding areas. You won't find anything better without driving at least an hour to get there.