Midewin NTP

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning Sunday, March 22, in areas just south of Hoff Road, to the east of the Hoff Road Trailhead. This will affect portions of the Twin Oaks Trail and Bailey Bridge Trail. Please follow all prescribed burn signage.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning Saturday, March 21, in areas around the River Road Trailhead. Due to the safety conditions in the area, the River Road Trailhead will remain closed throughout the duration of the burn.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning Friday, March 20, in areas to the south and east of Iron Bridge Trailhead. This will affect the Route 53 Trail, Henslow Trail, and the Group 63 Trail. Please follow all signage and stay out of the areas.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning near the Group 63 Trail and Twin Oaks Trail, as well as in the areas around Doyle Creek Thursday, March 19. Please follow all prescribed burn signage and stay out of the areas.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning near the River Road Trailhead on the west side, and Bailey Bridge Trail and Doyle Creek on the east side, Thursday, March 12. Please follow all prescribed burn signage and stay out of the areas.

Midewin NTP Welcome Center and Supervisor's Office will close today, Tuesday, March 10 at 3:00pm due to incoming severe weather.

[12:16 PM 3/10/2026] @NWSSPC has upgraded a portion of the area to a threat level 4/5 (Moderate Risk) for severe storms later today thru this evening, shaded in red on the map, which is for areas primarily south of I-80. #ILwx #INwx (1/3)

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning on the westside of the prairie near the River Road Trailhead, Prairie Creek Woods Trail, Blodgett Marsh Trail, and Jackson Creek, Monday, March 9.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning in the southeast corner of the prairie Monday, March 2, between the Chicago Road Cemetery and the Wauponsee Glacial Trail. Please follow all prescribed burn signage and stay out of the areas.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning in areas on the west side of Route 53 Saturday, February 28. Portions of the Henslow Trail may be impacted. Please follow all prescribed burn signage and stay out of the areas.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning along the Route 53 Trail, south of the bison pasture, and in areas around the Starr's Grove Cemetery, Friday, February 27. Please follow all prescribed burn signage and stay out of the areas.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning in areas near the Iron Bridge Trailhead, Twin Oaks Trail, and Bailey Bridge Trail, Thursday, February 26. The trailhead will remain open for public use, however please follow all prescribed burn signage.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burning along Chicago Road from the Hoff Road Trailhead south to Turtle Pond, Wednesday, February 25. This will include the seedbed area at Turtle Pond. Please follow all prescribed burn signage and stay out of the area.

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie celebrates its 30th Anniversary, February 10, 2026. For more information about Midewin NTP's history, check out our 30-year-restoration timeline. fs.usda.gov/r09/midewin/re…

Old Chicago Road Trail between the Hoff Road Trailhead and Turtle Pond will be closed for culvert maintenance, Tuesday, January 27 through Thursday, January 29. fs.usda.gov/r09/midewin/al…

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Midewin NTP welcome center will close at 1:00pm today, Monday, December 29. We apologize for any inconvenience.

In accordance with the Administration’s Presidential Action, our offices will be closed Dec. 24–26 in observance of the holiday. National forests and grasslands will remain open for your enjoyment.

Midewin NTP will be unable to sell interagency passes this afternoon, Monday, December 15. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, passes can still be purchased online at: recreation.gov/interagency-pa…

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct pile burning operations at multiple locations around Midewin NTP today. All operations are pending the outcome of initial test burns. Please follow all prescribed burn signage and stay out of the areas.

Midewin NTP's fire management team will conduct prescribed burns Monday, November 17 in the northwest corner of Midewin NTP near Jackson Creek. All operations are pending the outcome of initial test burns. Please follow all prescribed burn signage and stay out of the area.