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Reviews for Middlefork State Fish & Wildlife Area
(click on name for more information)
Oakwood, Il

Overall TRAIL RATING with 7 votes:
Overall CAMP RATING with 5 votes:
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Individual Reviews

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Middlefork has GREAT WELL MARKED INTERSECTIONS. There is an updated map available and all intersections are clearly marked. This park is now very easy to ride at. This was all done in Septmember 2011 by a lady who has been riding at Middlefork for 30 years. It was her gift to this wonderful park. So come on over and enjoy the ride!!!!
Reviewed by: Denise Bingamon on 1/30/2012 8:08:37 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 9/21/2011 Hometown: Urbana, IL

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This is close to Danville. There are at least 30 campsites - primitive - gravel pads. Camp A is close to 2 vault toilets and has water. Camp C and D share 2 outhouses and a water spigot. There is a pavillion you can reserve for a party if you have a big group. The trails run from extremely difficult (some tough hills and crossings) to flat, easy meadow trails. There are tons of spots for cantering. Beautiful scenery - creeks, river crossing. But the maps are not easy to follow. If you want to explore - go with someone who knows the trails or don't wander too far from camp on a cloudy day. We could always find our way back with the sun out. Cheap! And they allow alcohol - if you don't get too crazy! Strict about the leash rule for dogs!
Reviewed by: Chris on 5/7/2011 6:28:46 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 11/2/2010 Hometown: Watseka, IL

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We have been riding here the past year many times. We bring our children to come and ride as well. There are alot of different kinds of trails to ride. You can ride easy open trails or go for the more steep rocky trails. Alot of variety. There are enough trails to ride that we still do not have the park memorized and get lost but we just turn the horses loose and they take us back :). They do have maps (which umm not good at reading) and some markings to give a general idea of location but they do need more detail and perhaps trail names for loops and ect. We have not camped here but plan to before the year is out. The only thing we would like is pens supplied for horses like some of the other campgrounds. Until then we will bring t-posts and our electric fencing. We enjoy our riding experience here and will continue to come back again, and again. When we finally decide to camp I will then write another review.
Reviewed by: Nichole on 10/5/2009 10:07:36 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 9/26/2009 Hometown: Watseka, IL

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A large group of us visited in September of 2008. Some of us have been there before, but it had been about 6 years or more. The trails have no markings and there are no trail maps. The trails have several other trails that branch off in all different directions. We decided to not return again until they posted the trails and marked them. The scenery was good and the trail conditions were great, but I would not recommend riding here unless you are a local rider and know all the trails.
Reviewed by: Dustin on 4/16/2009 10:41:29 AM
 Experience: Not Specified Ride Date: 1/1/2004 Hometown: Pontiac, IL

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Great palce to ride. All of us including the horses had cabin fever so when the weather warmed up we took a chance that some of the sandy trails would be rideable. It was a little soft, with a few muddy spots. The loop took us down along the river with long views of of woods and fields. The trail was wide enough for two people to ride alongside, and was mostly level with a few very gentle downhills. We stayed off the narrower trails in the woods because those take much longer to drain. We didn't want to ride the horses through deep mud or create deep holes. We pretty much had the park to ourselves which is nice. Also we didn't have the giant black flies that drove the horses crazy in July and August. This past fall we saw a lot of trail riders, but it never got to be a problem with 35 miles of trails. I can't wait until Spring!
Reviewed by: Anonymous on 2/11/2009 2:09:50 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 2/8/2009 Hometown: Danville, ID

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We ride at Middlefork often, since we only live about 7 miles south of the park. It is a great park for trail riding since there are several different types of trails to choose from. You can choose from flat trails(like small roads) to more difficult trails with steep hills and river crossings, to everything in between. The scenery is very beautiful when you take some of the more difficult trails. Most of the trails are in wooded areas, which is cooler and gives you shade when the weather is hot and sunny. Most of the camp sites are in shaded areas as well, but they are all primitive sites. When the weather is really hot, it would be great to have some electricity, so you can use a fan or air conditioner. The outhouses are clean. There is at least one fresh water spicket at each camping area. The head DNR(John Hott) and his staff are very polite. The hosts(The Gaskin Family) are a great group of people that are willing to help you with any questions you may have about the camp sites and the trails. We are with the Douglas County Mounted Search and Rescue team and have 1-2 trainings at this park per year. It is a great place for us to have these trainings since there are many different flat areas and wooded trails. All of these areas help keep us sharp and prepared for nearly any terrain that we may encounter during a real search. We would reccommend this park to anyone that loves to camp and hike, whether you have horses or not.
Reviewed by: The Long Family on 2/11/2009 10:24:59 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 8/15/2008 Hometown: Oakwood, IL

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we go hear alot,easy acess,plenty of trails, a good workout for our horses,primative camping plenty of wildlife,hope it doesnt close,,
Reviewed by: Dale on 9/30/2008 4:45:06 PM
 Experience: Not Specified Ride Date: 1/1/2004 Hometown: Monticello,, IL