Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park, part of the Illinois state park system, is located along

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

in northern Lake County in northeast Illinois. Together with lands to the north, including Chiwaukee Prairie, it forms the ''Chiwaukee Prairie Illinois Beach Lake Plain'', an internationally recognized wet-land of importance under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

. The park is broken into two units that encompass an area of and contains over six miles of

shoreline. In 2010, it was renamed for former state senator

Adeline Geo-Karis Adeline Jay Geo-Karis (March 29, 1918 – February 10, 2008) was a Republican politician and a member of the Illinois Senate for the 31st District, where she served for over 25 years.

. Recreational activities at the park include boating, swimming, hiking, bicycling, camping, bird watching, and picnicking. Known primarily for the beach, the park also includes

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

areas,

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

, and black

oak savanna An oak savanna is a type of savanna—or lightly forested grassland—where oaks (''Quercus ''spp.) are the dominant trees. The terms "oakery" or "woodlands" are also used commonly, though the former is more prevalent when referencing the Mediter ...

. The area at the far southern end of the park is a designated

nature preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

, which was named a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in 1980.

History

The park was gradually created starting in 1948 when the state acquired the first parcels. The northern unit, acquired between 1971 and 1982, was previously an Illinois National Guard training facility known as

Camp Logan, Illinois Camp Logan, Illinois was an Illinois National Guard base and rifle range from 1892 to the early 1970s. At one time the Camp was . Several buildings survive today as they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Camp Logan was named ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Camp Logan was a Union prisoner of war camp. In 1958, the Illinois Beach Hotel was opened within the park.

Geology

The park is located in the 12 mile long Zion Beach Ridge Plain. The Zion Beach Ridge Plain is 3,700 years old and composed of curvilinear ridge-and-swale topography. The beach ridges support black oak savanna habitat, while wetlands dominate the swales. The Zion Beach Ridge Plain has been migrating south throughout the late

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

: the northern portion of the beach ridge erodes; freed sediment is then transported through the dominantly southward

littoral drift Longshore drift from longshore current is a geological process that consists of the transportation of sediments (clay, silt, pebbles, sand, shingle) along a coast parallel to the shoreline, which is dependent on the angle incoming wave direction ...

and deposited on the southern portion of the beach ridge. This erosion and subsequent accretion process created the characteristically curved ridges and swales of the park as the complex migrates south. The northern unit of Illinois Beach State Park experiences rapid rates of erosion, which was exacerbated by the construction of

North Point Marina North Point Marina State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Lake County, Illinois, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country pri ...

in 1989 and reaches highs of 60 ft per year. The southward migration of the beach ridge plain has been disrupted by the construction of Waukegan Harbor. Erosion in the north unit of the park is exacerbated during periods of high lake level. As Lake Michigan has entered a period near record high lake levels since 2014, the park is experiencing rapid transgression of the shorelin

Access

The entry to the beach is usually from a parking area on its north side: north of this carpark is usually the most crowded area in the summer time. South, the beach is less crowded and a mile of shoreline extends to an inlet into a wetland. Depending on weather conditions this inlet may be blocked by a berm from the lake waters, and again depending on weather conditions the water inside the berm may be significantly warmer than Lake Michigan which is rather cold until August.

Gallery

File:North beach view.jpg, North view of public beach section File:Nonudeillinoisstatepark.jpg, Sign at the start of the beach trail File:Prickly Pear on Dunes.jpg, alt=Prickly pear cactus in the dunes of the southern beach. (winter 2019)., Prickly pear cactus in the dunes of the southern beach, winter 2019 File:Illinois wetlands.jpg, Wetlands in winter near Dead River

References

External links