Life In Boulder Illinois

Hiking and Biking Near Boulder

November 17, 2022September 29, 2021 by admin

One of the best things about the area surrounding Boulder Illinois is our access to Carlysle Lake. Carlysle Lake is Illinois’ largest man made lake at just over 25,000 acres and provides some amazing opportunities for hiking, biking and camping.

Biking

Probably the best biking opportunity here is the Carlyle Bike Trail. The bike trail is a joint effort between the Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Carlyle and was created to provide an awesome biking experience for families and serious bikers alike with amazing views of the lake, surrounding farmlands and wetlands.

The trail connects the city with the lake recreation area and provides more than 20 miles of bike trails including rides across the top of the Carlyle Dam as well as numerous other saddle dams. It is a great place to take the kids and get them outdoors and off of their electronics.

For the more adventuresome, there is a ride known as the Carlyle Lake Bike Route which is a 65 mile ride that travels all the way around Carlyle Lake. This route will have you on numerous roads that are shared with vehicular traffic and is definitely for the more experienced rider.

Click the link for a complete brochure about the biking opportunities near Boulder.

Hiking

Similar to the biking opportunities, the hiking opportunities near Boulder are also associated with Carlyle Lake. The hiking trails are located inside of Eldon Hazlet State Park and consist of many trails that wind through the park and showcase the beauty of Illinois.

There are seven different hiking trails in the park.

Cherokee Trail
Kaskaskian Trail
Illini Trail
Pawnee Trail
Eagle Trail
Wetland Educational Trail
Bluestem Trail

Cherokee Trail

Cherokee trail is made up of 3 different loops for a total distance of 3 miles meandering through old growth forest and man made bridges. Our favorite part is Loop 3. Loop 3 takes you by a civil war cemetery and is wheelchair accessible to the cemetery.

Kaskaskian Trail

Kaskaskian Trail is a 2.5 mile trail that is named after the Native Americans that lived in the Kaskaskia River Valley. It winds through many diverse habitats and wildlife sightings are common.

Illini Trail

The Illini Trail is 1.5 miles long and is wheelchair accessible. It winds through a restored prairie and around a pond that is open to fishing.

Pawnee Trail

The Pawnee trail is 1 mile long and takes hikers along a high ridge overlooking the lake for some really cool views.

Eagle Trail

The Eagle Trail is a .75 mile trail that was established by the Boy Scouts as an Eagle Scout project. This a great hike for the kids as it is an easy hike on mostly level terrain.

Wetland Educational Trail

The Wetland Educational Trail is a .5 mile trail that is wheelchair accessible and goes around a pond and through wetland with educational signs along the trail. There are a lot of wetland creatures along the trail. Another great short hike with the kids.

Bluestem Trail

The Bluestem Trail is a .5 mile interactive trail that is wheelchair accessible and winds through a restored prairie with lots of native prairie plants. Great for kids of all ages.

Conclusion

As you can see there are many wonderful hiking and biking opportunities near Boulder. It is so good to see families out here with their kids spending quality time in the outdoors.

I also love the fact that many of the trails that I have mentioned above are wheelchair accessible.

Put on your hiking or biking shoes and head out to one of the trails near boulder for a fun filled day in the outdoors!

Fishing Near Boulder

February 1, 2022September 22, 2021 by admin

Thanks to the close proximity of Illinois’ largest man made lake, fishing is one of the favorite past times in Boulder. Below you will find all the information that you need to enjoy fishing in the area and maybe catch the fish of a lifetime.

The lake that I am talking about is Carlyle Lake and it is well known as the fishing destination of choice in the area.

Carlyle Lake Fishing

Carlyle Lake is a 25,000 acre lake that was created by damming the Kaskaskia River and is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. It is bisected by railroad tracks creating a north section and a south section.

The upper section, which is roughly one third of the lake is primarily shallow water ( less than 8 feet) and has some really good fishing for largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel cats and bullhead.

The lower section is much deeper and fairly open except for some areas of timber that were left standing when the lake was created, which can provide some great cover for the bass and crappie in the area.

In addition to the upper and lower sections of the lake, there is the spillways directly below the Carlyle Dam that provide some of the best fishing in the area.

If you are having trouble catching fish, stop into the local bait shop, Henkel’s Hook and Arrow and ask them about what’s biting and where.

There is plenty of shore access for fishing in the area, and there are also plenty of boat ramps if you would like to venture out in a watercraft.

Fish You Can Catch In Carlyle Lake

Here is a list of the fish that you can catch in Carlyle Lake:

Largemouth Bass

Bluegill

Channel Catfish

Crappie

Bullhead

Other Areas To Fish Near Boulder

There are many other places to fish in and around boulder.

Kaskaskia River

The Kaskakia river has some great fishing for channel catfish as well as many of the same species that you can find in Carlyle Lake plus a few more including largemouth Bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, blue catfish, crappie, flathead catfish, sauger, walleye and white bass.

One of the best ways to catch catfish is to use stinky baits or even baits that are doctored up with fish attractant, like those available from the experts over at Nelson Creek Outdoors.

Local Ponds

Some of my favorite places to fish in and around Boulder are the local farm ponds and golf course ponds. A couple words of caution here:

Make sure that you ask permission to fish in these ponds. Some farmers and golf courses are very picky about who they let fish their waters.
Once you have permission to fish one of these ponds, do everything that you can to keep that permission. Be respectful. Do not litter and be sure to say thank you.

These can be some of the best fishing holes that you will ever find and they are always worth the extra work to gain access to them.

Conclusion

You now have some great ideas for fishing in and around Boulder. Go out and put this new found information to the test and you may just catch the fish of a lifetime. Remember to pay it forward in order to insure that our love of fishing is passed down through the generations. Take a kid fishing.

Hunting Near Boulder

October 3, 2021September 15, 2021 by admin

Boulder has some of the best hunting in the state for many different species from ducks and geese to small game and whitetail deer.

Deer hunting in this area is almost like a right of passage and is almost considered a holiday as some young hunters are allowed to take opening day of deer season off from school.

Most of the hunting in this area takes place on private land, but there are some really good hunting opportunities on public land as well.

Hunting on Private Land

deer hunter with compound bow — Close up shot of a hunter dressed in camouflage clothing holding a modern bow.

In this area of the state everybody knows everyone else, so there are always places to hunt on private land. If you are from the area, all that you need to do is knock on doors and introduce yourself. Explain why you are there and simply ask for permission to hunt. You may get some nos, but yes is only a matter of time.

Hunting on Public Land

The best resource in the area for hunting on public land is the Carlyle Lake recreation area. There is an abundance of game animals and the area is managed for wildlife with food plots and land management techniques that provide quality habitat and an awesome hunting experience.

What Can You Hunt?

There are opportunities for hunting many different species in this area including:

Waterfowl
Whitetail Deer
Turkey
Rabbit
Squirrel
Doves
Bobwhite Quail
Pheasant

Hunting For People With Disabilities

One thing that Carlyle Lake Recreation Area does really well is include opportunities for disabled Americans to participate in the great outdoors.

They provide handicapped accessible waterfowl blinds at multiple locations inside the park. All you need to do is call the office to reserve the blinds for whatever day you wish to hunt.

They also conduct a special dove hunt specifically for sportsman with disabilities.

Hunting Whitetail Deer

Probably the most sought after game in this are is the whitetail deer and there are plenty of places in the park to pursue the deer.

The best advice is to find a place that is overlooked by other hunters. This usually means trekking as far from the access area as you can.

Most of the deer hunting here is done from tree stands, but the park has a regulation that you cannot leave a tree stand in the woods. All tree stands must be removed each day, so that limits hunters to using climbing tree stands.

For more deer hunting regulations as well as seasons and bag limits visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Conclusion

Hunting in the Boulder area is a sport steeped in tradition and taken very seriously by local residents. The coffee shops will be full before dawn and the local sport shops will be very crowded with hunters during deer season.

If you would like to try your hand at hunting in the Boulder area, follow the advice above and see if you can be successful. Please remember to share our traditions with the next generation of sportsman by taking a kid hunting.