The Wetland Boardwalk is one of the newest additions to Lake Vermilion. This 950 foot long handicapped accessible floating walkway is the second longest in Illinois. It is accessed by West Newell Road and is located on the north end of Lake Vermilion. A parking lot is available. The boardwalk winds its way through a wetland area created by the raising of the water level of Lake Vermilion by 4.5 feet in 1992. Hours are early morning to dusk daily. For information call 217-442-1691.
Special Thanks
- Heron County Park, established in 2004, is a result of a donated parcel of land from Aqua Illinois, Inc.
- The 950 wetland boardwalk and a portion of the observation tower is a result of 3 separate Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation 2000 grants totaling $145,000.
- The Vermilion County Conservation Foundation donated funds toward the construction of the observation tower and totally funded the handicapped accessible ramp.
- The Middlefork Chapter of the Audubon Society funded the concrete walkway.
- The International Timber Framing Guild, located in Becket, MA donated all labor for the construction of the tower. Special thanks also to Trillium Dell Timberworks in Knoxville, IL which coordinated this effort.
- The Julius Hegeler II Foundation donated funds for the construction of the Hegeler shelter (no reservations).
- Mark Lourance provided match funding to plant 26 bald cypress trees.
