Trail of Tears State Forest, Illinois

The only tears you’ll be producing are ones of pure joy from the eye-watering scenery that backdrops the 5,000 acres of the Trail of Tears State Forest. Just twenty miles south of Murphysboro, this park's campground is, as you’ve likely guessed, in homage to the forcefully relocated Native American’s that prehistorically occupied the luscious land. Hiking along the open-year-round trials, you’ll be overcome by the cultural significance of this regal region, crowned by 222 acres of the Ozark Hills Nature Preserve. But, on a lighter note, the area’s home to healthy populations of flying squirrels―and they’re adorable.