Everett McKinley Dirksen Park
Come visit Everett McKinley Dirksen Park in Pekin, IL
This 459-acre site is comprised of oak-hickory forest and open shrubland. Running Deer Trail, an extensive hiking/mountain biking/cross country trail, runs through the park, crossing several cobble-bottomed brooks and creeks. In 2003, Dirksen Park along with McNaughton Park, were entered into the Illinois Land and Water Reserve Program, designed to protect and improve woodland habitats using restoration management techniques. Dirksen Park is an important site for deep-forest breeding neotropical songbirds such as Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Acadian Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Chestnut-sided Warbler (found in shrubland). Besides birding, other activities commonly pursued at the park include hiking, cross country running, mountain biking, archery, and radio-controlled airplanes.
