Kickapoo State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on 2,842 acres in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. Located just outside Danville, Illinois, this park is easily accessible through route I-74. It is 28 miles away from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and 95 miles from Indianapolis. According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the name Kickapoo originated from the Kickapoo village that once existed near the junction of the Salt Fork and Middle Fork branches of the Vermilion River. After Europeans settled in the area and displaced the Native Americans, the Europeans began to dig wells to harvest salt from salt springs, called salines. In the early 20th century the land was then strip-mined for coal. Kickapoo State Park was the first park in the United States to be located on strip-mined land. The state of Illinois purchased the Kickapoo State Park Area in 1939 with donation money from Danville residents and the land has since recovered from the extraction of these resources.Today, Kickapoo State Park has 221 acres of ponds and lakes with nearly 35 miles of hiking trails for many types of recreational activities including camping, canoeing, hunting, mountain biking, and fishing. In the winter season, ice fishing and cross-country skiing are popular pastimes for visitors to the park. Campsites are available year-round with RV and electric hookups available. There are 22 deep water ponds which are accessible to electric motor boats, canoes, and kayaks. Visitors to the park may rent a canoe or kayak to paddle down the Vermilion River, which runs through the center Kickapoo State Park. Scuba diving is also allowed within the park.
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