#8 - Island Lake Badlands and Black Trails Loop
Island Lake Recreation AreaLength: 3.4 mi • Est. 1 h 32 m
The "Black" loop, also called the "Badlands" by some, is in an area that was a gravel mine until the 1980s, then abandoned without reclamation. There are lots of spoils piles - small sand and gravel hills - and little ponds. Trails criss-cross the area. Reclamation work started Summer 2018 and will slowly transform the area into a prairie, wiping out the current hills and trails. The entire eastern end of the Badlands/Black trail system has been eliminated or is blocked off by reclamation and the related sand mining operation as of April 2019. There is currently no eastern connection between the Blue Trail and the Badlands; the only connection is in the Spring Mill Pond area.
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