Roaming Naturalists is a monthly hike designed for adults that want to learn more about the natural world. Topics will range from birds to plants to insects and beyond. While each hike will have a topic of focus, we will allow the interest of the group and the surprises that nature throws at us to determine what we learn on our hike.

Hike will start at 9am. Meet your guide at the trail head parking lot.

Hikes will range from 1-2 miles (rarely 3 miles) and easy to moderate terrain. These hikes will occur rain or shine. In the event of icy conditions, or excessive snow, the hike may be canceled. The Nature Institute closes for the weather when Alton Public Schools close.

Roaming Naturalist Hikes are free to attend. Suggested Donation: $5

• Wildflowers on Deer Trail – April 8
  • Deer Trail is our longest, most difficult trail. At 3 miles The Deer Trail is a difficult level trail with rugged terrain and our longest loop. This 3 mile hike may take up to 3 hours to complete and requires multiple inclines. Highlights include a view of the Mississippi River from the Olin skeet range, savanna habitat, and multiple sinkholes before you meander down to the bottoms. The trail to Beaver Falls is connected to the Deer Loop. You will see varying ecosystems as you hike past hill prairie, savanna, successional forest, mature forest, and restored prairie. This is a difficult hike, requiring climbing over logs and repeated hiking up and down hills on narrow paths. Our efforts on this hike should be rewarded with many spring ephemeral wildflowers.
• A Stroll Through Hutchinson – May 13
  • Hutchinson Prairie is one of the easiest hikes on the property. We will walk along Levis Lane up to the prairie then walk through the half mile path. In May, the flowers are just starting to bloom and the birds are starting to make their presence known.
• Connecting with the Confluence – June 10 (Off-Site, Meet at Audubon Center at Riverlands)
  • We will head off-site for this roaming naturalists hike. Meet at the Audubon Center at Riverlands by 9:15am where we will stroll along the Mississippi River looking for waterfowl and other species. Then we can take a drive to the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
• Making Discoveries with the Corps – July 8 (Off-Site, Meet at Lewis and Clark State Historic Site)
  • This hike will be off-site. Meet your guide at the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site by 9:15 am. Site Interpretive Specialist Ben Pollard will give the group a short overview of the site and what they focus on. We will head out to the native plant gardens on site to learn about some of the plant and animal species that were noted by the expedition. Then you will have the opportunity to explore the museum and site.

We moved to SmartRec by Amilia for activity, event, and camp registrations. Learn how to create your SmartRec account and see registration instructions here.