Wildlife Prairie Park

Wildlife Prairie Park, officially dedicated as Hazel & Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie Park, is located in Peoria County, Illinois, in central Illinois, about 10 miles (16 km) west of downtown Peoria. The park contains wildlife animals native to Illinois, in a natural environment.

Elk at Wildlife Prairie Park

Vista Bricks ceremony site Wildlife Prairie Park

Eagle resident at Wildlife Prairie Park

Great fishing opportunities at Wildlife Prairie Park

Wildlife Prairie Park
Bison and rolling prairie near observation deck
Location in Illinois Show map of Illinois Location in United States Show map of the United States
Location	Peoria County, Illinois
Nearest city	Norwood, Illinois
Coordinates	40°44′N 89°44′W
Area	1,700 acres (6.9 km2)
Designation	3826 N Taylor Rd Hanna City, IL 61536
Owner	Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park
Website	wildlifeprairiepark.org

Attractions include multiple playgrounds, the Wildlife Prairie Park Railroad, an Adventure Trek tour that drives through the bison and elk pasture, a sculpture walk, and animals native to Illinois including white bison, a wolf, bears, otters, bobcats, coyotes, eagles, and more. Recreational opportunities abound at the park and popular activities include hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, and an 18 hole championship level disc golf course. Years before environmental protection was common practice in most places, many of the man-made features of the park were built manually and with recycled materials to minimize the impact to the environment. This practice extended to unique on-site lodging and guests can enjoy overnight stays in converted Santa Fe Train Cabooses and former grain bins. On-site lodging also includes new luxury cabins with porches that peer right into the bison and elk pasture, a secluded one room log cabin, and traditional rooms with private patios and a serene view of Caboose Lake.

The land was first obtained by the Forest Park Foundation in the late 1960s, and Wildlife Prairie Park first opened to the public in September 1977, permanently opening in 1978.[1] It was transferred from private foundation ownership to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and renamed Wildlife Prairie State Park in 2001. In May 2013 the park was signed back over to private ownership, to be transferred to a group of community members who called themselves Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park.[2][3] The land was officially regained in 2014.