MY HIDEY HOLE, A LITTLE LESS SECRET. Regular readers know about the Apple River Canyon. A Chicago Tribune travel columnist is letting the rest of the world know.

Although it was supposedly located in Illinois, it didn't look like the Land of Lincoln geographically, residing among rolling hills, steep valleys and the clearest running water I'd ever seen. The Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers, it wasn't.

The wildlife isn't fueled by Old Style.

Apple River Canyon is in the "driftless area" of northwest Illinois, southwest Wisconsin and eastern Iowa that the glaciers missed when they were flattening everything else around. Over time, the winding waters of the Apple River carved deep ravines in the limestone bluffs. Today, those hills and the river -- and other streams and springs in the area -- provide a home for an abundance of deer, squirrels, rabbits, eagles, hawks and fish. And those raccoons.

It's far enough off the tourist trails to Galena (easily a half-hour deviation from either the Grant Highway or the Stagecoach Trail) that few casual visitors look in.

While other state parks such as Starved Rock, Chain O' Lakes and Wildlife Prairie near Peoria are better known and have more foot traffic, Apple River Canyon State Park's relative obscurity doesn't bother park regulars. Few visitors to nearby Galena even know this outdoor paradise exists.

The article suggests some trails to hike once the leaves start turning.