William W. Powers State Recreation Area

William W. Powers State Recreation Area is a 580-acre Illinois state park in Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood, centered on the Illinois portion of Wolf Lake. Established in 1947 as Wolf Lake State Recreation Area and renamed in 1965 for William W. Powers, it grew from an initial 160-acre acquisition into a heavily used urban park with about six miles of shoreline and roughly half a million annual visitors. Set within the industrial Calumet landscape, it is notable both for recreation and for exceptional ecological value, supporting diverse fish, birds, and threatened species. The site also preserves traces of Cold War history and remains a focus of conservation, fishing, boating, hunting, and volunteer stewardship.

Chicago, Illinois · United States