Where to shoot weather in Northern Illinois?

[phlyersphan]

Hi all -

I'd like to do some weather photography this spring (cloud formations and such, maybe a storm rolling in if I'm lucky!) Does anyone have any advice for roads/locations to get good unobstructed landscape shots in northern Illinois? I'm about 30 miles southwest of Chicago, but am willing to do some driving

Thanks!

[Nicole]

There are some good empty areas up by Rt. 120 in Lake County. Try over by Rollins Savanna as well. I think there's even an old barn or two over on Washington (just north of 120) heading towards Waukegan. But that may be a bit further north than you want to go, especially with all the construction on the tri-state.

[phlyersphan]

Cool, I've jotted that area down and mapped it out! I'll have time on my hands after work breaks for summer vacation in a few weeks, so even traffic won't deter me! hehe Thanks!!

[netbymatt]

I'm not too far from where you are, and I've had some good success with open areas in the Cook County Forest Preserves. Some of the lakes make a great location for an unobstructed views of the sky. See this map.
Maple Lake and the Saganashkee Slough are big enough to offer a lot of open space for pics of the sky. Also, right at the push pin are the old toboggan slides that are built into the side of a hill. The stairs up to the top are still there, and from the top of the hill you've got an excellent view of the sky to the north. There may also be other good locations along Cal-Sag Road, to the west, that offer good views of the sky. I'm sure there's something along there, but I can't say I've specifically looked for something.

[kburkman]

Hi - i don't live in the area, but have visited friends in the area. I would think that anywhere along the Lake Michigan coast would give you some great opportunities for weather coming off the water.