Best Places to See a Sunset in Champaign-Urbana

Living among the cornfields might get Champaign-Urbana a bad reputation to some, but we get an A+ on incredible sunsets thanks to all that flat farmland surrounding us

Here are some tips on finding the best place to catch those incredible Central Illinois sunsets

A lot of variables come into play when it comes to the perfect sunset. Fortunately, many of those variables align quite often for those of us that call Champaign-Urbana home. We have no shortage of incredible sunsets, and some nights just seek to outdo themselves as the minutes roll on. When you find a night without plans and good indicators that a remarkable sunset is on the way, we suggest you head to one of these destinations.

Some tips and reminders:

The time the sun sets gets later by a minute every few days between the winter solstice (between Dec. 20-23) and the summer solstice (June 20-22), and then begins to get earlier by a minute every few days after the summer solstice. Here’s a website to find the sunset/sunrise times. Golden hour is a real thing, though, and you’ll get incredible sunset views leading up to the actual sunset time each night.
Great sunsets depend on cloud cover and humidity. A couple indications of whether you can expect a great sunset is 1) if you saw an incredible sunrise that day or 2) if there have been some great sunsets that week and the weather conditions are similar.
If you want to take a photo of the sunset, you can turn the flash on (we know, right?) and adjust the exposure to -0.7 or so on your phone to catch more details. Tap on the sky if it is having trouble focusing.
You want to try to get a relatively unobstructed view of the horizon, so standing in the middle of campus among C-U’s tallest buildings will not be your best bet. Head to the west side of Champaign or Lake of the Woods in Mahomet for some of the best of the best.

Here are some great places to view a sunset in Champaign-Urbana

Sunset Ridge Park, Champaign

The name is a giveaway, right? Sunset Ridge Park is located along Staley Road and has some incredible sunsets. The kids can play while you wait for that perfect moment.

Colbert Park, Savoy

Colbert Park is positioned for a great sunset, even though it is more centrally located than what we would consider the West Champaign options to be. There aren’t any big buildings in Savoy in this area, so you get great sunsets. Another spot the kids can play (and play … and play!) while you bask in the glow.

Porter Park, Champaign

Porter Park is located along Rising Road, another popular West Champaign location. Really anywhere at all along Rising Road is going to give you a great view for famous Champaign-Urbana sunsets.

Dodds Park, Champaign

This is a spot you may not think of until you find yourself at an evening softball game and realize how incredible the view is. Dodds is located right next to Parkland College. Dodds is one of those “parks minus playgrounds” in C-U, so there’s not a playground here for your kids to play on. It does make for a good evening walk location, so don’t forget your strollers.

Other Champaign suggestions include the parking lot of Schnucks on Mattis. Or take a short drive north on Mattis into the country, for a cornfield sunset option.

Champaign County Forest Preserves known for great sunsets

Lake of the Woods and Buffalo Trace Prairie, Mahomet

Mahomet is west of Champaign and Lake of the Woods is full of scenic prairieland views. You can also cross Route 47 and wander the Buffalo Trace Prairie trails if you want to venture beyond the preserve itself. Want an easy trip? Just go to the botanical gardens at Lake of the Woods, and a casual stroll around will produce great views.

Sangamon River Forest Preserve, Fisher

Located near Fisher, the Sangamon River Forest Preserve has some great places to view the sunset’s gorgeous glow. This can be a pretty quiet location, so just realize you may be some of the only people around in this (sort of) remote spot at night.

Middle Fork Forest Preserve, Penfield

Our farthest suggestion on the list is Middle Fork Forest Preserve, our very own “dark sky” park. It makes a fantastic sunset spot. You can even get a campsite here if you’d like to catch the sunrise, too, and make an adventure out of it.

Did we miss your favorite spot? Email us so we can add it to the list!