Hiking in the Garden of the Gods

My husband and I are planning a spring trip to a place I've wanted to go for years. It sounds like someplace really hard to get to, or far away, or expensive right? It's not. It's right in our own backyard so to speak. It's in Illinois anyway. It's down south on the very tip of the state, a forest preserve in the mountains called "Garden of the Gods." I can't wait. I've seen pictures, but never been there. The one thing holding us back all the time is the vast amounts of hiking in order to really experience the area. I am determined to be in good enough shape to do it by spring. I guess I'm going to have to go to jansport and get my gear so I'm all set to go when the time comes. I want to go in the middle part of the spring, when all the danger of snow or frost is over, but it hasn't gotten to the really hot days of summer yet. Part of me thinks fall would be an even better time to go. All the trees would be changing colors, and it would be beautiful, but I don't want to wait that long.