I LOVE these trails and could literally get lost in these woods for hours. I highly recommend going in the beginning of fall to enjoy all of the beautiful changing leaves. The trails are nice and wide and make it easy to get around other walkers. These trails are also long enough, that once you move away from the main trail that circles the pond (pink trail maybe??), unless you move over to Half Day Forest preserve (connected trails), you'll very rarely run into anyone else. The parking fills quickly at the Everett and St. Mary's entrance, but you can also park over at Half Day Forest Preserve off of Milwaukee and easily find your way to these trails with a short added mile of walking. read more

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We paid a visit here as an enjoyable venue for getting in some fitness steps.  The daughter and her family frequent various forest preserves, and she mentioned this one as a recent favorite.  I personally don't have a lot of forest preserve comparison data, but found the surroundings to be tranquil and uncrowded on a Sunday afternoon, the trails all graveled and well marked, existence of a couple of bridges, a good mix of sun and shade along the trails, and folks and their pets all well behaved and courteous.  Some folks were picnic'ing and there was also a wedding party photo shoot going on.  I'm not sure where this one ranks in acreage for a forest preserve, but there were plenty of trails (4 miles worth) to get in whatever mileage you might like.  So, I guess I'll go with an "it's a good as it gets" til proven otherwise! read more

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Charming walk! Lots of bikers here and the paths are all gravel. I like that there are several bridges overlooking bodies of water--great way to spot some wildlife in the water. Very clean and easy to navigate. The trails are labeled and color-coded. Lots of long trails! read more

A beautiful forest preserve located near the Half Day Forest Preserve. Quiet and serene with well maintained paths, bridges, and a wide variety of different trees and plants. These all surround the Des Plaines River and a large pond. read more

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Have you ever decided to go straight instead of turn left? After years of taking the same route home from Vernon Hills, yesterday my hubby and I decided to simply keep going straight on St. Mary's Road and ended up in the most magical place--Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve. All these years I've been so curious as to what was in the distance, and sure enough, it was like another world opened up. In this magical nature retreat, you'll discover a fishing lake, picnic areas, walking paths and trails galore (for snowmobiles, horses, and bikes), a cute mini playground, and plenty of parking and resting spots. Though we were in a bit of a hurry, we are looking forward to coming back for a long walk and picnic. *Fishing regulations are posted. If you're looking for a glorious time out in nature from your every day routine, this is your stop. read more

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I go there with my wife to enjoy the trails and there are lots to choose from. You could take a short walk around the lake or a long walk all the way over to the Des Plaines River. The trails are well groomed, and a pleasure to walk on. I have never found the trails to be crowded, and the people that I've encountered have always been friendly. And there's enough in the way of wildlife and foliage to make the walk. Pleasant and interesting. Where are comfortable pair of shoes and enjoy yourself. read more

Ok, the leaves have all fallen, the flowers are dried up and dropped to ground. The birds have for the most part caught a jet stream south. These are all part of our Chicagoland seasons. Which we can't avoid. You need to decide, will you become a grizzly bear and hibernate until spring or will you get out and see what nature still has to offer. I vote you get out and visit this forest preserve. We have made many visits and we always leave feeling better than when we arrived. If you are a wild flower person make sure you get there starting with the spring blooms and keep coming until frost, something will be blooming. Birds love the flowers and thrown in the DesPlaines River which is a recipe for finding something in the trees. Don't forget your binoculars. We have seen everything from song birds to a hawk and even an owl. The paths are well maintained and mostly flat just beware that you could be shareing the path with a 4 legged bridal party and some bikes. Although we don't partake there is even a kids play area. So bring a mask and take a walk. The photos attached are all from a walk in November 2020. Remember you get decide if your visit is just a cardio exercise session or is it a full body excursion away from the hustle and bustle of suburban life. Enjoy. read more

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This is a hidden gem in Lake County. Beautiful colours, great talks that link up to the Des Plaines River trail, some great lakes for fishing. Quiet and serene but not secluded. Just beautiful. read more

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Had a beautiful outing to Captain Daniel Wright Park, but thanks to Lake County Forest Preserve Police, our day ended with a $60 ticket. There were NO SIGNS saying we could not park on the road. Other vehicles were doing it too. Called the department. Nothing they can do about it. I am forced to pay the fine. Can't even contest by mail. Thanks for making our day end badly. read more

This is one of my favorite forest preserves in lake county. It's beautiful with a small lake and lots of trail options from 1 mile to 2.7 mile loops. It also hooks into the des plaines river trail so you can bike or run any distance you desire. Not a bad place to jus sit and have a picnic either! It's not as crowded as some of the other preserves so hopefully this glowing review doesn't change that! read more

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What a beautiful forest preserve, our family just found about it recently and what a great find! We have been here twice this past month, and we are really looking forward to check it once the season changes. My husband and I hiked three of the trails with our son. He had lots of fun exploring the wild life, we even spotted some craw fish, tadpoles, frogs, and a variety of fish. read more

Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve - Parks Near Me - Mettawa, Illinois

Lovely walking and resonating with nature. Fishing too on a small lake and DesPlains River .

This forest preserve has a nice playground at the entrance and plenty of parking. It's a quiet, peaceful preserve with easy walking trails that have recently been touched up with compacted sand, so no mud to navigate around on the path. There are a few nice new benches (with backs) so you can sit and rest along the paths as well. Today we spotted robins and a couple of ducks in the mid afternoon. The preserve is undergoing some major thinning of invasive species...see attached photos. It'd be an enjoyable walk at sunset at this time of year, with the view of the sky behind the silhouettes of the trees. read more

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The natural beauty at this forest preserve was utterly ruined by the inconsiderate people here and lack of rule enforcement. One family decided to hang out on a bridge without masks so that there was no way to walk around them without coming within 6 feet and then refused to move when asked, acting like how dare we inconvenience them. Another family let their two little girls wade in the pond that clearly said do not enter. A third let their kids pick sunflowers growing in the preserve and then throw them on the ground. Just awful. read more