We absolutely love this place. A small forest preserve along the shores of Lake Michigan. Good for…read morehiking,biking and even cross country skiing. The beach is rocky which makes for great rock collecting and bird watching. There is a small parking lot which fills up quickly especially on the weekend. Ft. Sheridan is rich in history dating back to the Great Chicago Fire. Definitely a hidden gem in Illinois.

This is a lovely spot to feel cool breezes off the lake on a hot summer day. We enjoyed walking…read morethe beach, bird watching and all the native wildflowers.

Has a quick wooden area (portage trail) loop walk with shade. A one-eyed red tailed hawk, another…read morehawk, an owl and a coyote are viewed in a cage enclosure. The visitor center is clean nicely maintained and has more live critters, reptiles and amphibians on glass enclosures. I imagine kids would enjoy seeing the animals. Medium parking and best of all, it's free. Donations accepted.

I recently took a hike in this area and passed by this Nature Center several times during the hike…read moreand decided to stop in. I was pleasantly surprised at how many different things there were to do here, but indoors and outdoors. Outdoors I was able to see a variety of animals including a coyote, owl, hawk, eagle, kestrel, and fox. Though they were caged, I got to see them fairly up close and hear the different sounds that they make. Indoors, there were various interactive exhibits as well as live turtles and various educational displays. Overall this is definitely worth a visit if you're hiking in the area and want to see a nicely maintained and educational display that helps to explain some of the wildlife nearby.

Its length, secluded appearance, and terrain were three reasons why I ventured out to the Green Bay…read moreTrail rather than the Des Plaines River Trail or Chicago's Lakefront Trail, which are two areas where I love to conduct long runs. As for its length, per sources the trail extends 9 miles from Wilmette to Highland Park which makes it the perfect spot for a long run in preparation for the Chicago Marathon. As for secluded, the majority of Chicagoland trails give off that vibe of being secluded in comparison to Chicago's beloved Lakefront Trail, a trail that sometimes drives me bonkers encountering many individuals doing multiple activities. The secluded vibe is one thing that I love about the Des Plaines River Trail and what keeps me returning. I figured that this trail was no different. As for terrain, after I viewed pictures shared on both Yelp & Google, the Green Bay Trail appeared to be a mixture of gravel and paved which eliminates the whole muddy experience when damp. A muddy trail is the last thing I wanted to have dealt with while conducting a long run. I eased into running on this trail because I was not familiar with it. As expected, the path was a mixture of gravel and paved which appeared as an off-and-on path that takes you through parking lots, downtown areas, and other parks. The path starts in Wilmette and ends in Highland Park; the Metra train station in Highland Park from what I experienced. I had a hard time finding parking in the Wilmette area, so I drove out to a park known as Shelton Park, a park located in Glencoe which worked out just fine for me. In the meantime I will most likely continue to make it my starting point until I am fully accustomed to running this trail. I also hope to discover where the trail picks up once you hit the Metra train station in Highland Park because I did not see it. Not only did I encounter a deer during my run, but also a chipmunk, and a redwing blackbird. And with the path being along the railway you will hear the sound of the Metra train zooming by every now and then, which will be viewable off to the side. Very clean and maintained was this path that even had garbage cans along it. And for those that bike there are bike pumps in select areas where the trail resumes. At times the bike pumps helped guide me on the way. Other than its broken up appearance taking you through parking lots, downtown areas, and other parks I was not let down by experiencing the features I visited for such as its length, secluded appearance, and terrain. I would surely venture out again from time to time because the area is a different experience. ~Blessings~ Thomas G

Beautiful bike trail - rode from WIlmette up to Highland Park and then Lake Bluff. Spectacular…read moretrail with beautiful trees, wildflowers and foliage on either side for a long time. Well maintained and easy ride. A joy to experience.

These woods are absolutely stunning!! Even after getting 4 miles in, there are still plenty more…read moretrails to walk. I love the feeling of being secluded from the world after a super long, and overstimulating work week, and these are some of my favorite trails to walk alone with my dog, or with a group. I have been visiting these woods for the last 5 years, and they never get old. Port-a-potties at the entrance, and plenty of parking.

Don't bring your dog here. Whoever put it on a list of top 10 places to walk your dog, is…read moredelusional in the worst way. The plants are 90% poison ivy EVERYWHERE. There are also lots of foxtails. I can see how it would be nice for a bike ride, but not everyone is obsessed with plant ID apps, and it was not relaxing restraining a 70 lb dog from sniffing all the poison ivy. I got a poison ivy spot on my hand in the first 5 mins. Even if you stay only on the gravel, there are 5 million mosquitoes. Beautiful location but not relaxing at all! Some people running are extremely rude/ignorant and expect you to jump into poison ivy to make way for them when there is enough room for them to pass you anyway. Bad vibe. Not what I came to nature to find.

I've seen so many deer in these woods. The last time I walked here, I passed by five of them. I…read moreusually see at least one. And once I even spotted a doe with her two fawns out grazing. (Please don't feed the deer, as the signs say, because you could inadvertently give them something that harms their system.) The bicyclists can be a real hazard here, so keep your eyes peeled for them, too, if you're walking or running. There's really only one trail at this forest preserve, with the exception of a few short paths off to the side here and there that lead nowhere. But it's got charming views of forest, river and a patch of prairie at the edge of the preserve near Waukegan. There's ample parking and a shelter with picnic tables by the parking lot. The deer will sometimes graze right alongside the parking lot - they're pretty habituated - so if you're lucky, you may spot one before you even make it into the woods.

Walk here on a weekly basis in the spring, summer & fall months. Miami Woods is a lovely slice of…read morenature. The trees illustrate beauty and quiet. I enjoy my walks.

Fantastic preserve that's easy to pass by. Reed Turner is a small preserve that has single-track…read moretrails throughout the preserve. This is not a huge preserve so if you want to log miles, this may not fit the bill. A beautiful woodland preserve with a creek and ravines and great beauty!! Well worth a visit and many repeated visits over the seasons!

Neat little woodland in Long Grove with several trails that go through a creek, a pond, and a lake…read more Here you'll find pure undisturbed nature (you'll have to hike on unpaved roads) with lots of beautiful flowers, animals, and insects. There's majestic trees, great water views, and a great variety of plants. Worth a visit if you want to get away from the typical forest preserve.

This is a 2200 acre park in the Chicago area. It is massive. Great trails to hike or bike on with…read morebridges over the busy Higgins Road going through the middle of the park. They have an elk pasture on one side which was neat to see and great for kids. I was in town for work for 2 weeks. My wife and I stopped by here after I got off of work but in November it gets dark way too soon. We could only visit for a short time before it got dark. I would love to come back here and hike or bike for miles and miles through this lovely park.

I've fished Ned Brown Busse Woods Forest Preserve more times than I can count now. It's not the…read moregreatest place to catch a fish consistently, but the scenery is stunningly beautiful. I've rented a boat with a trolling motor here, and the help is friendly and helpful. They sell live bait, as well. I'm more familiar with the Forest Preserve now, but in general would love to see more signage/maps and a "You Are Here" on a map or two. I recall first trying to find the fishing wall and walking forever with tackle, not knowing if we were on the right track. This place is great for biking, but I wouldn't mind seeing some shorter official paths built, for walking and hiking. My son and I improvised a path here once, to make our hike shorter. Check out the Elk, hike, bike, fish, have a stone soul picnic- it's a great oasis!

It was a breath of fresh air the morning I decided to finally venture up to Skokie Lagoons to run…read more It was only a matter of time that I would visit after having passed through it via the North Branch Trail System while training for the Chicago Marathon some time ago. My visit to the actual site came after having the desire of running somewhere different, as well as having no interest in running the ever so congested Chicago Lakefront Trail. At the time, it was marathon training season with many runners out training for their fall and winter marathons. And not to mention other individuals out on the Lakefront Trail whether it be biking, walking, skating, or even at the beaches which I just did not have the tolerance for at the time. My GPS took me to what is labeled as Forest Way Picnic Grove #1 where I ended up parking. However, if you want to start your activity at the mile marker starting point, I recommend parking where the Chicago River Canoe and Kayak shed is located which is 1770 Tower Rd. Parking there will put you right at the 0/4.4-mile marker on the path. If not, Skokie Lagoons has several places to park your vehicle which are mostly along Forestway Dr. Prior to starting my run, I could not resist taking in the beauty of the lagoon which made me think to myself why did it take me so long to visit. As a fitness enthusiast that has been running for years, I would categorize the difficulty level of Skokie Lagoons as moderate because the terrain is not entirely flat; there are rolling hills in between miles 1-3, but nothing excruciating. And there are distance markings along the pavement of this loop style paved path totaling 4.4 miles per loop. Well into the path, I felt that sense of being in nature as I made my way around the loop. I also felt that feeling of being secluded on parts of the path, but there were always encounters with bikers at some point that kept me in the moment as well as the sounds of vehicles on the nearby roads. As mentioned, I encountered bikers mostly, but I did see walkers and runners occasionally along the path. And throughout my entire time on the path, I encountered two deer which crossed my path as they headed towards the lagoon. I spent a little over 3 hours on the path but could have easily gone longer if I wanted to. Like the start of my run, I took in the beauty of the lagoon again which looked so gorgeous with the sun beaming down on it, giving it that lustrous look. And I overheard the screeching sound of a bald eagle as I stretched and massaged my leg muscles off to the side of the path. There are a variety of activities you can conduct within Skokie Lagoons; some of those activities I saw or can certainly see are fishing, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, hiking, running, walking, biking, and even inline skating. And along the path, there are waste and recycling bins, even benches throughout. Overall, I had a very pleasant experience at Skokie Lagoons, as indicated in this review. As a runner, I can see myself returning just to conduct interval runs around its loop in build-up to long run events I participate in. ~Gonna run 'til I don't jiggle. ~ Thomas G

Having lived in Chicago and visited Skokie Lagoons many times before, I can't believe I never left…read morea review! Recently visiting friends in Evanston and needing a place to hike on a 70-80 degree day on my way back to Milwaukee, SL was a no-brainer! Skokie Lagoons has: - Great paved biking trails - Public kayak/canoe launch - Kayak/canoe rental - Good fishing! (Caught a NICE largemouth bass here once) - Lagoons, swamps, and more! - Paved trails that lead into Chicago Botanic Gardens I was hiking on the paved bike trail, which frankly, they're pretty long trails! Better for running, biking, and watersports IMHO. I can't believe people drop less than a 5-star review for this place!