Best park that's in Channahon of course. Channahon State Park has some nice views of the DuPage…read moreRiver. It actually is bigger than it seems with lots of open areas and trails. Has lots of places for grilling. The park also usually isn't crowded so it's a good place for chilling and hanging. A lot of great scenery around. It's located along the DuPage River. This is near the end of it where it flows into the Des Plaines River, so around here there's certainly lots of water. Among the other features is the war memorial. This honors those from Channahon who died in various wars. It consists of a few flags and pillars with names of those who died. The park also has a building that looks like it has bathrooms but it's closed off it seems. Gets crowds when it's good weather for boating. It's located close to the marina with the Big Basin Saloon, a popular hangout. There's plenty of areas along the water including a few trails.

First time coming here, wanted to try something new to visit on a day off work and this place is…read moresuch a beautiful gem! Great views everywhere from all places! The park itself is great for the summer for shade from the sun. Bathrooms are okay. The dam itself is really cool to see. Highly recommend coming here on a run to take everything in better. Even a better place to fish at! Not too crowded at all, very peaceful! 4.5 stars

Concession stand workers on some crazy power trip that. Unfriendly, of course they have a computer…read morethat asks you to tip them every time there's a transaction. You can feel their bs when you hit no tip relax, you work at a concession stand, it's okay to be friendly

I have an amazing swimming instructor Mekanna a year a go I did not know how to swim and now I feel…read moreso comfortable with deep water,she is the best....

Nice park located in the center of town a whole square block, lots of shade, a pavilion to eat…read moreunder , kept clean and lots of green grass not all messed up like some parks even a little outhouse building if you really have that urge

This looks like a great place to launch a boat. It is definitely the place to observe geese! If we…read morehad had more time, we would have parked, sat on a bench, and watched them do what geese do. We pulled into the parking lot, didn't have time to see if there was more to do, so we drove on. The GPS directed us away from the neighborhood into which the parking lot exit dumped us, so there are two ways in and out. But GPS only showed one way in and out.

We love going here for a walk down the pathway and walk over by the river it's really beautiful and…read moreit gets pretty busy on the weekends in the summer with the boaters and people out for a picnic like us

This is a giant stretch of DNR land down along the Des Plaines river. It offers fishing, hunting,…read moreetc, on a mixed landscape of prairie, forest, small cornfields, riverways, etc. There are numerous parking areas that allow easy access for exploration. I've personally only visited in the fall during the DNR's controlled pheasant permit hunting. Being close to Chicago, the allotted permits are taken up quickly, so reserving one in advance is essential. The DNR enacted an online reservation service a couple years ago that made doing so a lot easier than the mail in lottery they previously used. However you feel about controlled pheasant hunting, I must say the DNR does a good job of enforcing good hunting practice and limiting access. At check in you'll have the opportunity to pick from various hunt starting points. This helps spread out the hunter population and give each group of hunters a reasonably private trip out into the fields. Also, be prepared to show a valid Il FOID card- no one is allowed to hunt without one (as well as obvious hunting license- no pheasant stamp required). Prior to the start of the hunting day (9AM), everyone is required to attend a talk on hunter safety and rules- this is taken very seriously. The limit is 2 birds per hunter. As the day wears on hunters are allowed to use their vehicles to move from area to area, so things do tend to get a little more "social," although many hunters limit out so quickly and leave it's less of a problem than one might think. Overall, I found the experience here to be a good way to get introduced (with the help of experienced hunter friends) to bird hunting. Since those early experiences, I've met other hunters here and they've all taken hunting seriously- I've never met any kill it and grill it meatheads here yet. The pheasants certainly have peculiar behavior, and a day spent hunting them and learning while appreciating the beautiful natural landscape is a day well spent. It's not a trip to South Dakota, but it's a lot simpler and a great place to get a kid started hunting and maybe appreciate the need for natural land and habitat preservation!

This lake can be a hit or miss truthfully depending on when you come. It's ideal to come here in a…read morecompact vehicle but many people come here in trucks. This place is ideal for fishing, kayaking and if your looking to do a lap around a park without running in a circle that's 3 miles around. It's right next door to the I&M canal. It has restrooms and a nice picnic area. People off Sheply Road drive really fast so use caution.

Repurposed gravel quarry. Always busy on a clear afternoon.read more

IT TAKES A VILLAGE…read more Raising children is hard, but Wolf's Crossing Community Park makes life a bit easier. Located on the Naperville / Oswego border where 95th St dead-ends into Wolf's Crossing Rd, this public park incorporates 33 acres of carefully planned and meticulously maintained space. It's the perfect answer when asked by your kid for the umpteenth time "wHaT aRe wE dOoOiNg ToDaY?" This complex features a playground, splash pad, covered pavilion, basketball courts, sand volleyball, tennis/pickleball courts, a lookout point with sledding hill and a ninja warrior obstacle course. It connects to various biking trails and there's onsite public bathrooms with plenty of parking. The ~100ft zipline is a standout feature and draws a considerable line on busier days. Watching kids nearly get yeeted off into the bushes makes for great theater! I assume the weight limit is 200lbs so next time I'ma have a go at it (get outta my way, kids!) The only thing missing is concessions, as the lone pop machine near the restrooms didn't appear to work. I think there's enough people here on a routine basis to warrant building a snack shop! I'd love to serve nachos and root beer to hungry peeps, as long as I got paid $25/hr. * TL;DR * This idyllic, multi-faceted rec area is fully deserving of its perfect rating. Wolf's Crossing Community Park was built with young children and special accommodations in mind, easily accessible to all ages & abilities. The fam spent several hours here (granted, most of them were confined to the splash pad) and we barely scratched the surface. I can't wait to beast through that legit obstacle course some day when I remember to wear close-toed shoes. Ain't no way my clumsy ass is making it through there in flip flops. WCCP has tons of what we in the gaming realm refer to as "replayability", essentially, is there enough stuff to do on repeat visits? You bet there is! See for yourself, check them out before summer's gone!

My daughter loves it here, we will definitely be back! What a fun way to cool off in the summer…read moreheat!

This is a nice clean facility with basic amenities. Although fishing is questionable, as to being…read moreallowed, there are many people enjoying doing it. The park is very large and has the usual playground equipment as well as a sledding hill, picnic tables and soccer field.

This is Four seasons Park in Shorewood, little lake to fish, tennis courts, basketball hoops, big…read morehill great for sledding or just walking up for exercise

Beautiful secluded area that is really well hidden! Can be easily accessible on foot through the…read moreI&M trail. I consider this park a place to go on 3 mini trails that all loop and connect to each other. Learning about the history of this place is incredible. This was a former site of 3 residential homes and have been converted to a beautiful park. There is a visitor center where you can observe birds with binoculars, observe fish and learn about the local animals in the illinois region. Even a recreational space to educate children. Clean restrooms inside and throughout the trails. There's a couple of picnic shelters as well. You get to read some great informational stuff as you go along your adventure. Hiking shoes recommended! It's about 85 percent paved. One of the best trails in will county

Midewin is worth the drive from Chicago -- 90 minutes…read more The visitor's center is closed during the pandemic. We followed the signs and went there, thinking we'd find the trailheads. We didn't. We eventually found a man moving grass who recommended we drive north to the Iron Bridge and park there. That was good advice. Not only is there parking, pit toilets, and picnic tables, but the trailhead, and connections to several trails. I recommend everyone start at the Iron Bridge trailheads. We did not see the bison, but we did enjoy a few hours of walking on flat trails. We admired the prairie grasses and flowers, reveled in the sunshine and breeze on this cool day, and just loved every minute we were there. Hikers, remember to wear a head covering. You are on the prairie, after all. Officially, this is a national park, and I brought my national parks pass, but we saw no rangers at all. Nobody checked for park passes or any kind of entrance fee.

If bison, wildflowers, wildlife, & pastures are your thing, you've come to the right place. I'm…read morefrom Ohio and it was my husband's idea to come here. He saw it on a map and said, that's something we've got to do because we live less than 6 hours from it and it's got National in the name... We were not disappointed. I noticed that most people come here for the bison viewing, and that was nothing short of spectacular. However, there are so many trails in addition to that that make this place all the more worthwhile! I especially enjoyed the history, this park was the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant, and when you walk some of the trails, that becomes apparent in the sense of abandonment that it gives you. However the peaceful ponds and gorgeous wildlife found along the way makes the hike both interesting and fulfilling. The hikes are not strenuous unless you hike in the heat like we did. There are no inclines or anything. You'll be out in the prairie or into the shade of the woods, but more of the former. Just be aware if you hike in the heat, to bring lots of water and sunscreen, as the sun seems to be more brutal in the open plains. The park gave us plenty to do in our 3 days in the area and it was a unique park for us in the sense that it was a prairie and not woods or mountains or beach...when have you ever hiked a trail through a prairie? Try it, you won't be disappointed.