This is the headquarters of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. We are so lucky to have…read morethis institution here as well as sister agencies in the suburbs and other areas of Illinois. I'm from Oregon which has lots hiking, state parks, and so on, but the forest preserves are special. They provide a lot of great programming and the agency maintains over 70,000 acres of woodlands, wetlands, trails, and other outdoor spaces in Cook County. My experience with the FPDCC has been to attend various programs they're hosting. Usually those are some sort of hike or trail walk with a naturalist providing context and education along the way. Whilst there's several nature centers (kind of akin to the field houses at parks in the Chicago Park District) in the FPDCC system with different amenities, there are picnic groves, walking/hiking trails, camp sites, aquatic centers, and places for folks to have events, etc. I've been to the more "typical" events you'd expect of a forestry agency, such as a night hike at Sand Ridge Nature Center; hike learning about and looking for beaver activity at Trailside; owl education at River Trail Nature Center; and so on. An event about nature journaling held by a FPDCC volunteer piqued my interest in learning more about and doing some nature journaling, and led me to join the Chicago Nature Journaling Club. But they also have tried to expand to include some cultural programming and that's totally my bag. One of the signature programs supported by the department of Conservation & Experiential Programming is the American Indian Center's annual pow wow at Schiller Woods. I haven't been to that yet but it's on my list! Today I went to one of the Black History Month programs they're hosting, which was a lecture-style program with an indoor poetry trail and a discussion and introduction to Black naturalists and environmentalists from the Chicago area and beyond. It was a really interesting presentation and I'm only sad that I was the only person besides the employees who showed up! But we did have some good conversation about trying to reconnect Black folks to nature, environmental racism, how the issues early Black activists were concerned about are still germane today, and what folks are doing in the present to ensure these concerns remain part of the conversation. I really appreciate the discussion I had with Art, Bill, and Will. I'll be attending the BHM program at Sand Ridge that is a self-guided tour through trails that connected to the Underground Railroad. The forest preserves are fascinating, y'all!

Thank you for having an employee that offers excellent customer service at Sullivan Camp. Thank you…read moreRod for your assistance with my family trip.

Went here after dinner at Clarke's Rogers Park Restaurant…read more Hartigan Park & Beach are located just a few blocks away from the restaurant *(Clarke's Rogers Park). My friend and I gathered washed up stones on the beach- which was fun, sank our feet into the sand, and watched the stars come out while my friend played an acoustic guitar and sang. It was a very peaceful experience. Hope to return in the near future again!

Forget North Avenue, this is the beach/park you should be paying attention to. One of the things I…read moremost loved about Chicago was the fact that, in every neighborhood, there were beautiful things to discover. So it is with Hartigan Park. Outside of Rogers Park residents, who knew that there was a green space with beach and playgrounds and (my favorite) community art in the form of beach chairs? Judging by the lack of crowds when I/we visited, not many. If you're one of those who are in the dark, change that. Look at these photos. Commit to taking a field trip and explore your city. There are so many pretty parts that await. May weather is coming.

Come here to learn about nature and natural areas. It certainly is a good place for children…read morewanting to know more. North Park Village Nature Center has a long and interesting history through the years. A lot of after school programs. There's also day camps in summer among other things. A kind of hidden place surrounded by the North Park Village campus. It's over 58 acres of natural area and educational facility. There's trails going through prairies, savannas, wetlands, and woodlands. Before this was a nature center, this used to be a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients to get care and live. The city chose this site in 1909, and it operated until the 1970s when tuberculosis was eradicated mostly. It was saved from being demolished for commercial property, and this park was created. Learn more in the Discovery Room, which is located in the middle of it. There's also plenty to explore outside, with the trails and woodlands of the Walking Stick Woods. Has programs for children, families, and adults. The Eco-Explorers summer day camp has nature themed activities and games. Bigger area than it seems to be. It's located at Peterson and Pulaski. This is a good place for exploring nature whether adults, children, or whoever wants to know about this kind of stuff.

I visited here again yesterday with the Chicago Nature Journaling Club. I hadn't explored too much…read morewhen I was last here but did so a bit more to find a place to journal. I didn't realize that they had so many different habitats here, but there are woodlands, prairie, savannah, and wetlands. There's an area in which there's a man-made waterfall and stream which is quite nice and peaceful. I really like it here, and I'm lucky it's pretty nearby. I didn't know until I was here yesterday that this nature center was once a part of the Chicago Tuberculosis Sanitarium. for nearly 60 years. It's quite different now, obviously, and I'm glad they found a way to put this land to good use for the benefit of the community.

This is a nice little walking trail, part of the Des Plaines trail system, but I enter further…read morenorth, not on Harlem In River Forest as Yelps cites as an address. I park and enter the trail in River Grove, about a mile north of Russel's Barbecue restaurant, about .75 miles north of Evans Field, which is all part of the same trail system. Jerome Huppert Woods has plenty of free parking and easy access to a fairly even trail, although parts of the trail are in full sun, so quite hot in a sunny summer day like today. Some neat graffiti art to check out. No animals today, but I believe deer come by every so often. We had to step aside frequently for bikers, but only encountered a handful of other hikers. I don't believe I saw any portable potties, so come prepared. No water either, and not much shade, so bring a water bottle.

While driving by this park doesn't look like it has much to offer, but as you all know looks can be…read moredeceiving and I think that's the case here. While the trails for hiking and mountain biking are tame they are part of the larger Des Plaines River trail and are well maintained and give you a chance to walk over and look down on the Des Plaines river from a much nicer location than most pedestrian bridges. This park also offers a lot of geocaching options (16 last I checked) which always adds to the excitement of a good hike. Closer to North Ave. there is also a picnic area with a covered pavilions and enough room for a large group and field space for soccer or football. They have another large picnic area on Thatcher as well.

When the weather is warm, I often come to this preserve and ride their bike paths and other trails…read more It's a nice place to ride - it is about a 3 to 5-mile ride, depending on which trails you take. There are some inclines, but for the most part, it is flat and mostly paved. You can also ride horse trails to the west side of the park, but you should use a mountain bike for those trails. We chose to go today to get a walk-in. It was early April, and the weather was warming up, but it was still cool and breezy. We started at Arlington Heights Road and Dundee and walked to the entrance on Dundee and Hicks. We walked parts of the paths but only went through some path systems. The trees were starting to bloom - the willows in particular. Of course, this releases a lot of pollen. If you have allergies, make sure to take something before you go. As we walked by some boggy areas, you could hear the frogs croaking. The weather still wasn't warm enough to see many insects (which was fine). And in the summer, you can also see wildlife, but we didn't see any today. I like and recommend this Forest Preserve for walking and riding.

Such a beautiful place to be one with nature. Beautiful trees, walking paths, biking paths, fresh…read moreair. Well maintained and fairly clean in light of the circumstances. Relaxing place to chill.

Easy parking in front of the museum. Light trail but doesn't go in a loop or you can but have to…read morecross the street and then walk on some unpaved brush. Or one can just back track.

This popular spot is usually a little busy for my tastes, but catch it at a quiet time and you can…read moreenjoy a placid hike down easy paths. There's a broad, charming bridge where kids (or adults) can throw sticks into the water on one side and watch them float to the other side. There are multiple dirt trails into the woods off the paved path that's frequently teeming with bicyclists. And there's a gravel path where people often walk dogs. Note that there are multiple entrances to Harms Woods. I like the northern one, but so do a lot of other people, apparently.

Lake Michigan is a sight to see !!! So beautiful and majestic and calming again and again ! I love…read morecoming to the lake and just enjoying the scenery and views everytime I visit my daughter !!! Truly a blessing to see Gods nature and beauty !!

What a GREAT lake.....haha. After a few beers at neighborhood Chicago bars, we headed over to Lake…read moreMichigan for a long walk. It's beautiful! We were right off Lincoln Park, and there were lots of people out enjoying Lake Michigan. I'm not sure if the walkway we used along the lake was a part of Lincoln Park, but it was really nice. Perfectly paved for walking, running, or biking. The last time I was in this spot, it was cold and rainy. This early August evening was perfect! We walked around for about an hour and were ready for dinner. Will definitely visit Lake Michigan again.

What a perfect little find! I cannot believe in all my trips to Chicago, I never knew about this…read morespot. While driving past looking for an entrance to another park that ended up blocked by construction, I couldn't help but notice umbrellas being setup over here. My best friend and I decided to venture over. We saw a nice amount of vendors setting up on a random Friday afternoon. The scenery was beautiful. A nice peaceful, yet lively atmosphere. We pinned the location and will add it to our regular location.

It was a decent beach, sand and water. I suggest coming early like how I did today. Coming early…read morearound 7-8 am means there's less people and you can enjoy the view.