My husband, friends, and I love this place! It's pretty clean and is absolutely beautiful,…read moreespecially during sunset. There is a path around a decent sized pond where many run or jog, and there are plenty of benches to sit on around the path, as well. A nice perk is that you can watch all of the cute ducks and geese all over the place. Be careful where you're walking because poo is kinda everywhere, though haha! There is a free outdoor workout area you can use with a good amount of different machines, and there are also canoes and peddle boats that you can rent. I haven't been here in the winter season yet, but apparently you can ice skate on the pond when it's frozen during winter, too. Don't let me just tell you how gorgeous this lake is, see for yourself! Many people also fish here, but during certain times, the lake has green algae, so I wouldn't recommend being that close to the water if there are signs out.

Great park and very relaxing time!!! Would recommend for…read moreanyone looking for a great place to unwind!

Can't believe I didn't review this place! Nature deserves reviews 2…read more Meachum Grove is a great place for running up a huge hill that most people seem to think is hard! My friends dad said running up that hill was the reason he was able to finish the marathon! I guess to him mentally running up the hill was hard, for me sprinting hills is easy peezy. But running long distance itself was hard for me. So the best place to train for a full marathon was Busse Woods doing the loop 2X's on Sundays. Meachum grove isn't too bad for 4-6 miles, but you'll have to run it 3-4 times so it's not ideal if you don't like doing loops. I did train here for marathons though because of the hill aspect.

Great little path, little bit of an incline going up over the bridge, can be a little rough as some…read moreof the trail is just gravel and dirt. Friendly people walking along this path saying hello and smiling at you.

Beautiful nature preserve with visitors center and well-informed staff. One of my favorites.read more

This Forest Preserve has a large indoor Nature Center, bird watching, caged owls, hawk, hiking…read morevarious tree species and trails! This Forest preserve has it all. The Crabtree Nature Center & Trails is a fun place for the whole family. There are varying trails depending on the distance you want to cover: short & longer up to 3.5 miles approx. Trails are well maintained however it's good to know that they are not paved and are mostly grassy, a bit muddy (if it's wet) and uneven in places. The path offers plenty of shade and nice bench seating areas along the way. It's a very pretty trail and the fall foliage is beautiful!

How can you not love Lake Arlington?! The lake is beautiful,…read morethe treats at the Boat House are great, and the vibe is perfect. 10/10

Lake Arlington is a man made lake in Arlington Heights. There are many things to do there. There is…read morea walking path around the lake. The park also features a playground and exercise equipment. Lake Arlington is a great place to fish, kayak, and boat in the water. In the community center building, you can buy snacks and drinks as well as rent equipment to use on the lake. Lake Arlington is a great place for year-round fun!

This forest preserve is less than 10 minutes from my house and just perfect for when I need to…read moreunplug and spend some QT with my dog. We like the trail that goes around the lake which takes maybe 30 or so minutes to go around at a medium-fast pace. Maybe 30% of the trail is a gravel-type path, and the rest is "off road" where you walk single file (if you have a large 90lb dog like mine anyway) through trees, tall grass, etc. Still, I believe path is easy enough for most people's activity levels, including children. It is not as crowded as many other DuPage forest preserves that I've been to, and my dog can be anxious around strangers so it really fits our needs. They also keep it open through the winter (unless ice/snow get VERY bad), and I found it to be truly peaceful on a cold winter day. Highly recommend.

This preserve is a quick trip for us to walk after dinner and enjoy the sunset. An easy gravel…read moretrail winds around Quarry Lake and along the west branch of the DuPage River. Depending on the time of the year you can see wildflowers and many species of birds. We have encountered coyote but they generally stir clear of people. There are piers out into the lake that many people use for fishing. I have seen people on kayaks there too. There are a few picnic tables and benches as well.

Beautiful park I ran a half marathon here and it was an…read moreintense trail but an awesome trail!

I've passed by Busse Woods a million times along Higgins Road but never pulled in to have a look…read morefor whatever reason.  Probably because I could always do it tomorrow or another day lol!  Well, today I did pull in because we had an extended family celebration event at one of their picnic groves, specifically Grove 5 which is located quite conveniently close to the intersection of Higgins and Arlington Heights Roads (as opposed to deeper into the Woods). I must say this place Busse Woods is large, sprawling, neat, clean, and impressive (it's 3558 acres in fact). I think I knew that it was sprawling driving along Higgins Rd, but pulling in, you can see how well laid out and maintained the premises are.  It would be quite nice to revisit during winter and the change of fall colors also. Grove 5 in particular is an extra nice picnic grove in that it has a shelter and is near (540' to be exact per the website!) a nice and accessible restroom building.  The shelter is pretty large with a capacity of 100 people.  It's located in a section called Busse Forest-South and which comprises Groves 5 - 16.  Of those 12 groves, 4 have shelters, but only Grove 5 is close to an accessible restroom.  So, our family member apparently picked out the best grove, good job!  Busse Woods has 11 sections like Busse Forest-South, so it's massive with a lot of picnic location and other leisure activity options.  Anyway, go to their website for more info, but I was pretty impressed.  Busse Woods includes a Busse Lake as well as a 7 mile trail.  Big thumbs up for this Cook County Forest Preserve!

Daughter had her wedding here in December a beautiful white building with snow was awesome. They…read moresupplied the chairs and table tables.-if I remember correctly. It was in 2014. Would definitely recommend spring summer winter fall. I think this building would make anything look beautiful.

My brother and sister-in-law went to Walton Island Park in Elgin to take pictures before their…read morewedding on their wedding day. As the name suggests this park is made up of an island and several bridges in the middle of the Fox River. There is a walking and running trail, fishing spots (with the appropriate permits of course), and benches and shaded places to sit and enjoy the nature. While we were visiting, the trees had turned color in the fall and added to the beauty of the area. There are some fantastic places to take pictures. The park even comes with a gigantic American flag. For a beautiful park to experience and enjoy, I highly recommend Walton Island Park!

My husband and I went to Spring Valley Nature Center with some friends on a Sunday. Unfortunately,…read morethe parking lot was under construction so we had to park half a mile away at Saint Matthew's Catholic Church. The signage was horrible!!! There is a trail that connects to the Church but we didn't know this until we got to the end of the trail. Instead, we had to walk back to the front of the park. The half mile walk tired out the group before we started to walk the trails. Some of the trails were closed due to the construction. There were lakes and nature to look at on the trail. It is a peaceful place to spend the day. The farm is interesting and with looking at. I hope that the construction is worth the inconvenience!

Spring Valley has a Nature Center and also features the Heritage Farm. It's really a neat place for…read morea walk as you walk through a wooded area for about 5-7 minutes and then you see the farm houses with animal barns along with a few trails to follow. Spring Valley is a refuge of about 135 acres comprised of fields, forests, marshes, brooks and streams. Some trails are wood beamed while others are rocks and grass. It's a really enjoyable place to spend a few hours by yourself, with friends and family. Parking and entrances to the park are available on both sides 1) off Schaumburg Road 2) off Plum Grove Road.

Lake in the hills fen park. It's an outdoor park called Fen park and is in the town of lake in the…read morehills. Fen park can be walked in or viewed from Standing and looking.

Hidden gem in LITH!! Peaceful, lovely scenic trails. It's a beautiful walk. The pavilion is great…read morefor a packed lunch or hanging out with a good book.