So Tinley park has this massive storm water reservoir with a lake at the center that they turned…read moreinto a community park. They have a couple of large parking lots there to stash your vehicle while visiting. One of the main entrances is right past one of the Tinley Park fire stations. Many paved trails to walk around the lake, with a high route and a low route to vary up the scenery. On the high elevation they have a number of picnic tables and the like for those that want to have a meal. They also have a large playground there for the kids to keep busy while the parents chill. The lower route is mainly for jogging and walking ... although you'll find a lot of bikes in the area also. At the other end you'll find baseball and soccer fields, skateboard, and basketball too. They also have a little dock off which you can fish. Be forewarned - no dogs allowed, which is good for some people and not so much for others. This is a sort of difficult kind of place to find, but that keeps it a treasure.

So peaceful. People…read morereally seem to be respectful and take care of the property for the most part. Trash usually isn't all over. I really enjoyed my evening out it was restful and gave me a sense of calm even though this is in the the middle of a really busy suburb. Didn't hear any cars, horns, sirens or anything like that. There was some noise from the ball fields but that was also far enough away that that wasn't crazy loud either. Check it out when you have a chance

I would give a few more stars but i am beyond ticked that the city of Valpo charges admission for a…read morecity park.

Decent facilities needs some updating. Could use a off leash dog area and walking path.read more

Nice area for walking. Trail was marked decently. It was very muddy as we went after rain. I…read morerecommend bringing a change of shoes for your walk. Decent amount of parking. Porta potties.

This beautiful Preserve has gorgeous walking trails around three lakes. You can join the preserve…read moreand purchase a fishing permit. It is beautiful when the leaves turn during the fall but open year round. A peaceful place in the middle of suburbia. A large picnic shelter with picnic tables throughout area. The Boy Scouts utilize Black Bear Lodge for their meetings and often do projects to maintain and improve the walking paths. A lovely place to visit.

Great place to visit if you need a little nature. Be sure to look up the hours before you go if…read moreyou want to get the full experience.

Deep River County Park is a really nice park to visit. We've been here numerous times. Sometimes…read morejust to walk the trails, other times to visit the museum and gift shop. During the summer the Deep River Grinders play vintage baseball on scheduled Sundays. They are so much fun to watch and interact with. It's a great time for all, young and old alike! We highly recommend you come and watch a great game of baseball!

This is my favorite beach to go to on Lake Michigan in Indiana. I find it to be an especially…read more*cozy* spot to go to if you want a beach date, as the beach is on the south edge of a small baylike projection of Lake Michigan into the surrounding land. So you can see land to the left and right while on the beach, and there are dunes on all of that land. There are also dunes to the rear when you are on the beach; it is a 40 foot decent from the parking area to the beach. All of these dunes make the area feel like it is surrounded like cliffs, giving this place a unique feel. There is also the riverwalk to go on that is alongside the Little Calumet River as it drains into Lake Michigan, a path through through the dunes going south from the visitor center, a small boardwalk jutting out into the lake that you can walk on, and a visitor's center with a concession stand, so it's still good to go to if you can't swim! Unfortunately, beach access has been off for most of 2019 due to a collapsed portion of the walkway down the dunes to the beach, but the rest of the park is open. HOPEFULLY they will have this repaired by next season. By the way, it is a little tricky to get to this beach. Make sure you get off on EXIT 19 when coming here from I-80! Head north on State Road 249 at this point. Travel about 5/6 of a mile north at this point, and get off on U.S. Steel Road which branches to the north, MAKING SURE TO STAY IN THE LEFT LANE so you can CROSS OVER U.S. 12 and make your way to the beach. Once you cross the overpass, it will at first look like you are entering an industrial area. The path to the beach winds northward through this area and will require crossing over the Little Calumet River on a small bridge.

I was here for the lighthouse and enjoyed much of the walk. I would have gone the whole way but the…read morewind was too strong for my comfort. And also, I hadn't purchased a park pass and didn't want to stay long enough that they might notice. The park and the riverwalk are lovely. The view of the lake is amazing. Well worth the visit. If you're planning on buying an annual park pass, it's even better. [Review 20619 overall - 150 in Indiana - 1600 of 2023.]

I took my daughter there for a new fishing spot. The park district ranger was so helpful and…read moreinformative. They are very kid-friendly and thoughtful. The area is well-maintained.

Hidden Lakes really got run downed. All the lakes are over grown & dirty. You can't even fish…read morethere. A real shame!

Only reason I'm not giving a 5 star review is because all the garbage that was on the beach. We had…read moreto clean up other people garbage in order to even have a clear spot. Other than that we had a great time!​

The most beautiful beach close to Chicago This little town…read moreis part of Gary but looks like small key west style town Beautiful parks, nice beach and cute houses

This is the place where the 2006 movie the Lake House was filmed starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu…read moreReeves! I advise to research this fantastic time travel romantic film that is based on the Korean film Il Mare! Maple Lake is part of the beautiful Cook County Forest Preserve. This is one of my favorite places to visit in Illinois!

The entire, enormous area of Palos Forest Preserves are just amazing, so much love. You can camp,…read moreyou can boat, you can hike, and, more importantly (at least for me) is the single track mountain biking that can be had. I have been coming here early and often of late and just today brought my friend and my Son, for his first excursion of single track biking excitement. She doesn't bike but loves to hike so we broke out on the bikes and she went walking ahead. Before that we ate a light lunch near Maple Lake, incidentally the only lake in that area where you can rent a kayak/boat or byo...other nearby lakes, like Bullfrog, require you to actually camp in order to utilize the lake for any sort of boating. This location, as with most Palos Preserves specific locales, is very well maintained, clean and just stellar all the way around. Will be back, again, again, again, etc.....

Crown Point's biggest park. Go any farther south and you're in Cedar Lake. The perfect place for…read morea nature hike when in the area. I have been here many times throughout the years, especially on elementary school trips. Great place to take the children to. Huge number of trails to take. Lots to see and lots to do. If you like disc golf, welcome to paradise. They've got six full courses of it all round the park! They also have the biggest playground I've ever seen, four baseball diamonds, a tennis court (big, but in need of upkeep), and a monster living in the lake. (All right, I'm just KIDDING about that last one!) Boat rental used to be available on the lake, but I think they've done away with it over the years. You also have six (?) pavilions available for rental. By the way, admission is $5 per vehicle. The park seems to have been hit by the Emerald Ash Tree Borer back in 2013-14, but they have since removed the dead trees. I think that the park decided to use the area once used by the ash trees as a space to extend the disc golf into, as some courses go deep into the forest. I just happened to come on the 23rd of October when I took the pictures. MY MAN, THE TREES WERE COLORFUL THEN!

It's not bad, the paved trail is kinda tore up in some spots but other than that it's cool…read more The parking lot is set back a ways so if you're coming for the first time don't stop at the maintenance building on the left and park. Keep going down the hill and follow the road. OR you can turn right and hit up the dog run they have. I checked out the dog run from a distance, it looks fine. nothing too major. Just an open area where your pup can be unleashed. By the main lot there's a public restroom and a small convenience center too. There's a softball field, B-Ball court and a massive playground nearby too. I liked the side trails, but they're not really that long and they stay pretty close to the main lake loop and run into the Frisbee Golf trails quite often. There are a few benches along the main and side trails where you can make a sandwich or just sit and relax for a bit. Benches are old and worn, little mossy and lichen covered, other than that they're sturdy & solid. Lemon Lake itself is pretty nice, it has Bass, but it's catch and release only. There are also boat rentals (paddle boat and row boat) by the head of the main loop. If you like fishing, there is a big fishing pier on the south east part of the lake that's large enough for 10+ people (comfortably). There are also a few benches right along the lakeside as well. We ended up doing 2 trips along the main loop and several of the smaller side trails. I liked the place and will probably come back here again when the weather warms up again.

This is so sad to see such a fun place that used to have so many people visit turned into a…read moredeserted place. I realize they don't want you to climb Mount Baldy, sad, but it's still fun to walk around and climb the dunes that you're allowed. Yup sand is definitely unstable. "And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."Mat7:26-27

Gorgeous views! Free parking, short hike around the dune to the beach (you currently can't climb…read morethe dune itself). Bathroom facilities and a foot wash to rinse off the sand before you leave. Bring whatever else you may need because there isn't much there. Fun short walk to the beach.