Skokie Lagoons is huge! Biking, hiking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing- it has it all. I had no idea…read morethis place existed, but I'm so glad to have been introduced to it. Was here recently to rent kayaks and it was great. Chicago Kayak and Canoe rental company sets up camp, and it was very busy with school groups and families on a recent beautiful September 2016 Chicago weekend. Kayaking the Lagoons you're bound to see cranes, heron, a few other people kayaking, and get lost in nature. From time to time there is algae on the water and it can be smelly. We went right into a cove of algae where nobody else was going, and it felt like something out of the movie Adaptation. I was jealous of all the fishing going on, and hope to be back for that. It's only 5 miles from Chicago Botanic Gardens, so if you park here you can bike on in for free, and have an easy short ride. A lot of people reviewing Skokie Lagoons complain about the trash, and how people leave lunch garbage and bottles laying around. To me that's not a reflection of the place itself- do your part- pick up some trash before you leave, or pull a bottle or two out of the water. Or just stay away, because I'll be back, and the less people the better!

Great place for hiking. Not too crowded and not far from home for me. Lol. Will definitely visit…read moreagain.

Enter near the Trailside Museum, in the parking lot on the south side of Chicago Avenue, then…read morefollow the trail south. There is a large field across Chicago Avenue, around the parking lot north of Chicago Avenue, but that area of Thatcher Woods is much less interesting. Go south instead. Along the path going south, I saw deer, ducks, chipmunks, and loads of birds. Local children have been building structures on the woods, so it is fun to grab some branches and add to those creations. The deer cane up so close, within 10 feet at times. Wear shoes that can get muddy. It was a bit soggy today, but the trails are definitely still passable.

Haven't been here in a while but I love this first preserve! Been here for a few events. It's a…read morelittle of country within the city limits. Great little place to get you in touch w nature. Check it out when you need to get away but stay close.

My discovery of Sunset Bridge Meadow came after I took an alternate run route because the underpass…read moreheaded north towards Schiller Woods South was blocked off due to flooding. And since then, I have been slowly moving further south with hopes of locating paths that lead to Thatcher Woods which I hope to eventually start off at in the future to train for marathon runs as I have done before, but at Fullerton Woods trailhead. What I like about this trailhead is that its parking lot is spacious, and highly visible being that it sits along a highly driven on W North Ave. And on top of it having a spacious parking lot, it has a huge open field that is perfect for activities outside of outdoor picnics at the grove. Out of the trailheads in this area which are Fullerton Woods and Jerome Huppert Woods, I recommend this one for safety and security purposes due to its location if you plan to be on the Des Plaines River Trail for more than an hour exploring. Because with its location being in a highly visible area along W North Ave anything suspicious will be easily identified. And also there are a decent number of visitors in-and-out. Once you enter the Des Plaines River Trail, it is a whole different world where you can easily escape reality and be one with nature that covers an estimated total of 28.4 miles. And if you are lucky you will encounter some of the wildlife that live within the preserve too. On the Des Plaines River Trail, you will encounter hikers, dog walkers, mountain bikers and trail runners which all are friendly from what I have experienced. Most encounters with mountain bikers can throw your pacing off depending on how many there are in a pack which most of the time are no more than four. I do recommend taking the encounters as the time for a short break to hydrate or gather yourself until they pass by on whatever portion of the trail you may be on if there is not enough room. And lastly, a tip on how to not get off track on this trail is to stay along the Des Plaines River, which will end up on your left hand side once you cross the bridge. If you cannot see the river then you may have went in the wrong direction, but I assure you it is not hard to miss. And the further north you go towards the state line of Wisconsin the more the trail disconnects. ~Blessings~ Thomas G

I actually found out about Fullerton Woods - Des Plaines River Trail off of AllTrails application…read morevia Google Play. It was one of the few trails that would allow me to cover at least 10 miles. Plus, it consisted of some of the perks that I love about trails, such as it being shaded, having soft terrain, and that therapeutic feeling of nature, so why not?. I drove about 8 miles to Fullerton Woods from the west side of Chicago and it was totally worth it! The Des Plaines River Trail was not congested at all in comparison to the Lakefront path in Chicago which I wasn't in the mood to run today. Oh, the thought of being on the Lakefront path with the sun melting me away was not in my interest, so I sought out something different. Shame on me! I packed my trail running shoes, but did not utilized them because the paved portion at the beginning of this trail threw me off. So, with that I encourage you to bring out those trail shoes if you plan to run this trail as I did, but its ok if you do not have any trail shoes. On this trail you will encounter hikers, dog walkers, mountain bikers and trail runners which all are friendly from what I have noticed. The encounters with the mountain bikers can throw your pacing off depending on how many there are in a pack. With that, I recommend taking it as the time for a short rest break to hydrate or gather yourself until they pass by on whatever portion of the trail you may be at if there isn't enough room. My end milage ended up being 8.44 miles, but it easily could have been more if I would have taken a turn, heading under W Lawrence Ave bridge towards Catherine Chevalier Woods. I kept this run simple, looping around at Robinson Woods South because it was my first time out, but next time I plan to not be so attentive to my route and ready to explore the trail more. And on a side note, another entrance that will put you at a more reasonable area to get good trail mileage at is Jerome Huppert Woods which is on the other side of Fullerton Woods. A tip on how to not get off track on this trail is to stay along Des Plaines River, which you can see on your left hand side while going further out on this trail. If you cannot see it, then you may have went in the wrong direction, but I assure you it is not hard to miss. I really loved this trail! And will most definitely be returning because its distance satisfied my preference of the mileage I wanted to accomplish without doing it in the blistering heat and on a hard surfaced pavement. Thomas G

The first little hike is nothing much, but coming back I turned onto a trail, went under a bridge…read moreand found the real trail. At sunset, in the middle of the city I was pleasantly surprised to greet this deer! This is a great getaway when you're just on your way home from the store!

Egger's Grove is a Forest Preserve in Hegewisch. There aren't paved trails here--or at least the…read moreone we were on was not. There's no services here--you won't find nature center or anything, but there are lots of benches, some picnic areas, and bathrooms. Birding is a popular activity here. In fact, I was here for a program called Owl Prowl because it's starting to become a particularly good time of year to hear them (not see). I think it was the Great Horned Owl and the Screech Owl that we were on the prowl for. I learned that screech owls kind of sound like a horse when they neigh; that was unexpected. Eggers Grove has varying terrain and that is welcoming to birds that don't stop around here in other places, and it's a good place for migratory birds. I was here after dusk so I'd like to visit sometime when it is light out to see the area. It's popular for hiking. There is a humongous parking lot, so you shouldn't have a problem finding a place if you venture out here. Humongous parking lot so many spaces you can park here with your friends family your high school senior class.

Family and I always enjoy having a nature reserve this close to home. We go hiking there often…read more Wish they would put a platform by the small lake on the southeast side so it easier and more comfortable to view the migrating birds that stop there.

We brought our dog here for a first time swim. Our guy is not friendly and very nervous of new…read morepeople- Laurie handled him perfectly, and he enjoyed his swim with her. I love that they make sure the dogs are prepared before they allow them to swim alone. They set them up to be safe and successful. Making an appointment was super easy. I left a message, and they called back shortly after. The second time, I left a message with times that would work, and Laurie called back to confirm what she had.

I'm deeply disappointed by my recent experience with Doggy Paddle, despite the fact that there are…read morethings they do well. The instructors who actually swim with the dogs are consistently lovely, kind, and attentive (Julian especially), and the facilities are clean and well maintained. Unfortunately, the customer service and administrative processes completely undermine those positives. Last August, after my friend's dog Maverick passed away, she contacted Doggy Paddle to transfer his remaining swims to me as a goodwill gesture in his memory (he swam there regularly for several years). Doggy Paddle accepted the transfer -- they requested and received my dog's vet records the same day. However, I never received any confirmation via email or text showing how many swims were transferred, what type they were, or when they expired. There is also no online portal or way for customers to check their balance or expiration dates. Over the following months, Doggy Paddle emailed me multiple times asking for a fecal test, which reasonably implied the swims were active. At no point did anyone mention an expiration date or warn that the swims were nearing expiration. When I attempted to schedule a swim this month, I was told the transferred swims had expired and that I needed to purchase a new package. Apparently, the swims my friend had purchased had expired one year after purchase, on January 1, 2026. When I called to discuss this, they acknowledged there had been no communication on their part to confirm the package was transferred or to share terms/conditions, but repeatedly stated that it was my responsibility to ask or my friend's responsibility to tell me the expiration date, and that expiration dates do not reset upon transfer. They refused to make any exception or accommodation and said there was "nothing they could do." Sorry, but asking my grieving friend when her passed dog's swim packages expired wasn't a priority. This should have been on Doggy Paddle to communicate to the customer at time of transfer. They'd already earned the money from the previous sale; they lost nothing by extending the expiration date a little longer. I requested that they extend the expiration by four weeks and we'd come swim during that time, and they said no. Scheduling itself is also unnecessarily frustrating. You can only book via text or email, which often becomes a long back-and-forth, and there is no transparency about available times -- you can't see a schedule, only ask and wait for someone to tell you what's open. Holding customers to expiration policies that were never disclosed, combined with limited scheduling access and no account visibility, is extremely frustrating. The lack of empathy given the context -- a transfer following a dog's death -- made the experience even more disappointing. It's unfortunate, because the staff and facility are unique in Chicago. My dog loves swimming and we relied on Doggy Paddle during rehab, but I will not go again. This was a senseless policy to hold the line on given the circumstances.

I have mixed feelings about this kayak tour company. I signed up because although I'm a very…read morecapable and seasoned kayaker, I didn't know this river and I like learning about the ecosystems and local wildlife. For this reason I like having tour guides. Going up the river was fine. Coming back went a bit sour. I went as slow as I was capable of paddling or not paddling, but apparently it was too fast for the preference of our tour guide. I was barely touching the water with my paddle. I have no idea how I could have gone any slower. It wasn't humanly possible. After shouting at me several times, he took to chasing me down and ramming my kayak so it'd spin in circles. Would I rent a kayak here and kayak the river alone? Yes. Would I personally use a tour guide here? No I wouldn't. Would I recommend? If you're a family with little kids or a drunk sorority house, absolutely. If you know what you're doing, just go it alone. You'll probably enjoy it more. Edit: If the tour guide had concerns for group safety, he could have said so. Although ramming my kayak with his seems to be a bit of a conflict as far as my safety goes. It was an unprofessional approach when he could have simply explained why he needed me to slow down

It almost seemed like a dream. From the very start, cruising through a large patch of lotus plants,…read moreit felt otherworldly. Very peaceful, going at our own pace. Enjoyed the cliff walls of Buffalo Rock and the shallow waters of some side passages. We paddled for 5 hours, covering 8 miles total. After we were done we headed to charming, historic downtown Utica for drinks and dinner at Skoog's Pub & Grill in North Utica, IL. I was impressed with the logistics and operation of the kayaking experience, from the guide* to the equipment and online booking process. *Full disclosure, the guide was my twin sister, but I am being objective...seriously.

Dealing with these guys is the same as any other government entity. Calling them, they're a weird…read morecombination of arrogant yet ignorant about their own programs. Another good reason why things like this should be privatised; would be less financial burden to the taxpayer and actually ran right. Of course, we're talking about the government here, and they're just too stupid to realize the obvious.

A great experience but exhausting…read more We signed up for the fireworks tour on a Saturday night and it was excellent. Essentially, you paddle your way to Navy Pier area, watch the fireworks, and then paddle all the way back. The distance covered is around 6 miles and can be exhausting. Anyone can do this but I would not attempt it if you're not at least a physically active person. Overall, the experience was fantastic and the entire staff was very accommodating. Highly recommend if you're an active person and want an unbelievable experience on the Chicago River.

Cub Scout Pack 114: West Loop has done a group tour with Kayak Chicago for several years now. They…read morealways do a phenomenal job, are fairly priced, and logistically easy to work with. Their guides are knowledgeable and enthusiastic, point out wildlife along the way, give little tidbits and pointers, and make this a very safe experience for our group through their instruction and guiding (Kindergarten to adults). Their location on LeMoyne makes parking a breeze.