This is a clean, open, and easy place for a hike. It's not particularly woodsie but the lakes are…read morelovely. Paved path. Clean bathrooms. Plenty of parking. Covered picnic area. Easy access from Butterfield & Route 53. Enter on Route 53, across from Walmart and McDonalds. There are few trees to buffer the wind, so dress warmly. Lots of dogs on the trail today. Watch your step, as not every dog-owner tidies up after their dog, but the trail is mostly clear of droppings.

Hidden lake forest preserve is truly a hidden gem. Located in Downers Grove. It was a nice sunny…read moreSunday to just get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. It was a nice escape getaway from the city life. An ideal and nice place to relax and collet your inner thoughts. While walking along the trails everyone was so friendly and welcoming. It was a breath of fresh air to be out in nature. A perfect place to jog,kayak, fish, hike, have a picnic or just come and take a scroll. Not crowded and everyone social distances themselves. I came across a few people walking with their dogs. All dogs MUST be on a lease. Really enjoyed the scenery and the water from the river and lake was calming and peaceful.

It was a breath of fresh air the afternoon I decided to conduct a hike on the Salt Creek Trail…read moreSystem, starting at Brookfield Woods trailhead. What interested me about Brookfield Woods compared to the other trailheads nearby is that it is the mile marker starting point for the Salt Creek Trail System. As an outdoor fitness enthusiast who has been running for years, I would categorize the difficulty level as easy because the terrain is flat! I encountered mostly walkers, a few joggers, and many recreational bike riders along this path. While on it I felt that peaceful sense of being in nature as I heard birds chirping, the wind blowing, and the sound of the flowing salt creek which was off to my left while going out. I even got glimpses of chipmunk and squirrel running across my path; some even startling me at times when close by which also kept me in the moment during my hike. On my turnaround, I encountered a Canadian goose which I am absolutely terrified of! I am even known to alter my run routes just to avoid them out of fear of being attacked! It hissed at me as I went around it; it is like it instantly got its little goose panties in a bunch. I swear my heart rate increased as I eased by it because the last thing I wanted to experience was getting my ass kicked by a Canadian goose. That is a losing situation that I am unsure how I will bounce back from, but bye bye goose! I spent a little over forty-minutes during my hike on the path but could have easily gone longer if I were running instead. There are a variety of activities you can conduct on the Salt Creek Trail System path which extends 7.1 miles out; some of those activities I can certainly see are hiking, running, walking, biking, or even in-line skating. Other than my encounter with the Canadian goose, I had a pleasant experience on the Salt Creek Trail System as indicated in this review and would return. As a runner, I can see myself returning just to explore more of the Salt Creek Trail System. ~An adventure a day keeps the doctor away. ~ Thomas G

We entered at Brezina Woods, in LaGrange. If you are looking for a COVID-era place for a quiet…read morefamily walk, this is NOT the place. We only saw a few other people wearing masks. And it was so crowded, we left after only a mile. It was hard to maintain social distance on the paved path while avoiding the many bikers, roller bladers, and walkers. We found a few quiet side trials that each led 200-300 feet into the woods, but due to recent rains, those paths were very muddy, then flooded. We did find some moss. And some pretty trees and plants. So we hung out in the woods, then got out and went home. Pros: Free. Free parking. Clean trials. Plenty of parking. Paved trials. Not too many mosquitoes. Con: this trail goes through residential areas. We were literally passing inches from backyards of homes, yards filled with people. Fair enough. It is their home!! But it felt weird to just walk past their backyard while everyone is outside doing family stuff.

Waterfall Glen is a beautiful display of nature. Trails offer a robust adventure. Two parking lots,…read moreone off of Cass Avenue and the other off of Lemont Road.

Beautiful place, lots of walking trails. The waterfall was pretty. They have a public bathroom and…read morea big parking lot. One suggestion is to mark waterfall trails from parking lot.

Want a free workout that will kick your butt? Head over to the Swallow Cliff stairs. There are…read morepeople of all fitness levels that make the trek here. Stay to the right and keep your own pace. The forest preserve has done a nice job maintaining the area. There are tables to have a picnic, clean bathrooms, and seasonal café. There is a decent amount of parking too. It does get packed if weather is nice. People like to use rocks to track their loop numbers. Signs say no dogs allowed on the stairs.

Love swallow cliff stairs! This is definitely a workout!! My goodness this is nothing like regular…read morestairs or a stair climber. For those that even exercise regularly, this is a tough workout and you really have to build up to it. Nice location, great walking trail in addition to the stairs. Everyone that goes is very friendly. In the summer the smoothie shop is open. Police regularly patrol the area. Super big parking lots. The only issue is that you're really supposed to walk up one side and down the other - but often people are walking up and down the main flight of stairs which is annoying. Aside from that, it's a great experience.

Great place for a walk. Its nice in the winter with all the snow. Its also nice in the spring with…read morethe changing weather. It can be a bit hot in the summer without trees blocking the sun. Kinda sad many of the trees are being cut down.

We went for a walk here on an unseasonably warm day after Christmas. The trails are clearly…read moremarked and the scenery along the creek is really nice for being in the middle of a suburban area. Definitely wear old shoes if it's been raining. The crushed stone makes a white paste that will cover your shoes and lower pants legs if you're walking fast; it brushes off easily once dry, but maybe not the place to wear the new running shoes. The Mill and museum were closed for the season, but it was still interesting to see the mill from the outside. Trails are all short with the longest being 2.5 miles, but it's easy to patch a few together if you want to do a longer walk.

Even though I've lived in the area forever, I've never been here before…read more I've been back here about six times since. I rode the Salt Creek trail from Villa Park to Wood Dale. It is a really nice trail with a few ponds, bridges, etc. I saw quite a few deer traveling this trail. The trail is fairly long and goes way beyond what I traveled. I plan on doing the whole trail in the future.

If you're looking for a peaceful place to practice your yoga this place is the perfect one!read more

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.....

One of my favorite birding spots especially in spring. We easily spotted 30 birds on a quick walk…read morearound easy trails.

A great place to stroll around, learn history about the grounds, and take some pics…read more There are numerous trails here that are beautiful. The paths are gravel so be sure to wear gym shoes. There's a gorgeous row of trees that is stunning for a photo shoot. Bonus - It is free to park and explore here. There are picnic tables out front as well as public bathrooms and vending machines. Spend a few minutes or a few hours here. It's a great place to venture and check out. This was a very quiet and calming experience for me.

Loved that there was next to a bicycle trail, you could see people passing by…read more We saw two deers, ducks and lots of birds and squirrels.

I like the trail along the river here where I have spotted many land and shore birds. It's quiet…read moreand shady so it's a good spot on a hot day. That being said, it can be muddy so be prepared. Also wear bug repellent and watch out for fallen limbs across the trail. At least those keep the bikers off the path.