Great little "getaway" park! It has fishing, a separate dog park area, places to BBQ and hiking…read moretrails. The Dock is handicapped accessible and a good place to fish. You can also walk around the entire water source. The pond/small lake has northern pike, rock bass, blue gill, smallmouth bass, turtles, and bullfrogs. Super clean park and well cared for pavilion and picnic areas. Also has facilities for those needing a bio break!

Cute park with a dock for fishing or just checking out the little blue gills and turtles. There is…read morea small covered picinic area, baseball diamond and jungle gym. Dog park was spacious for our dog to run wild!

My wife and I love this area for taking peaceful walks, and we especially love when we come across…read morethe deer, if you're calm and quiet enough, they will not run away!

I've came here a few times and I wonder why my review got deleted? This place is absolutely…read morebeautiful! Tons of stuff to do and see, the trail has recently been repaved. Very well maintained by the city of Plainfield. Plenty of parking but use advisory from coming in from the Lockport road access.

Here's a great historical site to explore in Joliet. It's free, and it's all outdoors. Back in the…read moreday, Joliet was one of the leading iron/steel manufacturers in the United States, as it provided several locals with jobs. Many of those people were immigrants who had trouble speaking English. You'll learn about the history of Joliet Iron and Steel Works by walking the nearly one mile trail. I didn't spend more than 45 minutes here, but I felt like I learned a lot. I also didn't walk that far on the trail, but I was more than impressed with what I saw. There are lots of ghost structures of the old remains. Obviously, it is not recommended for anyone to go near them (or behind the fenced area). But they're great for photography either way. And of course, you can get your exercise on the trail, which connects to others. Make this a must-see if you're in the area.

First time coming here the other day. This place is amazing for urban explorers, people fascinated…read moreby history or something for the average walker to do to get their daily 10,000 steps. Parking is a bit tricky if your not familiar with the area. It's got a picnic table, restrooms and water. The path heads straight to the I&M trail as well but you'll see remants of a former Joliet in its prime. It's one of the few things that are actually fun to do in this boring city. (no offense) definitely check it out. The path is great and unique. Definitely check out the brick path. I only wish they described more of what the buildings and paths were originally used for with pictures provided.

I've been heading to Dellwood for close to 6 years now, and I always look forward to digging…read morethrough the crazy big disc selection and seeing everyone working that day. I still bag molds that Sean (the owner) recommended back when I showed up to the shop for my first time back when I was learning. Early on I used to order discs online, but stopped years ago because being able to pick out a stamp and weight you like is a much better experience overall. It's also nice to support a local business. The shop also puts on a ton of really awesome events throughout the year that bring out a great community. If you get a chance, I highly recommend showing up to at least one of them. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to be able to regularly hit the shop and get a round in at The Canyons. Forever my favorite shop, and I'll forever plaster by bag and truck with stickers and patches.

A pretty big park is in Lockport and has lots of room for various activities and fun. Dellwood Park…read morehas athletic fields for baseball and more. It also has areas for recreation. Has a disc golf course. There's fun here for any season. First looking at this park it doesn't seem as big. It actually is pretty deceiving as it goes back a long ways from the road. The entrance road twists around various athletic fields and parking lots taking you through. Best thing here apparently is the disc golf. It's often the reason people come here. The Canyons is what it's called, and people are always here tossing frisbees and having a good time. It seems difficult. This isn't for beginner or casual players. A lot of opportunities to have fun. It's best known for disc golf. There's facilities for other types of sports too.

Cool spot that I didn't realize was in the area. Looking for a good meeting spot to meet friends…read morefor a walk, found Sagawau. On the day of my visit, we saw this black netting/screen. Curious, we stopped to ask staff. It turns out on Sundays they do bird banding. This was very interesting how they catch birds, take data, and release back into the wild. I recommend! The nature center was well kept and had clean bathrooms. They close the area at 4 pm daily. Check it out for a nice walking and educational opportunity.

Sagawau is waaaaaay out in Lemont, so pretty far from me, and it's also bit confusing to find when…read moreyou get there. But I really enjoyed it so I'd say it's worth it, and now I'll know where I'm going in future! Word to the wise: There's the large parking lot, and what looks like a driveway is not. Park in the lot and use the wide paved path to get to the nature center. The purpose of the first preserve system was to both preserve and conserve, but also to provide natural areas in which people could recreate. They also have a nature center here with exhibits, as well as a variety of programming. I came for a program. A land acknowledgement was provided to connect the land to its history, and the people who once called this land home. I came for a hummingbird program, which took place in the hummingbird garden. The garden had quite a few bees and some wasps, but those insects are actually invasive in this area so you may see traps out for them so they don't take over the hummingbird garden. There are hummingbird feeders around to bring the hummers out. But nectar isn't their only source of food; they'll eat insects and invertebrates. Most importantly, they need pesticide-free habitats to survive. It was interesting to learn that hummingbirds live only in North, Central, and South America. When colonizers came into contact with hummingbirds, they thought they had no feet and that is where their scientific name is derived. Hummingbirds are surprisingly loud! The ruby-throated hummingbird is only ruby throated for the males. Juveniles and females have a white throat. But the color only comes out with the light, as it's iridescent, so the males may look black. Ruby throated is the only native one in Illinois. The juveniles are about the weight of a penny. In migratory season, they try to double their weight in order to sustain their migratory most fly over the Gulf of Mexico, which is a single flight of about 600 miles. They can do that flight in 16-24 hours. Hummingbirds fly with a figure eight pattern, which allows them to be one of the few birds that can fly backwards. It also allows them to hover! Migration is hard, so why do they do it? At least in part, it's because there's less competition. Apparently day length is a trigger to let birds know when to begin migrating, and the plants and flower on which they rely for food usually coincides to their migratory season. The nesting behavior of hummingbirds draws a direct line between environmental stewardship and habitat protection. They line the nest's outside with lichen and plant scale, and line them inside with soft things like dandelion fronds. Air pollution won't affect the hummingbird directly, but it will affect lichen and thus the integrity of their nest and subsequently their success in breeding. They will use spider webbing to bind their nest, which makes spider conservation important too. How fascinating how these things all connect! Whilst visiting Sagawau, I learned that this preserve is a licensed bird banding station--not just for hummingbirds. Banding allows us to gather much of the information that we have about birds in general. The information gleaned from banded birds can tell us about their migratory patterns, lifespan, and so on. I believe they have some events during the year where you can observe this process. In addition to their great programs, they have a nature center with exhibits related to the natural history of Sagawau and the region. One of the things that makes Sagawau so unique is it is a dolomite prairie, of which only about 500 acres exist in the world--over 100 of those acres being here. There are several trails to walk, and they have maps showing these to help guide your way. And this site turns into a cross-country ski location in the winter! In that season, walking is not permitted on the trails because they're used for skiers. They have lessons and equipment rental, but you can also bring your own gear--you just need to call first to make sure it's open for skiing, dependent upon the snowfall. I saw more open acknowledgment of snakes here than at some of the other preserves, which may make me nervous to visit very soon--snakes in just about any capacity (cartoon, real, image, etc.) creep me out more than anything. But, Negin is the employee that led the hummingbird chat, and she was really great. Welcoming, inclusive, knowledgeable, and friendly. I'd love to attend more of her programs.

Best park that's in Channahon of course. Channahon State Park has some nice views of the DuPage…read moreRiver. It actually is bigger than it seems with lots of open areas and trails. Has lots of places for grilling. The park also usually isn't crowded so it's a good place for chilling and hanging. A lot of great scenery around. It's located along the DuPage River. This is near the end of it where it flows into the Des Plaines River, so around here there's certainly lots of water. Among the other features is the war memorial. This honors those from Channahon who died in various wars. It consists of a few flags and pillars with names of those who died. The park also has a building that looks like it has bathrooms but it's closed off it seems. Gets crowds when it's good weather for boating. It's located close to the marina with the Big Basin Saloon, a popular hangout. There's plenty of areas along the water including a few trails.

First time coming here, wanted to try something new to visit on a day off work and this place is…read moresuch a beautiful gem! Great views everywhere from all places! The park itself is great for the summer for shade from the sun. Bathrooms are okay. The dam itself is really cool to see. Highly recommend coming here on a run to take everything in better. Even a better place to fish at! Not too crowded at all, very peaceful! 4.5 stars

Trails have been repaved in the last several years they're all black topped. I've been away for…read moreseveral years so that's why I'm stating this. There's also some marked interior trails that are gravel or limestone that seem to go closer to the river. I do not travel those, I would imagine that would produce a lot more bugs. Apparently I have desirable blood, if you're a bug. So, Im not looking to get bit up by insects, so I stay on the main paths. Still have multiple shelters, and plenty of parking at each shelter, & there's grills, there's picnic tables. The dog park is still at Black Road, & and appears to be utilized regularly. Sometimes I'll walk all the way down from Black Road and the trail goes downhill as you get closer to 52/Jefferson and if you continue on it, the path goes underneath 52 and dumps out right behind the bar called Crowd Around Me. Multiple bathrooms along the way, there's semi kept up. I wouldn't say they're super clean but it's an outdoor bathroom. I'll give them this much credit, they are cleaned often enough that they aren't disgusting, and there's usually paper in there. Nice place to walk/bike/E bike/run. Or even gather some folks and have a picnic. Its usually pretty quiet in there. Little more crowded on the weekend, but that's understandable. Worth traveling through. And like I say a good place for exercise.

Great place for you to bring dogs. Hammel Woods is one of the natural wonders around here. It has…read morelots of hiking and jogging trails. A lot of good ways to get some exercise. There's quite a lot of dog poop on the trails so watch. A lot of dog owners come here. It isn't strictly a dog park but it's very friendly for them. There's lots of features including drinking fountains and poop bags if there's any left, which often there aren't so it's advised to bring some bags with you. Also there's trash cans for these bags. The bad thing about this park is you need a permit. Grills are available for cooking. It also has a pavilion. The DuPage River is good for kayaking and wading.

This is a gorgeous place to hike with plenty of interesting things to see! There is a stream that…read moreruns through it and a bridge somewhere near the center of the forest. This is a very well-maintained forest preserve and Plainfield Park District cares a lot about maintaining the area. The ONLY downside is that I can't visit here from about June until early August because the mosquitos are plentiful, which is to be expected in a rather damp forest. I've seen owls, hawks, squirrels, chipmunks and deer here.

Mather Woods is a part of the Plainfield Park District. Not far from downtown Plainfield, the…read more large open space is beautiful with lots of trails both paved and natural. It also has two covered pavilions with picnic tables and BBQ's. The trails are great for walking, biking, dog walking, "shed" hunting and just enjoying a day of nature. Free to visit and open daily until dusk.