I love this park. It is huge and plenty places to sit and rest, to walk, to bbq.. but I just dont like how dirty it is. Two times we literally took out plastic bag from the deer mouth! People stop doing that! Please! Stop feeding animals with food they don't naturally eat just because you wanna clean your pantry!!!! I had few fights visiting this park with ladies who fed them with chips, pretzels, leftover bread! It is just not right! This park is amazing, we should clean after ourselves and be thankful that we can enjoy peace of this wilderness in our everyday! (Photos are few days old but very pretty and I keep forgetting to post them so I will do it now) read more

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I went to Schiller Woods Grove 2 for a company picnic but the mosquitoes were horrible. I had even sprayed "Deep Woods Off" on my arms and legs but I must have missed a few spots on my legs because the mosquitoes nailed me. Obviously this has been a abysmally rain drenched year for the Cook County area and the mosquitoes in the woods have flourished. I am definitely not going back plus the fact the people walk their dogs without leashes in these woods is a dangerous element. I would highly suggest more Mosquito Abatement spraying for these woods. read more

I come here for the well. Usually a line but it's free, clean water. Definitely worth the wait!

Used to be good until this year Many organizations hosted dancing parties where people would dance under the gazebos How they bolted picnic tables down under the gazebos so no more dancing in the park Which was wonderful I'll change this to 5 starts if you unbolt the picnic tables and leave the area under the gazebos ope n read more

I've driven by Schiller Woods many a time but haven't ever been here. I know they have the "secret" special water but never stopped for it. It's so close to O'hare that I saw a Southwest Airlines plane coming on for landing. Yet the white noise of the cars and whatnot is not so overpowering as to be distracting. I was here in Grove 2 for a nature journaling workshop. It was hosted by the Cook County Forest Preserve system, and led by a master naturalist. I was a few minutes late but luckily they were around the picnic grove. They have so many areas here that I struggled to find out where I was going--they said it was in the Schiller Woods West area, but there are at least five places to pull out just in that section. I'm glad I found my way, because the workshop was great. It was led by Maureen Murphy, master naturalist with the Illinois Extension. She shared with us the three prompts used in nature journaling: I notice; I wonder; and It reminds me of. The purpose of these exercises is to spend more time communing with and appreciating what's around you, rather than just noticing a pretty flower for two seconds and moving on. Once you've answered those questions, you translate it into the languages of journaling: 1. Words, which allows you to be specific. You don't need to use full sentences, correct spelling, or proper grammar if you don't wish; that's not the point here. (Though for me, it would drive me batty.) 2. Pictures/visual strategy: This could be a plant portrait, a map showing where something is in relation to others, or showing the same thing from various angles. 3. Numbers: This is another way to get specific. You can incorporate numbers by noting the number of petals on a flower, estimating how tall a tree is, or so on. Another suggestion to encourage journaling is to start out your page with the location, date, time, and the weather conditions. That gets you some of the items in at least a few languages (and you could make a picture of the weather, too!). You'll find that one or two of these "languages" are probably easier for you, but try all three you can. One thing that I found really interesting in doing this was that as I was writing down my observations and my questions especially, I could see the makings of a short story. That's an aspect I hadn't expected and just adds another dimension to the activity. I am not an artist at all, so I knew I'd struggle with that "language" especially (if not the whole thing, to be honest), but I actually did better with the pictures than I had any right to expect. I am going to look for a nice journal to continue nature journaling, and since Maureen has started a nature journaling group I gave her my contact info to join them sometime. read more

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We have had our annual company function at this location twice in the last 4 years. The gazebo we rented this time could use a face lift. It was nice seeing some wildlife in a busy Chicago suburb. I think we probably saw at least half a dozen deer. There were also black squirrels, robins, and a dead fish carcus. There was a fair amount of litter throughout the park so it would be nice to see that cleaned up. read more

I've always been surprised by the number of whitetail deer in this forest preserve. It's a big place bordered by the Des Plaines River on the west. There is a big pond, tons of trails, picnic shelters and soccer fields. There isn't any barbecues, if you're BBQ'ing you'll have you bring your own. No playground equipment here either. Schiller Woods is an urban green space. read more

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A little history lesson for you: This forest preserve is popular for 2 reasons, 1.) It's claim to be haunted and 2.) The well water pump (built.in the 1940's) contains fountain of youth qualities, or at least makes people feel younger. This forest preserve sledding hill is along Irving park road and Cumberland. As you go east of Irving park road, the sledding hill is to the right, across the street to the is the model air plane field. You know you're at the correct parking lot when there is a sign that says it's ok for sledding. (Sorry, I meant you take a picture of that small standing sign. ) It was easily seen for us since there's was a small crowd from a distance sledding down a big hill. This place was fun and free! Just make sure you are well dressed in ski- like clothing because snow can get inside shoes and get feet wet and hypothermia. Winter wind can cause winter burn so make sure lotion is on face beforehand. Winter ski glasses is not required, but is useful! My daughter also wore snow boots, scarf, thermal gloves, and a warm hat that has flaps to cover her ears. I also brought extra clothes just in case. Dress warm! I didn't wear the right boots so my socks were soaked even though I wore socks on top of socks! We ended up spending an hour there and had hot chocolate afterwards. read more

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Stepping out my car for the first time at Schiller Woods, I spied a family of deer slowly making their way from one forest to the next. In broad daylight. The Schiller Woods sights #9-14 is a huge open-spaced forest preserve, good for picnics, reading a book, doing homework with dad, fishing, strolling, or running. I spied all of these activities here as I decided to make this my "Go-To" nature running spot before driving home from work. It's easy to make a good running path here, if you don't mind going somewhat in large circles. And every so often, a sprint up the sledding hill will leave mouths agape on out of shape onlookers (who won't even try to make it up walking). Yes, there's sledding here in winter! There are plenty of artesian spring pumps, so water is not a problem. There are a few port-a-potties if you're shy about using the woods. Across the street is a dedicated preserve for Model Airplane enthusiasts. I haven't stopped there yet. Maybe because a Berenstain Bear book on stranger danger, complete with a guy that invites Brother Bear into his car to follow his plane has left me leery of grown men who play with planes. Anyway, love the Schiller woods. And please start calling me by my new name "Runs With Deer In Circles". See ya'! read more

Nice park for birding and they have deer. Schiller Park has a lot of different things to offer. Deer frequent this park in the late winter early spring time. There are trails galore and an area for people with model planes to fly. I see people stopping here frequently to pump water from the well. Schiller park is a nice taste of nature before you head into the city. read more

This portion of the forest preserver system is kind of out there, but I love it for several reasons. One is for the big open field which is great for flying a kite. It's best to do this in the field just north of Irving Park and west of Cumberland so that you don't interfere with the model airplane aviators. Another intriguing factor is this manual water pump on Irving park just west of Cumberland on the Southside of the street. Lots of Polish people go here and fill jugs and jugs with the artisan water. They say the water is a fountain of youth. I've tried it and it's okay and free of chlorine, but I didn't feel any younger. And then there's my favorite part of this park: they have a hill!!! Oh, I wish that hills weren't so rare in Chicago! Anyway, there's lots of parking and plenty of family and groups have picnics here. It's a great open space...go here and feel like you're hours from the city. read more

A great place to have a picnic with your family. I went here a few years ago for a company picnic and we had a great time. We barbequed, played frisbee and volleyball, and enjoyed the beautiful weather that day. It's just like any other forest preserve in Chicago. You'll see families here on weekends, having parties, picnics, etc. What makes this particular forest preserve unique, though, is the fact that they have a hill where you can go sledding & coasting in the winter. I can't wait til it snows! :) read more

We just got out to discover this park that is literally in our backyard. Plenty of space here for everyone. From people relaxing and reading, people grilling and partying, bikers, hikers and more this place is a quaint area right in the city with the planes passing right overhead. We spent about 2 hours here so far, but will be back to explore more trails and find some geocaches. My son enjoyed the ducks and the deer which have no fear of people so will often be within feet of you perhaps without you even knowing. Nice to have this area so close. Plenty of parking, would be good for dogs but best to keep on a leash. Bikes go quite fast and some were quite rude. Also some families in on the trails that had clearly been enjoying a bit too many libations and were leaving litter everywhere. But I guess you can't always meet people who enjoy the space and care as much as they should. read more

Plenty of parking, a great hill and fabulous open space. The shelters are spaced far enough apart so your group doesn't feel like it's stacked on top of other groups. What really makes this place rock is how low the planes fly over that big open space as they prepare to land at nearby O'Hare. If you have kids or out-of-towners who just love to watch this sort of thing, Shiller Woods should be high on your destination list. While the planes flying low can be an attraction, it also adds noise. Sure, you're outside at a park so you're not expecting total quiet. Just know you'll need to speak up when those planes are overhead. read more

Sledding hill, pond, plenty of open spaces, picnic tables, and plenty of other fun things. read more

Schiller Woods - Ahh, beauty and solitude back in the woods. - Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is a place i take my 2 boys 2 and 7 all the time. We feed the deer and they love to run free around the big open grass area. I will continue to take them here years to come. I use to come here as a child 30 years ago. I just wish people would clean after themselves so we can enjoy these woods for future generations. read more

Schiller Woods - Schiller woods - Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Have you ever seen anyone having a baby shower at a forest preserve? I guess if the weather cooperates (we're looking at June/July 2012 timeframe) - or do any of the forest preserves have covered or closed areas in case Mother Nature isn't happy with us on the day we pick! I would imagine we could either BBQ or bring some other types of food.... Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you so much!! Carol read more

It's huge, and a decent tournament venue. The fields aren't perfect, but they're clean and fairly flat. There's plenty of parking. It can 've a bit hard to find exactly what you're looking for because it's so huge. It's about. 25-minute drive from the middle of Chicago, which isn't bad. There's a bus that goes pretty close, on Cumberland. There's no field house, though, which means no restroom, which means Porto-potties, which aren't ideal;I'd day that's the bigg at problem with Schuller, although the hope to get there from th city is a pretty close second. Overall a nice park, and an asset to Chicago. read more

Beautiful area for a walk or for a group gathering. Bring your bug spray if you intend to be in the wooded areas!

I've been coming here for so many years now, the park remains same quality. There is a ton of space! The deer are always here and love to take photos. The lake on the north east side is really peaceful. read more