I've been wanting to visit this park since it opened, but it never came to pass. I'm really glad we got to visit during their 10th anniversary celebration! That party was cool; they had various community orgs, like a citizen science group and the Budlong Woods branch of CPL here to share info and stuff. There were park volunteers doing arts and crafts with the kids. They even had a fishing derby in the little pond, I think, which was really cool. There's at least one or two works of art in the park that are nice as well. This isn't your typical CPD park. It's a nature area that was acquired from neighboring Rosehill Cemetery and developed into a natural area/native preserve. Though the cemetery is over 150 years old, this portion on the northwest corner of Western & Peterson was never used for burials and was simply an undeveloped section of the cemetery. I used to live a couple blocks away from here and remember thinking it was a bit of an eyesore. But the Chicago Park District, and the advisory council for the park, have done wondrous things. There's a walking path throughout the park for a leisurely stroll. The park also hosts various events; I believe they recently had an equinox program, and I hope the bat program comes up again so I can take my little one. They even had Hocus Pocus movie night a few days ago (just before Halloween). But my favorite part by far is the nature play space. It's gorgeous! There are lots of benches and stumps for adults and children to sit on, and they had a couple of outdoor play kitchens. There's a little mound (which to a small child could look hill-sized) for kids to play and sit on. There's a small stage and I'm not sure if they've always had events or if they've started hosting more, but I'm keeping an eye on it because it's truly one of the best nature play spaces I've seen around. It's absolutely worth a visit if you have children, or just want a little quiet contemplation. read more

See all

We had a great morning at West Ridge Nature Park! We came here on a Sunday morning to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the park. They had a lot of kid friendly activities like face painting, coloring, fossils to look at, and our favorite -- music from old town school of folk music! After enjoying some wheels on the bus, we walked around pond. The path was so pretty and well kept. We saw lots of geese, butterflies, squirrels, and even a hawk which my two year old loved. Our favorite though, was all the turtles! We saw about 10 out in the pond swimming. They were so cute, we could have sat out there for a hours watching them bob around. Definitely recommend West Ridge if you're wanting some peace in the city. read more

See all

Had a good time exploring this natural area in Edgewater that's next to a cemetery. It certainly is pretty unique in how this got started. West Ridge Nature Park is located on the northwest side of Rosehill Cemetery in an area that's surprisingly full of wildlife. A lot of things to come across. There's a restored pond that's the main attraction, and plenty of boardwalks and trails. Basically the cemetery is the beginning. It's one of the oldest in the state, opening in 1859. This design was created by landscaper William Saunders, who created the curving pathways and water features. From the beginning of the cemetery there was a pond, but it was in an area unused for burials. Instead, this is where they dumped dirt and other debris. The Park District acquired the site in 2012 and restored the environment to how it was. Among the work done was the removal of invasive plants, and putting boardwalks over environmentally sensitive areas. This opened a few years later, and it's crazy this is next to dead people. Good place to explore nature and how to restore areas. It's certainly a pretty impressive feat. This is located at Peterson and Western. read more

West Ridge Nature Park - Stone Figures - Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Decent low-effort, quick one- mile loop walk in the winter next to the cemetery. Park on Western. Has a fishing dock too. read more

See all

A well-maintained little natural park. Lots of birds and interesting plants. It's clean and the track around the pond is a great place for jogging and running. read more

See all

This was a cute little park with a lake, trails and docks. This park is stuffed in the middle of a neighborhood. There is some art and nature to help you relax and get some fresh air. Great place to decompress. It was a beautiful day for November so I tried to gather a few photos to share the beauty of this park. Enjoy! read more

See all

Stumbled in here by accident the other day walking down Western Avenue. I never thought there would really be a decent sized park as if I were back home in the suburbs. It's got a big pond where people are fishing. A nice long path that circles around and plenty of people are biking down it as well. Tons of trees blanket the area to make it feel as if you're in the woods. It's got a secluded area for children to play at. Please be careful coming here after it rains, the paths may be very muddy. read more

Great natural space inside the busy city. Nice for a morning stroll. Great walking path. read more

See all

Finally, this nature preserve opened today (9/20/15). It's been in the works for a few years now but today was the big day! I could not be more pleased about this new edition to my hood...a place to wander, take in nature, and just be. The walk around the preserve is just short of a mile but you take in so much. Already spotted a blue heron & some kind of fish jumped in the water. It's a great place for families to come and explore. There will be fishing, bird watching, fall colors, everything! Plus, if you want to get some good walking in...wander here. Open sunrise to sunset, it's a great place to take in nature without traveling out of the city...those of you in Lincoln Square, Andersonville, Rogers Park, and Edgewater take a wander over here. read more

See all

Beautiful addition to the neighborhood. The preserve is deceivingly expansive with winding, varying paths for runners and forks for those looking for a peaceful view of the water. It feels very much like a "nature preserve" and not a park. There are no swings or play areas just trees, grass, and water. Nature at its best. It's adjacent to Western and Peterson which can both be busy roads but the ambient noise adds to the charm of the park without ruining it. The only thing I would like to see is some night time lighting. I pass by at night often and it seems spookily dark inside. read more

West Ridge Nature Park - Cemetery on one side park on the other - Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Grand opening of the West Ride Nature Preserve. Nice walk to enjoy the day. The preserve has different trees and wild life to support it. The pond is rather large and has a lot of wet land areas to walk by on the elevated walk way. It doesn't look like they are finished as of yet, but it looks like they are headed in the right direction. There is not much seating right now so if you get tired, you will just have to keep going or sit on a near by rock or stump for now. Nice peaceful park to walk. Should look great during the winter season. read more

See all

This preserve is an incredible secret gem off the busy Western Avenue and integrated into Rosehill Cemetary. Excellent series of hard trails and a central lagoon with easy walking trails. read more

Another beautiful park for family to enjoy. If you have kids they have a playground your kids will enjoy. I have seen joggers, bikers, and photographers. The place is beautiful and free to the public to enjoy. As usual, wear your mask and bring your sanitizer. I know Americans are so divided when it comes to wearing mask. Just don't take the risk when it comes to your family pls. read more

This park is amazing, first, please, remember is a little park. It has a big lake where you can see many ducks and fishes. In addition, there are some paths, if you follow them you can see squirrels, many kind of birds, and sometimes a deer. This place is perfect to take a relaxing time, to do some exercise (running, biking, walking, etc), enjoy the nature, fishing and relax your mind. It is easy to arrive there, they dont have parking lot, but you can leave your car over the streets close from there. read more

See all

This is about as close to nature as you will get in the city. It was a little smaller than I was expecting, the pictures made it look deceivingly bigger, but I still enjoyed a little walk around the area. They have basically a long path around the pond surrounded by trees here and there, but it's a nice open area in which you can find some wildlife. We saw a few geese and ducks, and one woman who was taking pictures with her phone alerted us to the falcon that was sitting in a tree. She also stated she had seen a deer in the preserve before as well. Definitely a beautiful area to check out, especially with the adjacent free parking on Western! read more

What a wonderful oasis in the heart of the city. Although it borders on the west on busy Western Avenue, many parts of the Preserve make you feel as if you are far, far away from city noise and congestion. The only entrance I saw was on Western Avenue, at the intersection with Ardmore. If there's another way in, I never saw it. You can't enter through the cemetery. All the trails are paved, making it easy for visitors pushing strollers or using wheelchairs. When I visited, on a very pleasant autumnal equinox, I saw groups of children, runners, parents with strollers, elderly people (that's my group!), and everyone seemed to be enjoying the sunshine. The path winds through a wooded area, open parklands, and along ponds. In two places I saw a horse-shaped council ring, providing a place for sitting in the sunlight. I did not see any other seating. The eastern park of the park lies alongside Rosehill Cemetary, so it is particularly quiet there. (I don't have the heart to insert a bad joke here, sorry!). But even by the traffic sounds of Western Avenue, you can still hear the cicadas chirping in the trees, the squirrels chittering at each other, the wind rustling the leaves. I saw different bird species, and grasshoppers accompanied my steps in different areas. The only thing I thing might be a problem is the lack of trash cans and recycling receptacles. While those things do detract from the beauty of the surroundings, I have a sad lack of faith that my fellow Chicagoans will refrain from dumping their trash along the paths. I didn't see any parking devoted to the Preserve. I was able to find easy, free parking on Western Avenue. I visited on a weekday, so I can't say if parking will be more challenging on the weekends. This was a very nice way to spend part of a lovely autumn day. I will definitely return. read more

i love this place. Very peaceful and everyone here is so respectful. Check out the story-walk, go for a walk, or enjoy the natural play-space with your kids read more

See all

Finally got to doing a visit here a few weeks back, and it struck me as a smaller version of North Park Nature Preserve at Peterson/Pulaski, but in a smaller space vs. that nature preserve. It's 2.5 blocks long(from Hollywood to about 5930 north, across from the Napleton Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep building), and 1 block wide(from Oakley to Western). Still for having less space vs. North Park, they did a pretty good job landscaping it, and designing the place. The curving pond at the north half is nice, and I did like how they landscaped the southern part of it with natural plants and vegetation. I'd like to see some improvements in this place, namely that for one there should be slightly more(2?) garbage cans. I literally only saw one at the north end of the park, and one near the entrance. It also didn't appear that there were any bathrooms near the entrance, which was a little disappointing. Although I guess one could use the bathroom at the place that replaced Max's Beef(forget what it's called, I think Vince's Pizza and Taqueria?) across the street, or at one of the businesses across the street on the 5700 block of Western south of Ardmore? And having some maps inside the nature preserve of how it's laid out(say one at the entrance, 1 on the north part of it, and 1 at the south part of it) would be nice, though in fairness it has a simple trail layout that isn't too hard to figure out. Also I wouldn't mind if there were just slightly more benches within the park. I'm sure those deficiencies will be addressed over time. But I have to say for how quickly it was planned and opened, the park district did a pretty good job with planning and landscaping this preserve. Bike racks to lock your bike are provided by the entrance, the city did smartly add a traffic light at Ardmore and Western by the ONLY entrance into the nature preserve, and it's easy to park along Western since there are no parking meter boxes on this part of Western. You can also park in the neighborhood west of Western and south of Peterson, but be advised that some of those blocks have permit parking that takes effect starting at noon. One of those places where I'd give it 31/2, if half star reviews were allowed on Yelp(why are they still not allowed?). Glad I did check it out, and I'm sure it'll be improved over time. read more

This is an awesome addition to the neighborhood. City has been working on turning this area into a park for quite some time now. They did an excellent job of building paths around a pond and through some lightly wooded areas. Not a traditional park with lots of green space to run around in. Also, it is only 20ish acres, so you are not going to spend a whole day on the trails, but if you are looking for a nice place to walk in the neighborhood for an hour or so, this is worth checking out. read more

Glad to see some of my exorbitant taxes $$$'s being put to good use. There are a couple of nature walks along the east side of the Ravenswood Metra tracks, but this piece of 20 acre urban planning really almost , kinda, feels like "natural". A few carefully staged fallen trees, replete with dead branches, planted wildflowers, a paved sidewalk, and a man-made pond. I didn't even mind the sound of sirens and horns honking on Western Avenue. It reminded me of why I love living in the city, and not the suburbs. read more

Stunning! Great job to all of the volunteers who made this place a reality. I was completely blown away by the beauty here. Even though it's right off Western it's like being transported to another dimension. read more

Such a great place to go to and walk around and spend some time. Very clean and such a nice spot. Love to come here when I am in the area.