Lucky for us Chicagoans, taking a walk in nature is not as an illusive a plan as it might seem. In our town we are blessed with numerous parks, forest- wood- and praire- preserves, quarries, river walks, beaches, ponds, aviaries, nature centers and museums, lake front trails, nature trails, and easiest to find, beautiful neighborhood streets. That’s right, you don’t need a specific destination in mind to take a nature walk. Nature is all around us. If you look closely, it’s overwhelmingly everywhere. Just the other day I was walking through the high rises of downtown on a building to building pavement street. There was only a narrow strip of grasses growing between the cracks in the sidewalk. Though, there it was…a dragonfly. Probably the largest one I have ever seen. Vibrant and iridescent greens, blues, oranges, purples, and yellows. I might have thought I was dreaming. It spurred in me a glimmer of hope, that no matter where I am, to stop, look, take a second Making Every Moment Count by finding nature anywhere I go.
Young children are great explorers, they seemingly wander the world on an endless scavenger hunt. They notice the youngest blade of grass, the largest black ant, the most beautiful fall leaf. If only we could find time to appreciate each discovery with them, acknowledge their observant nature and in the moment agenda.
For more information on any of these locations email us. maplewoodcdc@gmail.com
However, if you are looking for a place to visit, check out our favorite Nature spots around the Chicagoland area.
Eden Place Nature Center
Peggy Notebart Museum
Bloomingdale Trail (aka The 606)
North Park Village Nature Center
Garfield Park Conservatory
Emily Oaks Nature Center
North Pond Nature Sanctuary
Indian Boundary Nature Center
Lincoln Park Conservatory
Hyde Park
Hombolt Park
Logan Blvrd
Montrose Beach
Montrose Aviary
The Grove
Chicago Woman’s Garden
Promontory Point
Loyola Park
Rainbow Beach
12th Street Beach and Park
18th Street Beach
Heller Nature Center
Chicago Botanical Gardens
Morton Arboretum
Lake Shore Bike Path
Deerfield Trail
Maxwell Street Community Garden
Taylor Street Community Garden
Green House Community Garden
Machine Park Community Garden
Ontario Riverfront Park
China Towns Tom Ping Park
Jens Jensen Park
Grant Park
Washington Park
Portage Park
Marquette Park
Jackson Park
Lincoln Park
Douglas Park
Columbus Park
Calumet Park
Burnham Park
Ned Brown Forrest Preserve
Arie Crown Forest trail system
Burnham Greenway trail system
Busse Woods bicycle trail
Centennial and I&M Canal trail system
Deer Grove trail system
Des Plaines trail system
Des Plaines River Trail follows the river through much of Cook County and Lake County.
North Branch trail system
Palos trail system
Poplar Creek trail system
Sag Valley trail system
Salt Creek trail system
Thorn Creek trail system
Tinley Creek trail system
Region 1: Northwest Cook County
Poplar Creek Division
Includes: Spring Lake Preserve, Crabtree Preserve, Arthur L. Janura Preserve
Activity Areas · Barrington Road Pond · Beverly Lake · Bluff Springs Fen · Bode East · Bode Lake · Crabtree Nature Center · Great Egret Family Picnic Area · Old Stover Trailhead · Penny Road Pond · Poplar Creek Bicycle Lot · Poplar Creek Equestrian Parking · Poplar Creek Model Airplane Flying Field · Shoe Factory Road Woods · Spring Creek Valley Headwaters · Spring Lake Nature Preserve
Trail Systems · Crabtree Preserve (Paved) · Poplar Creek (Paved) · Poplar Creek (Unpaved) · Spring Lake (Unpaved)
Region 2: Northwest Cook County
Northwest Division
Includes: Deer Grove Preserve, Jens Jensen Preserve, Paul Douglas Preserve, Ned Brown Preserve
Activity Areas · Baker’s Lake Overlook · Baker’s Lake Younghusband Prairie · Busse Forest-Central · Busse Forest-North · Busse Forest-South · Busse Forest-West · Busse Forest Elk Pasture · Busse Forest Main Dam · Busse Lake Beisner Road Access · Busse Lake Boating Center · Camp Alphonse · Camp Reinberg · Deer Grove · Deer Grove-East · Deer Grove-West · Deer Grove Lake · Grassy Ridge Meadow · Highland Woods Driving Range · Highland Woods Golf Course · Ned Brown Meadow · Woodland Meadow
Trail Systems · Busse Forest (Paved) · Deer Grove (Paved) · Deer Grove (Unpaved) · Paul Douglas (Paved)
Region 3: North Cook County
Indian Boundary Division, Des Plaines Division
Includes: Seymour Simon Preserve
Activity Areas · Allison Woods · Axehead Lake · Beck Lake · Belleau Lake · Big Bend Lake · Blandings Grove Family Picnic Area · Blue Beach Family Picnic Area · Camp Baden Powell · Camp Dan Beard · Camp Ground Road Woods · Camp Pine Woods · Catherine Chevalier Woods · Che-Che-Pin-Qua Woods · Chippewa Woods · Dam No. 1 Woods-East · Dam No. 1 Woods-West · Dam No. 2 Woods · Dam No. 4 Woods-East · Evans Field · Fullerton Woods · Fullerton Woods Family Picnic Area · Harry H. Semrow Driving Range · Indian Boundary Family Picnic Area · Indian Boundary Golf Course · Iroquois Woods · Irving Park Road Canoe Landing · Jerome Huppert Woods · John E. Traeger Family Picnic Area · Kloempken Prairie · Lake Avenue Woods-East · Lake Avenue Woods-West · Lions Woods · Massasauga Family Picnic Area · Northwestern Woods · Potawatomi Lake · Potawatomi Woods · River Bend Family Picnic Area · River Trail Nature Center · Robinson Homestead Family Picnic Area · Robinson Woods-South · Schiller Model Airplane Flying Field · Schiller Playfield · Schiller Pond · Schiller Woods-East · Schiller Woods-South · Schiller Woods-West · Sunset Bridge Meadow
Trail System · Des Plaines (Unpaved)
Region 4: North Cook County
North Branch Division, Skokie Division
Includes: William N. Erickson Preserves, George F. Nixon Forest, Frank Bobrytzke Forest, Clayton F. Smith Preserves, Roman Pucinski Preserve
Activity Areas · Billy Caldwell Golf Course · Blue Star Memorial Woods · Bunker Hill · Caldwell Woods · Calvin R. Sutker Grove · Camp Adahi · Camp Glenview · Chick Evans Golf Course · Chipilly Woods · Edgebrook Golf Course · Edgebrook Woods · Erickson Woods · Forest Glen Woods · Forest Way Grove · Glen Grove Equestrian Center · Glenview Woods · Harms Woods-Central · Harms Woods-North · Harms Woods-South · Irene C. Hernandez Family Picnic Area · LaBagh Woods · Linne Woods · Little House of Glencoe · Mary Mix McDonald Woods · Mathew Bieszczat–Volunteer Resource Center · Miami Woods · Perkins Woods · St. Paul Woods · Sidney Yates Flatwoods · Skokie Lagoons · Somme Nature Preserve · Somme Prairie Grove · Somme Woods · Thaddeus S. “Ted” Lechowicz Woods · Tower Road · Tower Road Boat Launch · Turnbull Woods · Watersmeet Woods · Wayside Woods · Whealan Pool Aquatic Center
Special Activity Site · Chicago Botanic Garden
Trail Systems · North Branch (Paved) · North Branch (Unpaved)
Region 5: West Cook County
Salt Creek Division
Activity Areas · Andrew Toman Grove · Bemis Woods-North · Bemis Woods-South · Brezina Woods · Brookfield Woods · Callahan Grove · Cermak Family Aquatic Center · Cermak Quarry · Cermak Woods · Cummings Square (General Headquarters) · G.A.R. Woods · Hal Tyrrell Trailside Museum · LaGrange Park Woods · Maywood Grove · McCormick Woods · Meadowlark Golf Course · Miller Meadow-North · Miller Meadow-South · National Grove-North · National Grove-South · Ottawa Trail Woods-North · Ottawa Trail Woods-South · Plank Road Meadow Boat Launch · Possum Hollow Woods · Quercus Woods Family Picnic Area · Salt Creek Woods · Schuth’s Grove · Silver Creek Family Picnic Area · Stony Ford Canoe Landing · Thatcher Woods · Thatcher Woods Glen · Thomas Jefferson Woods · Twenty-Sixth Street Woods-East · Twenty-Sixth Street Woods-West · Westchester Woods · White Eagle Woods-North · White Eagle Woods-South · Wolf Road Prairie · Zoo Woods
Trail Systems · Salt Creek (Paved) · Salt Creek (Unpaved) · Salt Creek Greenway (Paved)
Special Activity Sites · Brookfield Zoo · Chicago Portage National Historic Site
Region 6: Southwest Cook County
Salt Creek Division, Palos Division
Includes: Palos Preserves
Activity Areas · Arie Crown Forest · Belly Deep Slough · Buffalo Woods-Central · Buffalo Woods Family Picnic Area · Buffalo Woods-North · Buffalo Woods-South · Bullfrog Lake · Camp Kiwanis Equestrian Staging Area · Columbia Woods · Country Lane Woods · Cranberry Slough · Crawdad Slough · Crooked Creek Woods · Dan McMahon Woods · Henry De Tonty Woods · Hickory Hills Woods · Hidden Pond Woods-East · Hidden Pond Woods-West · Joe’s Pond · John Husar I&M Canal–Bicycle Trail Parking Lot · Lake Ida · Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center · Maple Lake Boating Center · Maple Lake-East · Maple Lake · Maple Lake Overlook · Morrill Meadow · Palos Fen · Paw Paw Woods · Pioneer Woods · Pulaski Woods · Pulaski Woods-East · Pulaski Woods-South–Mountain Bike Staging Area · Red Gate Woods · Saganashkee Slough-Central · Saganashkee Slough-East · Saganashkee Slough Boat Launch · Spears Woods · Sundown Meadow · Theodore Stone Forest · Tuma Lake · White Oak Woods · Willow Springs Woods · Wolf Road Woods
Trail Systems · Arie Crown (Unpaved) · Centennial (Unpaved) · John Husar I&M Canal (Paved) · Palos (Unpaved)
Region 7: Southwest Cook County
Sag Valley Division
Includes: Black Partridge Preserve, Cap Sauer’s Preserve, John J. Duffy Preserve, Edward M. Sneed Forest
Activity Areas · Bergman Slough · Black Partridge Woods · Cap Sauers Holding · Cherry Hill Woods · Forty Acre Woods · Horsetail Lake · McGinnis Slough · McClaughrey Spring Woods · Orland Grassland · Orland Grove · Paddock Woods · Palos Park Woods-North · Palos Park Woods-South · Papoose Lake · Sag Quarries · Sagawau Environmental Learning Center · Southland Volunteer Resource Center · Swallow Cliff Woods-North · Swallow Cliff Woods-South · Tampier Greenway Family Picnic Area · Tampier Lake Boating Center · Tampier Lake-North · Tampier Lake-West · Teason’s Woods
Trail Systems · Centennial (Unpaved) · Sag Valley (Unpaved)
Region 8: South Cook County
Tinley Creek Division
Includes: South Green Belt Preserve
Activity Areas · Arrowhead Lake · Bachelor’s Grove Woods · Bartel Grassland · Bobolink Family Picnic Area · Bremen Grove · Bur Oak Woods · Camp Falcon · Camp Sullivan · Carlson Springs Woods · Catalina Grove Family Picnic Area · Coopers Hawk Grove Family Picnic Area · Elizabeth A. Conkey Forest-North · Elizabeth A. Conkey Forest-South · Flossmoor Road Bicycle Lot · George W. Dunne National Driving Range · George W. Dunne National Golf Course · Goeselville Grove Family Picnic Area · Midlothian Meadows · Midlothian Reservoir · Rubio Woods · St. Mihiel Woods-East · Tinley Creek Model Airplane Flying Field · Tinley Creek Woods · Turtlehead Lake · Vollmer Road Grove · Yankee Woods
Trail Systems · Tinley Creek (Paved) · Tinley Creek (Unpaved)
Region 9: Southeast Cook County
Calumet Division, Thorn Creek Division
Includes: Plum Creek Preserve
Activity Areas · Beaubien Woods · Beaubien Woods Boat Launch · Brownell Woods · Burnham Prairie Nature Preserve · Burnham Woods Golf Course · Calumet City Playfield · Calumet City Prairie · Calumet Woods · Clayhole Woods · Dan Ryan Woods-91st Street · Dan Ryan Woods-Central · Dan Ryan Woods-East · Dan Ryan Woods-North · Dan Ryan Woods-South · Dan Ryan Woods-West · Dixmoor Playfield · Eggers Grove · Flatfoot Lake · Glenwood Woods-North · Glenwood Woods-South · Green Lake Family Aquatic Center · Green Lake Woods · Indian Hill Woods · Joe Louis “The Champ” Golf Course · Joe Orr Woods · Jurgensen Woods · Kickapoo Woods · King’s Grove · Lansing Woods · Little Calumet Boat Launch · Michael J. O’Malley Preserve · North Creek Meadow · Plum Creek Play Meadow · Powderhorn Lake · River Oaks Golf Course · Sand Ridge Nature Center · Sand Ridge Prairie Nature Preserve · Sauk Lake · Sauk Trail Woods-Central · Sauk Trail Woods-East · Sauk Trail Woods-North · Sauk Trail Woods-South · Schubert’s Woods · Shabbona Woods · Sweet Woods · Thorn Creek Model Airplane Flying Field · Thornton-Lansing Road–Nature Preserve (Zander Woods) · Wampum Lake · Wentworth Prairie · Whistler Woods · Woodrow Wilson Woods
Trail Systems · Burnham Greenway (Paved) · Major Taylor (Paved) · Plum Creek (Unpaved) · Thorn Creek (Paved) · Thorn Creek (Unpaved)