Where to hike in Cook County Illinois

Where to hike in Cook County Illinois. There are so many places to hike in Illinois that I had to break out the City of Chicago and then each collar county into separate posts. This is installment two. I can’t attest to any of these trails since my hiking is limited to urban hiking as in walking around on city streets. Most of these require a car to access. Generally Illinois is flat but I would go through the website for the trails you’re interested to make sure it meets your difficulty level. Enjoy!

Where to hike in Cook County Illinois

Arie Crown Trails

- LOCATION: Countryside & Hodgkins
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 3.4 miles

Burnham Greenway Trail System

This trail on a former railroad right-of-way includes numerous on-street segments and links Eggers Grove to the north with the Thorn Creek Trail System to the south.

- LOCATION: Burnham, Calumet City, Chicago & Lansing
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 11.5 miles

Busse Forest Trails

Large paved loop circling Busse Reservoir with shorter trail segments fanning out from the loop.

- LOCATION: Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows & Schaumburg
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 12.9 miles

Cal-Sag Trail

The Cal-Sag Trail will eventually stretch 26 miles from Sag Quarries in Lemont to the Burnham Greenway near the Indiana border. The first 13 miles opened in June 2015.

- LOCATION: Alsip, Blue Island, Calumet City, Dolton, Lemont, Palos Heights, & Riverdale
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 26.8 miles

Centennial Trail

- LOCATION: Lemont & Willow Springs
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 9.3 miles

Crabtree Nature Center Trails

Crabtree Nature Center offers three unpaved walking trails that wind through woodlands, wetlands and prairies.

- LOCATION: Barrington Hills
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 3.4 miles

Crabtree Trail

Extend your ride on the paved Crabtree Trail by connecting to the Paul Douglas Trail via the path along Algonquin Rd.

- LOCATION: Barrington Hills & South Barrington
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 1.6 miles

Dan Ryan Trails

This mile-long paved loop connects to the Major Taylor Trail.

- LOCATION: Chicago
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 1.0 miles

Deer Grove Trails

- LOCATION: Barrington, Deer Park & Palatine
- SURFACE: Paved & Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 15.5 miles

Des Plaines Trail System

The unpaved Des Plaines Trail follows its namesake river through more than a dozen forest preserves, allowing visitors to enjoy casual strolls, full-day adventures and anything in between.

- LOCATION: Chicago, Des Plaines, Glenview, Melrose Park, Mount Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, River Forest, Rosemont, Schiller Park & Wheeling
- SURFACE: Paved & Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 28.4 miles

Horizon Farm Trails

- LOCATION: Barrington Hills
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 1.2 miles

John Husar I&M Canal Trail

- LOCATION: Lemont & Willow Springs
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 9.1 miles

Kickapoo Woods Trail

- LOCATION: Dixmoor, Harvey & Riverdale
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 1.0 miles

Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center Trails

Explore the Little Red Schoolhouse grounds on three unpaved walking trails or the paved accessible garden trail. Connect to the Palos Trail System to extend your walk.

- LOCATION: Willow Springs
- SURFACE: Paved & Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 2.5 miles

Where to hike in Cook County Illinois

Major Taylor Trail

The Major Taylor Trail runs from Dan Ryan Woods south to Whistler Woods and includes paved segments, off-street paved segments managed by the Chicago Park District, and on-street segments.

- LOCATION: Chicago & Riverdale
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 8.1 miles

Miller Meadow Trail

- LOCATION: Forest Park, Maywood & North Riverside
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 2.0 miles

North Branch Trail System

The North Branch Trail System offers paved and unpaved trails along approximately 20 miles of the North Branch of the Chicago River, making it a premier biking route in the northern suburbs.

- LOCATION: Chicago, Glenview, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Skokie & Winnetka
- SURFACE: Paved & Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 36.7 miles

Harms Woods near Morton Grove and Glenview

LOCATION: Various entrances
SURFACE: Paved
ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 2 mile Linear Trail Roundtrip

This trail is a part of the North Branch Trail System listed above. I used to ride it growing up in Morton Grove.

Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Trails

- LOCATION: Markham & Oak Forest
- SURFACE: Paved & Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 2.5 miles

Orland Grassland Trails

- LOCATION: Orland Hills, Orland Park & Tinley Park
- SURFACE: Paved & Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 13.0 miles

Palos Trail System

The extensive and varied Palos Trail System winds through rolling hills and deep ravines, providing beautiful views of the surrounding landscapes.

- LOCATION: Hickory Hills, Justice, Palos Hills & Willow Springs
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 42.1 miles

Paul Douglas Trail

- LOCATION: Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Palatine, Schaumburg & South Barrington
- SURFACE: Paved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 8.6 miles

Where to hike in Cook County Illinois

Plum Creek Trail

- LOCATION: Sauk Village
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 1.8 miles

Poplar Creek Trail System

- LOCATION: Hoffman Estates & Streamwood
- SURFACE: Paved & Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 20.9 miles

River Trail Nature Center Trails

Explore the River Trail Nature Center grounds on three walking trails or extend your walk on the Des Plaines Trail System.

- LOCATION: Northbrook
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 1.7 miles

Sag Valley Trail System

The Sag Valley Trail Systems’ miles of looping and connecting unpaved trails take visitors to some of the most remote areas of Cook County.

- LOCATION: Homer Glen, Lemont & Palos Park
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 20.4 miles

Sagawau Environmental Learning Center Trails

Explore the Sagawau Environmental Learning Center grounds on four walking trails during spring, summer and fall. During winter, Sagawau’s trails transform to groomed cross-country skiing trails—no walkers allowed.

- LOCATION: Lemont
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 2.6 miles

Salt Creek Trail System

The Salt Creek Trail System’s paved and unpaved trails run along the Des Plaines River, Salt Creek and Brookfield Zoo, offering visitors views of a glacial valley, gravelly moraine and Salt Creek’s unique pool and riffle environment.

- LOCATION: Brookfield, Forest View, La Grange Park, Lyons, McCook, North Riverside, Oak Brook, Riverside, Westchester & Western Springs
- SURFACE: Paved & Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 16.4 miles

Sand Ridge Nature Center Trails

Sand Ridge Nature Center offers four walking trails that pass through a number of habitats including prairies, oak savannas and woodlands on ancient beaches and sand dunes, marshes and ponds.

- LOCATION: South Holland
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 3.9 miles

Spring Lake Trails

- LOCATION: Barrington Hills, East Dundee & Hoffman Estates
- SURFACE: Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 45.8 miles

Thorn Creek Trail System

The Thorn Creek Trail System’s nearly 20 miles of paved and unpaved trails connect multiple forest preserves, winding past lakes, wetlands and woodlands.

- LOCATION: Calumet City, Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Lansing, Lynwood, Park Forest & South Holland
- SURFACE: Paved & Unpaved
- ESTIMATED TOTAL LENGTH: 29.9 miles

Tinley Creek Trail System

The Tinley Creek Trail System’s three paved loops take visitors over gently rolling hills, through prairies and forests, and alongside wetlands and ravines.