Where to hike in DuPage County Illinois

Where to hike in DuPage 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 four.  I can’t attest to any of these trails since my hiking is limited to walking around on city streets. These all 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 they meet your difficulty level.  Enjoy!

Where to hike in DuPage County Illinois

DuPage County Forest Preserves contain more than 166 miles of trails, from footpaths to wide limestone and asphalt trails. Most are open to hikers, joggers, horseback riders, cross-country skiers, snowshoeing and wildlife-watchers, but a handful may have seasonal or site-specific restrictions such as pet access restrictions. Some offer fishing, boating and picnicking.  Download the Trails Guide (PDF).  Also each trail has a pdf Trail map.

Bartlet Park District:  The Bartlett Park District has a .pdf of all it’s trails here.

Blackwell  Main entrance is on the north side of Butterfield Road 0.25 mile west of Winfield Road in Warrenville. There are also entrances on the north and south sides of Mack Road.  The 1,366-acre Blackwell Forest Preserve has six trails totaling 7.6 miles.

Churchill Woods  Two entrances are on the south side of St. Charles Road 0.5 mile west of Route 53 in Glen Ellyn. Churchill Prairie Nature Preserve is on the north side of St. Charles Road between Swift Road and Route 53. There’s also a parking lot on the north side of Crescent Boulevard, west of I-355 and south of St. Charles Road.  The 255 acre Churchill Woods Forest Preserve has a .6 mile trail.

Churchill Woods in Glen Ellyn. Image from Forest Preserve District of DuPage County website.

Cricket Creek: The main entrance is on the north side of Fullerton Avenue, one block east of Villa Avenue and south of Lake Street (Route 20) in Addison. To reach the parking lot for the model-boating lake, take Fullerton Avenue to the Route 83 frontage road and go south 0.25 mile. The entrance is on the right.  The 208-acre Cricket Creek Forest Preserve has over 3 miles of trails including 2.4 miles of the 30-mile Salt Creek Greenway Trail (see below).

Danada:  The main entrance is on Naperville Road, 1 mile south of Butterfield Road and 0.75 mile north of Interstate 88 in Wheaton. The headquarters office is on the west side of Naperville Road at 3S580 Naperville Road, and the Danada Equestrian Center is on the east side at 3S507 Naperville Road.  The 797-acre Danada Forest Preserve has nearly 3 miles trails through prairie, woodland and marsh habitats.

Fullersburg Woods: The main entrance is at 3609 Spring Road, 1 mile south of 31st Street and 0.25 mile north of Ogden Avenue in Oak Brook.  The 220-acre woods is a wildlife haven in an urban setting and has 4.3 miles of trails.

Greene Valley:  The south parking lot is on Greene Road 0.25 mile south of 79th Street in Naperville. The lot for the north picnic area and the off-leash dog area is on Greene Road, 0.3 mile north of 75th Street and south of Hobson Road. The Thunderbird Youth Camp is on 79th Street 0.5 mile west of Greene Road. The 1,388-acre Greene Valley Forest Preserve  has 13.8 miles of trails.

Hawk Hollow:  Hawk Hollow is at the intersection of Bartlett and Schick roads east of Route 59 in Bartlett. The entrance to the off-leash dog area is off Bittersweet Drive just south of Stearns Road.  5.6 miles of trails that meander through the preserve, connecting to trails in Mallard Lake and West Branch forest preserves and the Bartlett Park District trail system.

Herrick Lake: The main entrance is on Butterfield Road approximately 1 mile west of Naperville Road. The youth-group cabin and the south parking lot are on the east side of Herrick Road south of Butterfield.  The 1,172-acre Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve has 7 miles of trails, including a section of Danada-Herrick Lake Regional Trail.

Hidden Lake: The main entrance is on the east side of Route 53 0.25 mile south of Butterfield Road in Downers Grove.  The 390-acre Hidden Lake Forest Preserve has more than 2 miles of trails.

James “Pate” Philip State Park:  The entrance is on the north side of Stearns Road, 0.6 mile west of Powis Road and 0.5 mile east of Route 25 in Bartlett. The 501-acre James “Pate” Philip State Park has 3.7 miles of trails through tallgrass prairie and wetlands.

Mallard Lake Forest Preserve:  The main parking lot is on Schick Road west of Gary Avenue in Hanover Park. A second lot is on Greenbrook Boulevard 0.6 mile east of County Farm Road.  The 948-acre Mallard Lake Forest Preserve has 4 miles of trails, including a 2.5-mile trail system with a boardwalk that is ideal for bird watching. It connects to Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve, the North Central DuPage Regional Trail and the Bartlett Park District trail system.

Mallard Lake Forest Preserves in Hanover Park. Image from Forest Preserve District of DuPage County website.

Where to hike in DuPage County Illinois

Maple Grove:  The main entrance is on the north side of Maple Avenue, 2 miles east of Belmont Road and 1 mile west of Dunham Road in Downers Grove. A second entrance is on Gilbert Avenue between Belmont Road and Main Street.  The 81-acre Maple Grove Forest Preserve in Downers Grove has 1 mile of trails.

McDowell Grove:  McDowell Grove is on the east side of Raymond Drive, south of Interstate 88 in Naperville. The main entrance is south of Diehl Road, approximately 1 mile north of Ogden Avenue (Route 34).  The 465-acre McDowell Grove Forest Preserve has seven miles of trails.

Meacham Grove:  The entrance is on the west side of Circle Avenue 0.25 mile north of Lake Street (Route 20) in Bloomingdale.  The 255-acre Meacham Grove Forest Preserve has 2.5 miles of trails, including a portion of the North Central DuPage Regional Trail.

North Central DuPage Regional Trail:  The North Central DuPage Regional Trail (NCDRT) is a 19-mile trail spanning northern DuPage County. Stretching from Roselle to Wayne, the eastern terminus of the NCDRT connects to trails in Cook County that merge at Busse Woods Forest Preserve in Elk Grove. Go here for ,pdf maps of all trails in DuPage County.

Oldfield Oaks: The entrance is 0.25 mile east of Lemont Road on the south side of 87th Street/Oldfield Road in Darien.  The 109-acre Oldfield Oaks Forest Preserve features 2 miles of trails through mature oak woodland, natural wetland and restored prairie. 

Pratt’s Wayne Woods: The main entrance is west of Route 59 on the west side of Powis Road, north of Army Trail Road and south of Stearns Road in Bloomingdale. Harrier Lake is on the south side of Stearns Road 0.5 mile east of Powis Road. The 3,433 acre woods is the largest in DuPage County and has 12 miles of trails. A portion of the llinois Prairie Path Trail Elgin Branch cuts through the preserve as well.

Salt Creek Greenway Trail:  The Salt Creek Greenway Trail is actually part of the Cook County Forest Preserves.  Some DuPage County trails link to it so I’ve included it here.  Salt Creek Greenway Trail map (.pdf)

Springbrook Prairie: The main parking lot, trailhead and off-leash dog area are on the north side of 83rd Street 0.5 mile west of Book Road in Naperville. Additional parking and the model-craft area are on the west side of Plainfield-Naperville Road 0.5 mile south of 75th Street and east of Route 59.  The 1,829-acre Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve has 7 miles of trails, including the nationally designated Springbrook Prairie Regional Trail.

Spring Creek Reservoir: The entrance is on the north side of Lake Street (Route 20) 0.25 mile east of Glen Ellyn Road and 0.25 mile west of Medinah Road in Bloomingdale. The 90-acre Spring Creek Reservoir Forest Preserve  has a one half mile of shoreline path around the reservoir.

Timber Ridge:  The main entrance is located at 1N600 County Farm Road in West Chicago. There are also two entrances along Prince Crossing Road, one 0.3 mile north of Geneva Road and another south of North Avenue just north of the West Branch DuPage River Trail.  The 1,149-acre Timber Ridge Forest Preserve has 3.8 miles of trails.

West Branch:  The main entrance is on the south side of Army Trail Road at Gerber Road, 2 miles east of Route 59 in Bartlet. Another entrance is on the west side of Fair Oaks Road south of Army Trail Road and north of Lies Road.  The 713-acre West Branch Forest Preserve has 2 miles of trails that connects to the Hawk Hollow Preserve trail system to the north.

West Branch Forest Preserves in Bartlett. Image from Forest Preserve District of DuPage County website.

West DuPage Woods: West DuPage Woods is on Route 59 about 0.5 mile north of Roosevelt Road (Route 38) in West Chicago. A second entrance is on the north side of Gary’s Mill Road between Roosevelt and Winfield roads.  The 462-acre West DuPage Woods has a 1-mile loop from the main parking lot and a 2-mile loop from the Elsen’s Hill parking lot.

Wood Dale Grove: The main entrance is on Wood Dale Road, north of Lake Street (Route 20), south of Third Avenue (Oak Meadows Drive), and west of Route 83 in Wood Dale.  The 185-acre Wood Dale Grove Forest Preserve has a .5 mile limestone trail encircles Grove Lake; a .5 mile limestone trail through restored woodlands on the northern part of the preserve.

York Woods: Main entrance, go east on 22nd Street and turn north onto Spring Road in Oakbrook. At Harger Road, turn right and follow the road to the south parking lot.  To reach the lot on the north side, follow Harger Road toward Roosevelt Road (Route 38). Or, take I-88 to York Road. Proceed north on York Road to the Roosevelt Road west exit. Take the York Road south ramp. Go right on Harger Road.  The 69.61-acre York Woods Forest Preserve has one mile of trails.

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