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Ten (10) Forest Preserves and Trails In or Near Naperville

Find your family fun

By Mary Anne Plauda July 1, 2021

Looking for a fun and relaxing time with your family? Try a forest preserve! Or take a hike on a trail. What better way to spend time together than in nature? Be sure to call ahead and confirm the venue is open and be sure you are aware of their restrictions. Have fun!

Goodrich Woods













TimLenz-Goodrich
Explore the most popular trails in Goodrich Woods with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. 
Kid friendly 
Nature trips 
Walking 
Running 
Forest 
Wildlife
Goodrich Woods Loop is a 0.5 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Naperville, Illinois that offers the chance to see wildlife and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for walking, trail running, and nature trips and is best used from March until November.
Greene Valley Preserve





FlickrCorey Seeman

GREENE VALLEY PRESERVE
Greene Valley boasts a high-quality oak woodland north of 79th Street, an area one former owner set aside for plant and animal conservation more than 50 years ago. Native wildflowers provide spectacular spring displays.
Greene Valley is also home to more than 370 different kinds of native animals. In its wetlands, waterfowl, herons, egrets and other aquatic life flourish, and choruses of toads and frogs call during the spring breeding season. In its meadows, you may catch a glimpse of a passing coyote or hear the songs of meadowlarks and bobolinks. Walk into the forest, and you just might flush a great horned owl from its roost or startle a white-tailed deer and fawn.
Picnicking
Trails
Off-Leash Dog Area
Model-Craft Area
Greene Valley Loop Trail
Greene Valley Loop is a 2.1 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Naperville, Illinois that features a great forest setting and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until November.
Kid friendly
Hiking
Mountain biking
Nature trips
Walking Running 
Knoch Knolls Nature Center






Naperville Park District

KNOCH KNOLLS PARK TRAILS and NATURE CENTER
Knoch Knolls Park Trail is a 2.8-mile loop trail located near Naperville, Illinois that features a river. The trail is rated as moderate and offers a number of activity options. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Restrooms
5 Bridges
2 Rivers
1 Creek
1 Pond
2 Picnic groves
Canoe and kayak launch
1 Backstop
2 Small multi-use fields
18 Disc Golf nets
84 Parking spaces

McDowell Grove Preserve





Wiki Media
McDOWELL GROVE PRESERVE
The West Branch DuPage River flows through the 465-acre McDowell Grove Forest Preserve in Naperville, providing fishing opportunities and attracting waterfowl and shorebirds like egrets and great blue herons. The preserve also has nearly seven miles of trails and two reservable picnic shelters and areas. McDowell Grove’s maples put on a spectacular show of colors in the fall.  
Trails
Picnicking
Fishing
Boating
Riverview Farmstead Preserve




Chris Cheng
RIVERVIEW FARMSTEAD PRESERVE
Riverview Farmstead Preserve protects prairie habitat and a portion of the DuPage River.
Wildlife found at the preserve includes the big brown bat, osprey, Bell's vireo and dickcissels.
The preserve is also home to more than 500 plant species.
Canoeing/Kayaking
Cross-Country Skiing
Fishing
Hiking/Running
In-Line Skating
Picnicking
Snowshoeing
Wildlife Viewing
Riverwalk Park




Naperville Park District
RIVERWALK PARK
Classic urban park offering a playground, ice rink, trails, horseshoe pit & a paddle boat pier.
Picnic Shelters
Trails
Sled Hills
Horseshoe Pits
Restrooms
SPRINGBROOK PRAIRIE PRESERVE




Elizabeth Pector
SPRINGBROOK PRAIRIE PRESERVE
The 1,829-acre Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville is a birder's paradise in addition to offering trails, picnicking areas, an off-leash dog area, model craft field and state-designated nature preserve and land and water reserve. It offers some of the best displays of summertime blooms.
Dogs on leash
Kid friendly
 Hiking
Wildflowers
Wildlife
Model-Craft Area
Springbrook Prairie Trail     
Springbrook Prairie Trail is a 5.9 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Naperville, Illinois that features beautiful wildflowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Dogs on leash
Kid friendly
Hiking
Horseback riding
Mountain biking
Nature trips
Road biking
Walking
Bird watching
Wildflowers
Wildlife
VERMONT CEMETERY PRESERVE




Will County Forest Preserve
VERMONT CEMETERY PRESERVE
Vermont Cemetery Preserve protects prairie habitat.
The portion of the preserve containing a historic cemetery protects a small prairie remnant with a long history of scientific studies and preservation.
The preserve is home to the federally threatened and State-endangered Mead's milkweed.
Biking
Cross-Country Skiing
Hiking/Running
In-Line Skating
Snowshoeing
Wildlife Viewing
Normantown Trail 
Normantown Trail travels 2.6 miles from Vermont Cemetery Preserve south to 119th Street in Naperville. The northern 2.43 miles of this trail segment are paved, and the 0.17-mile southern portion is a shared-use road which allows vehicles to access Rockwell Lane from 119th Street.
Biking
Hiking/Running
In-Line Skating
Cross-Country Skiing
Snowshoeing
Tall Grass Greenway Trail
The Tall Grass Greenway Trail travels 4.04 miles from Vermont Cemetery Preserve east to Naperville-Plainfield Road in Naperville. The Tall Grass Greenway Trail is a flat, paved linear trail. It is ideal for many activities.
Biking
Cross-Country Skiing
Hiking/Running
In-Line Skating
Snowshoeing
Wildlife Viewing
Waterfall Glen




DuPage Forest Preserve


Waterfall Glen
The 2,503-acre Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Darien is one of the most ecologically impressive parcels of open space in the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, if not northern Illinois. It is also one of the District’s most popular forest preserves, known for its Rocky Glen waterfall. Waterfall Glen offers gently rolling to hilly terrain with 11 miles of trails. 

Sawmill Creek bluff overlook
Extensive trails
Hiking
Biking
Horseback
Cross-Country 
Fishing
Orienteering
Model airplane field
WHALON LAKE PRESERVE






Flickr Davis Wilson

WHALON LAKE PRESERVE
Whalon Lake protects a diversity of habitats, including prairie, wetland, an 80-acre lake and a portion of the DuPage River.
Wildlife found at the preserve includes a variety of waterfowl, such as ducks.
The preserve is also home to a variety of plant species, including red mulberry and wild leek.
Biking
Boating
Canoeing/Kayaking
Cross-Country Skiing
Dog Exercising
Fishing
Geocaching
Hiking/Running
In-Line Skating
Picnicking
Snowshoeing
Wildlife Viewing
DuPage River Trail
https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/preserves-trails/trails/dupage-river-trail
The DuPage River Trail consists of three segments totaling 8.23 miles. Access points are located at Hammel Woods in Shorewood, Whalon Lake in Naperville, and Riverview Farmstead Preserve in Naperville. 
Biking
Hiking/Running
In-Line Skating
Cross-Country Skiing
Snowshoeing
Wildlife viewing