60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Chicago: Including Wisconsin and Northwest Indiana

by Ted Villaire

Overview

The best guide to hiking within an hour's drive of Chicago.
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Chicago by Ted Villaire introduces newcomers and lifelong residents alike to a surprising array of the best day hikes within a 60-mile radius of the Windy City.
The new full-color edition includes some brand-new hikes on newly built trails, such as Miller Beach, which not long ago was just a loop around a marsh but now includes an out-and-back trail to a lovely beach on Lake Michigan. A couple of urban hikes were added to the mix in this edition, including a stroll through the lagoons and along the prairie river in Humboldt Park, perhaps the most beautiful Chicago Park away from the lakeshore. Ted also takes you on a ramble along the newly built Chicago Riverwalk in the Loop, an artfully constructed promenade alongside the river with restaurants and bars along the way.

Each hike description features:
Key information on length, hiking time, difficulty, configuration, scenery, traffic, trail surface, and accessibility
Information on the history and natural history of the areas the hikes pass through
A detailed trail map and elevation profile
Clear directions to the trailhead and trailhead GPS data
Tips on nearby activities

Whether you are a local looking for new places to explore, or a visitor in the area for business or pleasure, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago will provide plenty of options for outings lasting a full day to a couple of hours, all within about an hour's drive of the Windy City and its surrounding communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781634041607
Publisher:	Menasha Ridge Press
Publication date:	07/01/2018
Series:	60 Hikes Within 60 Miles
Edition description:	4th Revised ed.
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Ted Villaire is the author of Best Bike Rides Chicago, Rail-Trails Illinois, Road Biking Illinois, and Camping Illinois. Ted has worked as a news reporter for various daily and weekly newspapers, and he currently works as the communications director for the Active Transportation Alliance, a nonprofit organization that works to improve options for biking, walking, and public transit in Chicagoland. He received a bachelor’s degree from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a master’s degree from DePaul Universityin Chicago. He rides his bicycle year-round for transportation. He, his wife, and their dog live on Chicago’s Northwest Side. He frequently gives presentations about biking and hiking in Chicagoland. Get in touch with him by visiting www.tedvillaire.com.

Read an Excerpt

Pratt’s Wayne Loop
In Brief
As the largest forest preserve in DuPage County, Pratt’s Wayne Woods has no shortage of marshes, ponds, and prairies to explore. The west section of the preserve hosts sprawling open spaces interrupted now and then with picturesque wetlands and groves of elm and cottonwood.

Description
Located in the far northwestern corner of DuPage County, this 3,432-acre county forest preserve was pieced together with help by an assortment of landowners. Some landowners grew corn and grain here, some mined gravel, while others used the setting for a hunting and fishing club. After the preserve got its start in 1965 with the donation of 170 acres by the state of Illinois, a couple of the parcels were sold to the county by George Pratt, a local township supervisor and county forest preserve commissioner. The preserve gets part of its name from Pratt and part of it from the nearby community of Wayne.
The hike begins by circling tree-fringed ponds on the northwest side of Pickerel Lake. Find the trailhead by heading right along the shore of Pickerel Lake and looking for the crushed-gravel path at the far edge of the last parking lot. Once on the trail, you’ll pass the east end of Catfish Pond on the right and then pass a paved wheelchair-accessible trail on the left that leads to one of two fishing piers on Pickerel Lake. After the trail to the pier, follow the next trail left, which brings you to the shoreline of Beaver Slough. Many banks of Beaver Slough are reinforced with stacks of limestone that sometimes serve as steps leading to the water’s edge. All three of these ponds, as well as Pickerel Lake, were gravel pits about 50 years ago.
Keep straight ahead at the connector trail on the right that divides Beaver Slough and Horsetail Pond. At 0.3 mile, the trail takes a sharp right onto the metal bridge spanning the west end of Horsetail Pond, and then passes a pleasant picnic area and a connector trail dividing Horsetail and Catfish ponds on the right. Just beyond the connector trail, turn left on the two-track (be sure to take the trail to the right of the sign for Pratt’s Wayne Woods; don’t take the fainter trail to the left of the sign).
Leaving behind the woods, the trail enters a wide-open savanna bordered by groves of oak. Follow the next junction left, and you’ll begin to see dozens of obstacles for horse jumping—everything from small logs to wooden fences to giant tree trunks stacked five feet high. The 100-year-old Wayne-DuPage Hunt Club organizes equestrian events here during the warmer months.
After hiking 0.7 mile through the horse-jumping area, the trail veers right through the trees and then turns left before passing through a gate (you may have to duck under a cable stretched across the gate). At 1.5 miles into the hike, turn left onto a lovely slice of rail-trail known as the Illinois Prairie Path. This section of Prairie Path—called the Elgin Spur—runs for about 15 miles between the towns of Wheaton and Elgin. Once you’re on the path, keep to the right side. You’ll notice right away that this 5-foot-wide crushed-gravel path is well-liked by local hikers, runners, and cyclists.
For the first 0.3 mile on Prairie Path, the route shoots straight as an arrow behind a few houses, alongside dense woods, and next to a sizable cattail marsh. Soon the cattails on the left give way to open water, much of it covered in algae. On the far side of the open water, look for large water birds perched on fallen logs. The wooden railings mark the spot where Brewster Creek passes under the path. After the creek, open water comes and goes on the left, and eventually shrubs rise up on each side of the trail.
To the left over the wooden railings at the Norton Creek crossing is a wide treeless swath of marshland and wet prairie. Farther along, the thick woods and a dense, leafy canopy turn the trail into a shadowy tunnel. You’ll encounter an elementary school on the right and then cross Powis Road before arriving at Army Trail Road at 3.4 miles into the hike. There you’ll find a portable restroom, a water pump, a bench, and a mapboard showing the entire 55-mile route of the Prairie Path. The hike continues less than 100 yards to the left along Army Trail Road. While walking along the side of Army Trail Road, skip the mowed path on the right that appears before the train tracks; instead, take the second mowed path on the right, just after the train tracks.
Following the mowed path as it enters the grassland and then swings around the backside of the farmhouse on the right, you’ll encounter wet prairies, stands of shrubs, and occasional savannas. After returning to Army Trail Road for a short sweep, the trail heads back into the grassland, takes a dip, and then rises to meet a trail on the right heading to Munger Road. Turning left at the fork takes you through a grove of smaller trees and next to a wetland on the left. Keeping left at another spur trail, you’ll cut through a grove of elm, cottonwood, and cherry trees on your way to a high spot with the best view so far of this sprawling open space. Except for the big cluster of homes off to the east, you can see for nearly a mile in every direction.
As you approach the 23-acre off-leash dog area, you’ll pass a cattail-fringed pond with open water on the left. For the next 0.3 mile, the trail follows the dog fence straight ahead and then to the right. At 5.5 miles into the hike, use caution as you cross over the train tracks. On the other side of the tracks, you’ll see the horse-trailer parking lot as you approach the park road. Take a left on the park road, then cross Powis Road into the forest preserve’s main entrance. Stay to the left, heading toward Pickerel Lake. Follow the shore of the lake 0.15 mile back to the parking lot.

Nearby Activities
Just north of Pratt’s Wayne Woods is the James “Pate” Philip State Park (formerly Tri-County State Park), offering 3.8 miles of multiuse trails through 500 acres of prairie and wetlands. Once agricultural land and now bordered by various developments, the prairies are in the process of being restored. The Big Bluestem Trail takes you to the point where Cook, DuPage, and Kane counties come together. From the Pratt’s Wayne Woods main entrance, follow Powis Road for 0.9 mile north (left). Head west (left) on Stearns Road and follow it 0.7 mile to the park entrance. For information, call the visitor center at [phone].
For those interested in exploring more of the Illinois Prairie Path either on foot or on a bicycle, you can connect to the Fox River Trail about 5 miles north of Army Trail Road in Elgin. To the south, the Great Western Trail is about 4 miles away, and downtown Wheaton is about 9 miles. These sections of the Prairie Path are maintained by the DuPage County Division of Transportation, which can be contacted at [phone]. The map sold by the Active Transportation Alliance (activetrans.org) is indispensable for getting around on all the rail-trails and bikeways in Chicagoland.

Table of Contents

Cook County
1. Deer Grove Loop
2. Crabtree Nature Center Hike
3. Chicago Botanic Garden Hike
4. Des Plaines River Trail: North Avenue to Chevalier Woods
5. Humboldt Park Lagoon and Prairie River
6. South Lakeshore Path
7. Jackson Park Loop
8. Palos/Sag Valley Forest Preserve: Cap Sauers and Swallow Cliff Loop
9. Palos/Sag Valley Forest Preserve: Country Lane Loop
10. Palos/Sag Valley Forest Preserve: Little Red Schoolhouse Hike
11. Lake Katherine Trail

DuPage County and destinations west
12. Tekakwitha–Fox River Hike
13. Pratt’s Wayne Loop
14. Blackwell Forest Preserve Hike
15. Dick Young Forest Preserve Hike
16. Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve Loop
17. Danada Forest Preserve Hike
18. Morton Arboretum East Hike
19. Greene Valley Forest Preserve Loop
20. Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve Loop
21. Silver Springs State Park Loop
22. Shabbona Lake State Park Loop

North Chicagoland and Wisconsin
23. Bong State Recreation Area Loop
24. Geneva Lake: North Shore Hike
25. Bristol Woods Hike
26. Chain O’ Lakes State Park Hike
27. Glacial Park Loop
28. Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park: Dead River Loop
29. Volo Bog State Natural Area Hike
30. Moraine Hills State Park Hike
31. Des Plaines River Trail: Old School to Independence Grove
32. Marengo Ridge Hike
33. Lakewood Forest Preserve Loop
34. Veteran Acres–Sterne’s Woods Hike
35. Ryerson Woods Hike
36. Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve Hike

Northwest Indiana and Environs
37. Warren Dunes State Park Loop
38. Indiana Dunes: Dune Ridge Loop
39. Indiana Dunes: Glenwood Dunes Hike
40. Indiana Dunes: Miller Woods Trail
41. Indiana Dunes: Cowles Bog Trail
42. Indiana Dunes: West Beach Loop
43. Indiana Dunes: Bailly/Chellberg Hike
44. Oak Ridge Prairie Loop
45. Deep River Hike
46. Grand Kankakee Marsh County Park Hike
47. LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area Loop

South Chicagoland and the Illinois River Valley
48. Pilcher Park Loop
49. Joliet Iron Works Hike
50. Thorn Creek Hike
51. Goodenow Grove Hike
52. I&M Canal Trail/McKinley Woods Hike
53. Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area Loop
54. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Hike
55. Buffalo Rock State Park Hike
56. Starved Rock State Park: East Hike
57. Starved Rock State Park: West Hike
58. Matthiessen State Park Dells Area Hike
59. Kankakee River State Park Hike
60. Iroquois County State Wildlife Area Hike