Great little "getaway" park! It has fishing, a separate dog park area, places to BBQ and hiking…read moretrails. The Dock is handicapped accessible and a good place to fish. You can also walk around the entire water source. The pond/small lake has northern pike, rock bass, blue gill, smallmouth bass, turtles, and bullfrogs. Super clean park and well cared for pavilion and picnic areas. Also has facilities for those needing a bio break!

Cute park with a dock for fishing or just checking out the little blue gills and turtles. There is…read morea small covered picinic area, baseball diamond and jungle gym. Dog park was spacious for our dog to run wild!

A nice place for some nature in Joliet. It seems like an interesting place for a couple of minutes…read more Pilcher Park doesn't have a ton to do but it's good for kids with a short attention span. Check out the nature center. There's some woodland critters like snakes and turtles. It kind of is out of the way from the rest of Joliet but that helps this be not as busy. Often it's pretty quiet and only a few people are here. There's some fantastic learning opportunities. Good for kids. It doesn't have a whole lot to look at so good to get in and out. They have some interesting critters to look at while in there. Be sure to check the nature center's hours. It's only open a few hours or so. There's up close and personal interactions with woodland critters if you're a fan of especially snakes and whatever.

I'm walking down memory lane and ended up here at Pilcher Park. I haven't been here since age 14 -…read morenever mind how long ago that was! It's changed a bit. Some of the buildings are in disrepair and the wishing well is dry. Regardless, it's still an amazing park. The green trees and lush foliage are breathtaking still. The walking/bike trails are well maintained and everyone appeared to be relaxed and enjoying themselves. What a great day!

If your going there to fish it's fair just stick to shore fishing as the boat rentals aren't worth…read moreit and it's just better from the shore in my opinion, best time to go is during the week as weekends tend to get pretty crowded but overall it's a nice place to go fish and relax

This was a very nice little park, if one that has few amenities to offer the visitor. There is a…read morevery nice covered shelter that one can use for parties or picnics or family get-togethers, but remember that you must reserve the space with the Cook County Forest Preserve peeps. Don't just show up and assume it's first-come-first-served ... it isn't. It is a reserved space. There is enough room to play catch and maybe hit the ball around, but essentially you have to bring in to the park any amusement you seek - they really don't offer any extras. One day, maybe the Cook County Forest Preserve chiefs will cut a few walking/jogging/hiking trails through the area - that would be a nice and easy-to-add extra. This little preserve is a stand-alone operation with a parking lot. If you are looking for Tampier Lake - it is about a block away across the street ... that is where you get boats and the like. There is none of that here. But with all that said, this was a nice little hideaway. Try it.

I've had this trail on my to-do list for a few years and finally made my way down on an upper…read more70's-degree, bright sunny Saturday. I started at the west end, biked to the east end at Willow Springs, and did the full loop for about 25 miles. This trail rides like a straight road that offers little resistance. Yes, there are bends and turns along the length of the trail, but there's not a single spot on this path that really slows you down. The trail is entirely asphalt, and in some places, pure road. All bikers will find this trail user friendly. The asphalt itself is in great shape. Most of it appears to be newer, and the trail is very well taken care of. About the only drawback I saw: the trail becomes a road that shares space with semi's and other large trucks for about a mile. I didn't have any troubles back here, but when a truck drives by, you're going to get some dirt kicked up into the air. Didn't care for that. I parked at the west end which had a bathroom, signage and some seating. I didn't notice many benches on the trail but a 3ft cement wall that resides in many places along it would make for a good stopping point for those who need a rest. All in all this is a nice trail, especially if you're looking to go fast. In terms of site-seeing, I was a little surprised that you're siloed on this path and really don't see much of the surroundings while on the trail. Only a couple spots offer a view. Happy trails.

Very interesting trail and sights! Lots of bugs in April. Can't imagine how bad it would be in full…read moresummer so bring bug spray.

Can't go wrong with a pleasant walk here with that special someone. Beautiful surroundings of…read morevegetation and wildlife.

A nice wooded area that's dog-friendly if you are looking for a place to walk. There are two spots…read moreto park after turning down the road. The parking areas were well maintained. There are also some simple bathrooms, benches, covered tables/gathering spaces, and grills. We parked in the first area and then walked to the second parking area to enter the trail. We decided to do the longer loop first (~1.35 miles) and then the shorter loop (~.5 miles) afterward. Although you do need to watch for random tree roots, it was a pretty even pathway throughout with some cute bridges. It was very quiet when we visited right before lunchtime, and we only passed half a dozen people and a few dogs the whole time. Although I was somewhat expecting a deer to jump out at any moment, we did see some smaller birds and chipmunks. Since it hadn't rained for quite a while, the whole path was dry. In all, it was a really nice walk. I would return here for a relaxed stroll again in the future.

My friends had their small family wedding here. They went through the process of getting a permit…read morefor their fall Saturday morning gathering. The park rangers took down their signs. SIgh....we did not let this dampen the joyous occasion. It's a beautiful park and great for family, pets, kids and simply just to go for a walk.

This guy has the best shop in tinley park to get your fishing needs he has night crawlers and there…read morenot your average gas station ones they big! And prices man they the best nice owner and nice guy

This place is awesome! I just started fishing last year. I started off getting gear at the big box…read morestores, and the internet; after I found this place, it's been my go-to. Greg is super knowledgeable and very very helpful. He has a ton of inventory and the prices are good as well. I would definitely recommend this spot!

I subscribe to a newsletter called Chicago Nature Now, and the dude who sends it includes weekly…read moreupdates on what is predicted to be in bloom at some of the prairies and other outdoor spaces in the area. This past week, Wolf Road Prairie was included as an example of where to view beautiful gold-petaled native plants. Whilst in the suburbs, about 20 minutes from Wolf Road Prairie, I decided to stop by. The site is managed by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Unlike many of the FPDCC sites, you can't do any biking around this one but there are hiking trails. I came to the northern end of the prairie, and although there once was a path here I'm not sure it exists anymore. The path as I saw it ends at the deck of the building here; however, I did see an incredibly narrow possible path just to the left of the building. I wasn't sure if it was actually a trail or not and it was far too narrow to get a stroller through (practically too small to get a person through) so we didn't go. But during the 15-20 minutes we were here, we saw a variety of native plants as well as some pollinators like monarchs and carpenter bees flitting here and there. Wolf Road is home to particularly fine examples of various prairie landscapes, including black soil prairie which was once the most abundant type of prairie in what is now Illinois--and over time has become the rarest. This prairie, though large, is not in the middle of nowhere; there's a housing development across the street and a shopping center down the block. I'm not sure what the southern end of the prairie looks like, whether there's parking, or whether the trails are more distinct and clearly identified there; unfortunately I was testing my infant's patience so we didn't head to the other end. I think the prairie is about a half mile from one end to the other and although from the end I was at I saw a see of gold, there's supposed to be other plants scattered throughout as well (such as blazing star, which I hope to see before its season is over). There are nine parking spaces near this house including one disabled space. It's not particularly isolated as there are businesses nearby and a housing development across the street, but a nice place to experience nature in the burbs especially if you have an affinity for or interest in native plants. Remember that by definition, a prairie is a vast landscape without trees to provide shade, so come prepared and wear sunscreen and a hat.

Previous review should probably have been left for the Forest Preserves of Cook County, not the…read moreprairie...Yes, it needs to be better managed, but leaving a bad review for it on Yelp, making people less likely to visit, probably isn't the right way to go about it. This is a beautiful natural prairie. There are sidewalks that were installed in the early 1900s as it was slated for a development which fell through. The sidewalks really need to be removed at this point of degradation. But the highest quality prairie is perfectly accessible from the south and the worst sidewalk areas are easily avoided. Yes, the trails and sidewalks are overgrown. Prairie plants are tall. Not everywhere needs to be maintained for humans to be maintain maximum comfort.