Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve offers a nice place for a relaxing 1.9 mile hike. There is an option to go farther by following the various offshoot paths. Parking is very limited off of Old Hicks Road but there are not many people going onto the path so you should be fine. There is a varied turf combination of paved and gravel. The path is pretty even, smooth, well kept and good for all ages We saw what seemed to be a grasshopper migration (9/21/25). We stopped counting after 25! However we did count 7 furry caterpillars crossing the path. There were many species of prairie willow, berry trees, cat tails and a few wild mushrooms too. Lake County is offering a hiking challenge over the next couple months and it's a fun way to see all that Lake County Forest Preserves has to offer! read more

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The Buffle Creek Forest Preserve is a good place for an easy walk. The day we were there we had no issue with parking, but it was not crowded. It is mainly an open prairie with low growing plants and few trees. The walking path winds through wide-open restored prairies and some creeks. I can imagine in the summer it get hot since there is very little covering to offer shade. read more

The Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve is a great walking trail. The parking is plentiful and convenient. There is a bathroom right next to the parking lot. There are multiple paths you can take. The views are great and there is a lot to see. The only negative is that there is not much shade, so it can get hot pretty fast on a summer day. I highly recommend the Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve! read more

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The park district did a great job "remodeling" this trail system. The bridges are a nice touch too.

05/03/20 - A long way from home Toto. It was a beautiful day about 71 degrees so my wife and I needed a change of scenery. We drove up to Deerfield to meet my sister and her friend and we went to Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve in Long Grove. It was a nice change of pace. I was told that this forest preserve has gone through a recent rework to improve it. There is a very large retention pond that has several small creeks feeding into it. With the all the rain recently this pond has seen quite an influx of rain water that could have created flooding issues. You couldn't ask for more perfect weather about 70 degrees & sunny. We ended up walking about 4.8 miles. After our walk we went back to across the street to the church parking lot where my sister prepared a lunch for us which was well received since we were famished after our walk. She had some delicious sammiches w/salami, giardinera peppers, tomatoes, goat cheese, arugula, mayo on wheat bread. I only had 1/2 sammich cause she also had some left over Lou Malnatis pizzer (dam I was in Hog Heaven Suuuueeee). We had water, Gatorade, & chips to round out our picnic. Thanks for the chow sis our stomachs appreciated it Get a little exercise feed our stomachs and we're happy campers read more

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I had no idea this Forest Preserve even existed, and probably wouldn't have if it weren't for our current pandemic. What an amazing hidden gem!! Parking is limited, but there is a school across the street that allows parking for the Preserve (as long as school isn't in session). The outer loop is about 2 miles, and most of it is unpaved with tiny little gravel rocks, so wear appropriate shoes. Also, don't forget the bug spray as we did find a couple of ticks on our clothing (not on our skin, thank goodness!!!). Paths are wide enough to practice safe social distancing, and there are a few spots to stop and take in the scenery along the way. This is honestly becoming one of my favorite places during social distancing, and probably will continue to be once this is all over. read more

Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve - Parks Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

Love it - beautiful! Billions of wildflowers blooming right now (July/August) Perfect for walking, biking...multiple trail loops allow you to vary your distance read more

Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve - Wildflowers - Parks Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

An update for Buffalo Creek is in order - they have done a much better job with planting native flowers and grasses, and they have added 8 parking spaces for the preserve at the Long Grove Soccer Fields. One of the negatives about the Buffalo Creek expansion that I did not address in my original review, was the lack of parking on the west side of the preserve. The only lot was at Arlington Heights Road and Checker. If a visitor wanted to visit the new section of the preserve, that would mean parking and then taking an almost 3-mile walk to the west end. They also have something like 2 benches along the trails to the west end. My impression was that the LCFP was more or less saying, "We want visitors here to the new addition, but not really all that much..." There have been many oaks planted along the paved trails and many native grasses and flowers planted. Now if only they will keep on top of the clover and teasel! Overall, a nicely done job at Buffalo Creek. read more

Right now, this area isn't the prettiest because of construction. There are barriers up but people go right past them, which is weird. I think that once the construction is done, though, this location will make for some nice walks. read more

I come here all the time with my dog. She looks forward to her daily walks on the trail and smelling all the new smells! It is a quiet trail perfect for a liesurely walk. There are always plenty of people biking and running as well. The trail is well maintained and walking distance from my house which is a plus. It is also convenience that there are several entrances. One of them has a parking lofor people who do not live nearby. There is also small pond that I often see people fishing from. read more

Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve - Parks Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

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I have to agree with Alyssa... What a great hidden gem. A crushed gravel path 10 to 12 feet wide. Nice 3+ mile circular trail around a lake, over streams, and through the woods (but you're not going to grandmother's house, just getting a good workout). Being new to Illinois, I haven't learned that going out mid morning in 80+ degree temps with 80+% humidity is rather uncomfortable. This trail kicked my butt. I will definitely come back with the kids on a cooler day. read more

Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve - Crushed gravel path. - Parks Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

Went for a long 9 mile run on a Saturday morning around 7am. Overall good scenic views and wide paths for running and biking . For a Saturday morning the park was empty! I only saw a handful of people. For a park this size I was expecting to see a lot more!! Also there are many places to enter and park which is nice to reduce traffic and make it easier to get to the park There are elk on site so that's running distraction :) My biggest grip is that the bathrooms weren't open. I checked every single one on the run! read more

Beware of ticks! A minute into our walk, a couple of ticks got on my dog. They are on preventatives, thankfully but be careful because if these creates cannot get to your dog, they will go to your head as they target head crown. Other than that, It is such a beautiful place! I love the trails. read more

This review is more 3.5. Why am I being so harsh? Because there are plenty of forest preserves nearby and this one could be better. Very hilly at some places, not a lot of shady areas. Still pretty close to traffic so it doesn't feel that natural. Not as scenic as it could be. Overall, you can get your workout done for sure, but I am sticking to half day forest preserve. read more

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I will forever miss the old Buffalo Creek... what this place meant to me... man... The sadness inside of me from the consturction project that took down this entire forest preserve will be carried with me throughout my life. RIP BC. Sigh. read more

This is a very nice place to walk, jog, or bike. The train is unpaved but nice and thick which my knees appreciate when I run. There are bathrooms by the parking lot, but I've never been in so cannot comment. Near the parking lot is a decent hill if you need to some hill intervals. Most of the Preserve is in direct sun, there is not a ton of shade. I have to remind myself to bring sunscreen. A good amount of "traffic" where I normally encounter another person every couple of minutes. Speaking of traffic, you will hear the motorized traffic, but, that's normal for most of the area. read more

This place is a little hidden gem. It's less busy than many of the other forest preserves I've visited in the area. The path is almost all crushed lime and goes through some tree-covered areas and crosses small creeks then leads over to an open prairie area. I've seen a lot of wildlife here including a coyote once! read more

Great hidden pace to enjoy a break from reality. I love that the trails are pebbles and rocks meaning less impact on your knees. The trail itself seems to be less congested compared to bigger ones near by. Why not give this place try ? read more

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Nice trail, but too many people not practicing social distancing and following park safety rules.

I love coming to this park, it is very peaceful quiet and great to come and get and nice walk, run or if you have a bicycle. great for kids as well. you get an awesome view. for me this park is like a little piece of heaven. very clean :) read more

UPDATE: They are in the process of expanding this preserve and adding additional trails! It looks like there will be a couple miles of trail added and reconfiguration of some of the trails to avoid areas that wash out or get muddy. I live nearby and love when I have the chance to run at Buffalo Creek. It's a small forest preserve but very scenic and peaceful with a couple challenging hills. Crushed gravel throughout which feels great to run on. The first half is an one way trail from the parking area/exit to AH Road/Checker Drive. Once you cross Schaeffer Road there is a large loop so for a longer run you could run the loop an extra time or few. The trail on that side does sometimes get muddy in wet weather, and there are parts of the trail that could use some regrading but overall it's well maintained and clean. You even sometimes see deer! There are rustic bathrooms and a water fountain at the parking area but nothing in the back so be prepared. There is a dam near the parking area that creates the lake, and people often fish near the dam. Everyone who uses this trail is very respectful and usually friendly. It's a nice place to have close to home though I likely wouldn't go out of my way if I didn't live close by. read more

Out of the nearby hiking areas, Buffalo Creek is by far the most underwhelming. There's not much to see and there's hardly any trails to explore. Go the extra mile and head out to Deer Grove for a much more satisfying outdoors experience. read more

Nice place to hike. My dog was a happy camper with all the new smells. The trail is pretty quiet and serene. Just make sure to put on bug spray. I had quite a few bites from the visit. read more

Enjoy coming here during the Spring and Summer. The trails and never crowded and everyone is very polite. You don't see a lot of dogs on the trails but if you do they are always on leash. You can tell that the community takes pride in keeping this very well maintained as well as the park district read more