What else are you going to do in 70 plus degrees on a Saturday in March? Yes, go for a 3 mile walk!…read more My wife and I have been itching to go for a walk since we go here every Saturday from Spring to late Fall. The entrance we go to is off Dundee road and i had plenty of parking! The trails are well kept and the trees look great in the summer and even more beautiful in the fall. There are gravel trails and paved trails. We typically use the paved trails. People are very courteous when running or riding bikes. They call out that they are passing which it great for safety reasons. The different birds and sometimes we see deer grazing and it's beautiful to see. Along the path there is a radio controlled area where people can fly their gas powered airplane. It is pretty to cook to see and they are very skilled! It has a runway which looks cool, like it is a mini airport. I highly recommend coming here during the summer for hiking, biking, roller blading, picnics, etc. I'll update pictures for each of the seasons!!!!

What a beautiful day it was to attend a cystic fibrosis walk with some of my colleagues. I enjoyed…read morecoming here.

How can you not love Lake Arlington?! The lake is beautiful,…read morethe treats at the Boat House are great, and the vibe is perfect. 10/10

Lake Arlington is a man made lake in Arlington Heights. There are many things to do there. There is…read morea walking path around the lake. The park also features a playground and exercise equipment. Lake Arlington is a great place to fish, kayak, and boat in the water. In the community center building, you can buy snacks and drinks as well as rent equipment to use on the lake. Lake Arlington is a great place for year-round fun!

My husband, friends, and I love this place! It's pretty clean and is absolutely beautiful,…read moreespecially during sunset. There is a path around a decent sized pond where many run or jog, and there are plenty of benches to sit on around the path, as well. A nice perk is that you can watch all of the cute ducks and geese all over the place. Be careful where you're walking because poo is kinda everywhere, though haha! There is a free outdoor workout area you can use with a good amount of different machines, and there are also canoes and peddle boats that you can rent. I haven't been here in the winter season yet, but apparently you can ice skate on the pond when it's frozen during winter, too. Don't let me just tell you how gorgeous this lake is, see for yourself! Many people also fish here, but during certain times, the lake has green algae, so I wouldn't recommend being that close to the water if there are signs out.

Great park and very relaxing time!!! Would recommend for…read moreanyone looking for a great place to unwind!

We looked at this park for accessibility for mobility challenged people. Know before you go! Here…read moreis what we found: - 2 handicap accessible parking spaces and bathrooms - Terrain is rubber composite - Ramps to get into park & play ramps - Handicap accessible water fountains & swing Nice park!

Park is fun for the kids but can get real busy at times. There are multiple baseball and soccer…read morefields here. Bathrooms are never open. They do have a port a potty but not that clean.

Well, on this hot and muggy Sunday, we decided to have an atypical weekend visit to the shady Grove…read moreto do our almost daily walk. We typically only visit here on quieter weekday mornings. We were pleasantly surprised and fortunate to find the Blacksmith Shop open and that is the case only on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 3pm. Alec was the blacksmith on duty and he provided some insights into his craft as well as a walk-through of their various iron products, both functional and decorative. He is one of five volunteer blacksmiths on the staff here and really enjoys his time here. Thanks for the tour Alec!

What a great surprise. Needed a little down time and a chance to relax. The Grove provides just…read morethat. Free parking and no cost to walk around. The paths are easy to walk and the native prarie plants along with wild life is spectacular. The period building are relics from a very different era that look perfectly in place in woods. Will look to see what programming they have.

Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve offers a nice place for a relaxing 1.9 mile hike. There is an option…read moreto 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!

The Buffle Creek Forest Preserve is a good place for an easy walk. The day we were there we had no…read moreissue 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.

I love this park because it's an all in one! There's a decent sized splash pad, a park, a ninja…read morecourse, baseball field, and there's a trail around the pond. There's also a bathroom. You do have to get there early if you want some shade and a place to sit. It's a park that rarely is empty especially in the summer time! I like that if you have kids in different age groups, there's something for everyone! Also like that it's not run down and it's clean!

Broad experiences. Astro turf!! Clean restrooms and friendly participants in the park experience!!…read more Highly recommend, mostly, safe!!

A kid's dream playground and totally worth the small entrance fee. This nature-themed play space…read moreis huge, creative, and packed with fun. Because it's so popular, they use timed entries to give more families a chance to enjoy it without crowding. It's located inside the Spring Valley Nature Center, so after playtime, you can wander the trails or explore more of the natural area. A great combo of fun + learning + nature. Perfect for an afternoon with littles

I get it... people do not want to pay to go to a public park, but then.... Maybe don't go? It's a…read morepark district park, so perhaps they need the money to help maintain the park or to help with crowd control. And I'm sure there are plenty of other parks in the area that do not charge. The place was pretty packed on a Sunday morning at 10:20am, but not in an annoying way. I thought the equipment was uniquely different from your standard playground. Lots of creative equipment for sensory play. I wasn't SUPER thrilled to see the gritty sand and water (am I just super OCD or are there actually parents out there that see that at a playground they drove to that says "oh yay! Water and messy sand!"). Oh and the death trap tight rope was also a "yikes" reaction, but my kids stayed away from it, so no biggie. It was fun. I wasn't bothered by the one hour time limit (although, I don't even know if they actually kick people out because we left a little after 11am and I didn't see them trying to clear the area). But.... It was hot and I was ready to leave the park and do not mind having the backing of being able to tell my kids that the park is closing to help get them to leave.