Hidden gem in LITH!! Peaceful, lovely scenic trails. It's a beautiful walk. The pavilion is great…read morefor a packed lunch or hanging out with a good book.

This place is a true hidden gem. You would never know it existed if not for stopping in and taking…read morea walk down a trail. The kids and I love to take in a trail and go amateur bird watching. My son loves fishing and he's participated in a few fishing derbies here as well as caught a few on a couple of quick trips out. The little ponds have all sorts of fish, but we've only really seen the bluegill and the sunfish. The trails on the west side entrance are grassy paths with various states of brush and shrub. There are even some stone formations for sitting or for the kids to play on. I've seen people jog and walk their dogs at safe distances, though now and again some inconsiderate patrons leave animal waste on the trails. I haven't been on the east side trails in a while, but from what I remember, they are more hilly. If you are in the area, you have to stop by... it's a natural wonder!

What a Huntley treasure! My seven and three-year-old spent two hours at this park without ever…read moreasking, "When are we leaving?" I take that as a win. We loved the basketball court with a variety of backboards, sand and water area, swings and rocking school bus. As another Yelper mentioned, the loud train whistle leaves something to be desired. Peace and quiet, if we're going to get specific. Tip: Do not perch yourself on the bench right next to the whistle. Big mistake. This park is worth a visit. The nearby pool looked great too. Maybe next time.

This is the best park in the Chicagoland area!! Keeps my toddler occupied for hours…read more Excavators with digging sand, instruments, slides, swings for adults and children. Running water for making sand castles. Bike paths, nice restroom facilities (for an outdoor park).

If you're local it's awesome , if you're an out of towner like me you have to pay to park then pay…read moreto get in which sucks

What an amazing place! How did I not ever know about this? It is free for entrance otherwise it's a…read morefive dollar visitor fee. If you wish to go to the main beach, that's an additional $12 if you are not a resident of Crystal Lake. The grounds are immaculate, very well maintained, and the bathrooms are clean. There are two lakes, multiple pavilions that you can rent ahead of time. Lots of picnic tables for you to sit down. Near the bar and grill while you can't go in the water, you can take your drink and sit on one of the cheers on the beach. You can watch people practice on their WaveRunner. Swing on the swings at the bar and listen to great music. I did not have any food here. I did have an amazing Mojito. The bartender was a young man looking to join the Barrington police force. Polite, kind and also had great customer service skills. The reason why I didn't give it five stars is that there are absolutely no markings anywhere as to what trail you are on, how long of a trail it is, and where there may be porta potties. There aren't any maps or QR codes and it was a bit confusing as I came upon several wise and the trail to decide which way to go as I had limited time there. Given the fact that everything is so nicely taken care of I don't know how they can't have at least some markings on the trails that they have there. One of the workers sent me direction and it literally just took me to a pavilion. They have kayaks, canoes, paddle boats and SUP boards. They also offer lessons for SUP depending on the day. Lots of people fishing. Amazing Place! Please add signage for the trails! The pop and water machine near the beach entrance did not work. Hopefully those are checked daily to repair.

Daughter had her wedding here in December a beautiful white building with snow was awesome. They…read moresupplied the chairs and table tables.-if I remember correctly. It was in 2014. Would definitely recommend spring summer winter fall. I think this building would make anything look beautiful.

My brother and sister-in-law went to Walton Island Park in Elgin to take pictures before their…read morewedding on their wedding day. As the name suggests this park is made up of an island and several bridges in the middle of the Fox River. There is a walking and running trail, fishing spots (with the appropriate permits of course), and benches and shaded places to sit and enjoy the nature. While we were visiting, the trees had turned color in the fall and added to the beauty of the area. There are some fantastic places to take pictures. The park even comes with a gigantic American flag. For a beautiful park to experience and enjoy, I highly recommend Walton Island Park!

Veteran Acres Park is gorgeous, with a clean and historic nature center and plenty of hiking…read moretrails, with water features sprinkled in. I really enjoyed looking at the animals inside such as the snakes, and the trails were difficult enough to be challenging, but easy enough to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. I'm taking a star off because they were spraying Roundup all over the park while we were there, and the lake was quite green. Regardless, it was a fun experience to connect with nature and get off of our phones. We saw some caterpillars, chipmunks, and a lot of turtles. I remember coming here as a child, and will continue to visit when I'm in the area for some fresh air. I didn't see any ticks, but keep in mind there can be ticks and mosquitos in the damper months.

We really enjoyed Veteran Acres, saw a lot of wildlife with my boy and his friends, kids were…read moreplaying Army, I was taking lots of photos as usual n exercising while walking with them!!

We love this playground! It's part of the Shanes imagination parks organization which has a lot of…read moregreat parks back in Los Angeles. This playground was awesome. It's right along the river and there's some great bike trails around. My kids had so much fun climbing on all of the equipment. There was lots of stuff for them to do. What a great spot!

Love the park specially the new off leash dog park but you did not make an off leash park for small…read moredogs so my dogs cannot use it. Please make a spot for the small dogs.

The senior South Elgin Park District to Starved Rock Lock and Lunch was so enjoyable with…read morepersonable staff Jess and Ed facilitating representing the Park District. Everything went smoothly and relaxed. Excellent driving by Jess and Ed was at our lunch table. Definitely recommend going on their excursions.

Panton Mill Park: Absolutely amazing! Great splashpad, wide open scenery, including the Fox River…read moreand the dam creates a breathtaking view. Large clean restrooms add a comfort level. Events nearly every day all summer long, and even Santa Claus makes his debut on stage, for the Christmas tree lighting to a full house in early December. From concerts to Classic car shows and other family events, The South Elgin Parks and Recreation Department has really stepped up!

Have to say this is a pretty good park in Sycamore for a few activities. It may not be the best or…read morethe biggest but it works for around here. Wetzel Park has enough to keep children occupied. A lot of the basic amenities. There's a playground. Clean park that's in fairly good condition. It's mostly a park for children because of the playground. This is the main feature so it makes sense. Has plenty for older kids and adults. There's a basketball court and frisbee golf. A certain place to have physical activity. This is a park popular with families, so keep it the clean kinds. Great place for athletics or exercising. It's located on Rowantree Road. There's often youth leagues playing baseball, other sports, or whatever.

Great little playground. Perfect for little kids. The playground is in great almost new…read morecondition. They have a sand area with one digger, 6 swings, basketball, tennis court and baseball diamond. Lots of open grass area and a place to play Corn hole! There is also a port a potty on site!

I have mixed emotions about this Kane County forest preserve…read more On the one hand I love it because it's very "birdy" and for those who love to watch and count birds it is special. On the other hand I hate the bikes that go whizzing by and rattle the bridge just as I'm capturing a melodic or mournful bird song. There are some who politely slow down and call out "On your left" but some really seem to get a kick out of almost knocking someone over. If you walk over the two bridges and go down the path to the right along the opposite bank of the river you will be in Tekawitha Woods, a twofer! Bikes cannot go through there.

Decent forest preserve a really nice running trail in the morning. Perhaps not as taken care of as…read moreother preserves. Beware of yellow jackets in late summer-early fall. I've gotten stung in this preserve a couple of times just minding my own business and running.

Adaptive swings for special needs children. We lived in the area for 8 years and have called the…read moreVillage several times and they keep saying it's not in the budget.

I'm a casual runner. Well, runner is too strong a word. I'm a person who likes to basically cosplay…read moreas a runner by donning workout attire and heading to a nice outdoor track to walk quickly and jog occasionally when trying to impress other 'real' runners. When I do decide to 'be healthy' and go out for a 'run', I choose Sunset Park. There's a nice, wide path that's perfect for a nice jog right near the parking lot that follows the soccer field and features a lake. You can get some beautiful photos if you're at the park during sunset. It takes a circle and a half or so to walk a mile, which isn't too bad and won't make you dizzy like smaller tracks may. There's so much more than just a track and field, though, at Sunset Park. They have soccer fields, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, a playground and my second favorite thing about the park, the Splash Pad! While it's not turned on all hours of the night, the splash pad makes for a nice place to cool down on a hot day after a run. It's also a fun place for kids to enjoy without having to pay for a pool pass elsewhere! There are a few cons to this park, which is why it's 4 stars. First, it can get very buggy. Mosquito season was the worst last year-- they were everywhere. Second, at night the track area can get pretty dark. I'd recommend running before and/or right up to sunset, so you can end your run with a beautiful natural light show in the sky.