The Fox River is gorgeous. We didn't go on a boat but it's a gorgeous site to see, with plenty on…read moreboats zipping through and even some fishermen. A hidden gem in the Crystal Lake area for sure.

Easy use. Big easy ramp. Easy pay online for boat launch. Plenty of parking for truck with boat…read moretrailer.

Grassy Lake is a nice place for a good walk in nature. Bikes are not allowed here so it is good…read morefor a quiet stroll without a biker flying by you. Barrington does an exceptional job in keeping this place in tip top shape. The signs and paths are well marked. My only gripe is, the paths don't form a loop, so once you reach the end, you have to turn it around and head back the same way you came.

This is one of our favorite places to walk and view native plants and birds. Nestled in the…read moreSouthwest Corner of Moraine Hill State Park,this park offers great walking and biking paths. You can walk along the Fox River or take the circular crushed limestone trail . Plenty of parking along with restrooms,picnic tables,bait and snack shop and BBQ grills. Definitely a place to visit when in McHenry County.

This is a great place to walk and to see nature all around you. The trails are wide and go through…read morea variety of different habitat. I enjoyed seeing many late summer blooms and so many birds. Parking lot is huge and there is a bait shop for those who like to go fishing.

This is a hidden little gem right near downtown Lake Zurich that many locals don't even seem to…read moreknow about. The entrance is tucked between two residential homes, and it boarders the private LZ Golf Course on another side. Growing up in Lake Zurich I remember learning that the Kuechmann family donated the property to the village and I can remember a house standing on the property when I visited. When the vegetation isn't overgrown in winter, you can still see where the house was further back in the arboretum. More recently, the wonderful Ancient Oaks Foundation has taken over care of the property and have done an outstanding job make this a neat spot to visit. The arboretum walking path is a mulched trail. It's a fairly short little loop, perfect for taking young ones on a manageable walk. I am lucky enough to live close enough that I run through frequently in the morning and I have often seen deer and on one occasion a red tailed fox! The Ancient Oaks Foundation recently installed a wonderful natural play scape for kids. It's a great area to bring kids to enjoy being in nature.

What a little hidden gem!!!! I was in the area and stumbled upon it and am so happy I did! My…read moretoddler had a lot of fun exploring the nature set ups, swing, campfire area and the boat. We will definitely be back!

We rented a shelter at Hastings Lake, Lake Villa. The shelter has indoor flush bathrooms,…read morefireplace, ceiling electric heaters, drinking fountain, grill, & plenty of picnic tables. According to website: shelter description says "exclusive use" of these facilities. When we got there, the ceiling heaters were not wired in, unusable but someone stocked the firewood, assuming it was LCFP - but we still don't know. As we were setting up for the party, tableware, decorations, etc - clearly anyone can see there was going to be a private event. Around 10am a stranger walks into the shelter to use the indoor bathroom, my daughter called out to him, please don't use the bathroom as we reserved the shelter, this is a private event. The man ignored my daughter, of course he used the bathroom & on way out - he called us a bunch of losers. Later, he called the LCFP ranger complaining, the ranger called me - saying the bathrooms are public use no matter that we paid a permit reserving the shelter. I told the ranger, the stranger was very rude & could've been courteous, (we're not animals, of course we would've obigled) while I was trying to explain that, the Ranger interrupted me & said I needed to "stop talking" (and listen) as the Ranger said the stranger did not have to thank us or apologize. I called LCFP to report the Ranger & state what's said on the website "exclusive use" is not correct or the Ranger is wrong & whatever the policy - I suggest you make it clear. All I could do is leave a message to return my call, as of today - no call back. I'm posting this because there will be another rude person invading someone's paid reservation of Shelter A at Hastings Lake. How can LCFP expect patrons who paid the permit be OK with strangers walking in on a private event? If the bathrooms doors were not facing "outside" the shelter or the bathrooms in their own building, I could go along with allowing for pubic use - but that's not the case & as the website description "exclusive use" is not true.

Singing Hills is a beautiful open area with the Millennium Trail winding through it. As the name…read morewould suggest, the trail through this preserve is quite hilly. From the trailhead you can get to Lakewood going south or Marl Flat going north. The biggest negative about this preserve is there is no loop trail. At the trail head there is parking, drinking water, and toilets. There is also horse trailer parking, a hitching rail, and a mounting post (and an additional water pump is also near this area). You can hike, bike, horseback ride, snowmobile, and cross-country ski at this preserve. The old barn owned by Singing Hills Farm still stands on the property at the trail head.

Some friends and I were in the Rockford area looking to rent skiis. Unfortunately, we arrived too…read morelate in the day to rent. I appreciated that the staff was honest with us instead of taking the sale and having us be unhappy. It also helped that they had the most adorable dog in the world. Stop by!

If you are in the Rockford area and looking to buy or rent some adventure gear, this is the best…read moreplace around! Some friends and I recently took a trip to stay at a cabin in the Rockford area. We had planned to go cross country skiing and found that Rocktown Adventures rents xc skis in the winter. What we had not planned on was how slow we would be at finally leaving the cabin to go pick up the skis. Since they unfortunately don't do reservations for the skis, we called ahead to make sure they had some before heading over. By the time we got there it was already around 3 pm and unbeknownst to us, they close at 5 pm on the weekends. We got started with the rental process only to realize we would have very little time to ski before sundown. After explaining a couple options we had for still getting out on the skis, the staff member ultimately told us it probably wouldn't be worth our money given our time constraints. Instead of staying quiet, taking our money, and letting us have a very short ski trip, the staff member suggested the option that was best for us! He then told us that if we were ever back in town to just give them a call and if they had skis available he'd have them ready for us when we arrived. Not only is the staff knowledgeable and caring but they have an incredible selection of gear. We didn't end up spending any money there, and that is exactly why this was a five star experience!