Cool spot that I didn't realize was in the area. Looking for a good meeting spot to meet friends…read morefor a walk, found Sagawau. On the day of my visit, we saw this black netting/screen. Curious, we stopped to ask staff. It turns out on Sundays they do bird banding. This was very interesting how they catch birds, take data, and release back into the wild. I recommend! The nature center was well kept and had clean bathrooms. They close the area at 4 pm daily. Check it out for a nice walking and educational opportunity.

Sagawau is waaaaaay out in Lemont, so pretty far from me, and it's also bit confusing to find when…read moreyou get there. But I really enjoyed it so I'd say it's worth it, and now I'll know where I'm going in future! Word to the wise: There's the large parking lot, and what looks like a driveway is not. Park in the lot and use the wide paved path to get to the nature center. The purpose of the first preserve system was to both preserve and conserve, but also to provide natural areas in which people could recreate. They also have a nature center here with exhibits, as well as a variety of programming. I came for a program. A land acknowledgement was provided to connect the land to its history, and the people who once called this land home. I came for a hummingbird program, which took place in the hummingbird garden. The garden had quite a few bees and some wasps, but those insects are actually invasive in this area so you may see traps out for them so they don't take over the hummingbird garden. There are hummingbird feeders around to bring the hummers out. But nectar isn't their only source of food; they'll eat insects and invertebrates. Most importantly, they need pesticide-free habitats to survive. It was interesting to learn that hummingbirds live only in North, Central, and South America. When colonizers came into contact with hummingbirds, they thought they had no feet and that is where their scientific name is derived. Hummingbirds are surprisingly loud! The ruby-throated hummingbird is only ruby throated for the males. Juveniles and females have a white throat. But the color only comes out with the light, as it's iridescent, so the males may look black. Ruby throated is the only native one in Illinois. The juveniles are about the weight of a penny. In migratory season, they try to double their weight in order to sustain their migratory most fly over the Gulf of Mexico, which is a single flight of about 600 miles. They can do that flight in 16-24 hours. Hummingbirds fly with a figure eight pattern, which allows them to be one of the few birds that can fly backwards. It also allows them to hover! Migration is hard, so why do they do it? At least in part, it's because there's less competition. Apparently day length is a trigger to let birds know when to begin migrating, and the plants and flower on which they rely for food usually coincides to their migratory season. The nesting behavior of hummingbirds draws a direct line between environmental stewardship and habitat protection. They line the nest's outside with lichen and plant scale, and line them inside with soft things like dandelion fronds. Air pollution won't affect the hummingbird directly, but it will affect lichen and thus the integrity of their nest and subsequently their success in breeding. They will use spider webbing to bind their nest, which makes spider conservation important too. How fascinating how these things all connect! Whilst visiting Sagawau, I learned that this preserve is a licensed bird banding station--not just for hummingbirds. Banding allows us to gather much of the information that we have about birds in general. The information gleaned from banded birds can tell us about their migratory patterns, lifespan, and so on. I believe they have some events during the year where you can observe this process. In addition to their great programs, they have a nature center with exhibits related to the natural history of Sagawau and the region. One of the things that makes Sagawau so unique is it is a dolomite prairie, of which only about 500 acres exist in the world--over 100 of those acres being here. There are several trails to walk, and they have maps showing these to help guide your way. And this site turns into a cross-country ski location in the winter! In that season, walking is not permitted on the trails because they're used for skiers. They have lessons and equipment rental, but you can also bring your own gear--you just need to call first to make sure it's open for skiing, dependent upon the snowfall. I saw more open acknowledgment of snakes here than at some of the other preserves, which may make me nervous to visit very soon--snakes in just about any capacity (cartoon, real, image, etc.) creep me out more than anything. But, Negin is the employee that led the hummingbird chat, and she was really great. Welcoming, inclusive, knowledgeable, and friendly. I'd love to attend more of her programs.

I took my daughter there for a new fishing spot. The park district ranger was so helpful and…read moreinformative. They are very kid-friendly and thoughtful. The area is well-maintained.

Hidden Lakes really got run downed. All the lakes are over grown & dirty. You can't even fish…read morethere. A real shame!

My wife and I love this area for taking peaceful walks, and we especially love when we come across…read morethe deer, if you're calm and quiet enough, they will not run away!

I've came here a few times and I wonder why my review got deleted? This place is absolutely…read morebeautiful! Tons of stuff to do and see, the trail has recently been repaved. Very well maintained by the city of Plainfield. Plenty of parking but use advisory from coming in from the Lockport road access.

Great park located around Yorkville with a few big lakes. It has lots of hiking trails. Silver…read moreSprings State Park gets its name from the pool of bubbling water. Of course, there's tons of other things to see around it. The popular activities include boating, fishing, and picnicking. Bigger park with a lot of history. It's an area that was purchased by the state in 1969 and turned into a park. The park was originally 1,250 acres, and added a prairie restoration project in 1980 among expansions since. Kind of what the land was like before settlers took it. There's a path that goes through it where visitors can check out animals, grass, and wildflowers. A few man made lakes are highlights. Loon Lake is the biggest one, popular for fishing or getting photos. A refreshment stand is located by it. The spring is the biggest attraction of the park though. Amazingly the water in it never freezes. There's amazing plantlife around it including watercress. Also fun when it's colder. There's a toboggan hill that's fairly steep. Among the kinds of trails are equestrian. There's also plenty for basic hiking. Has lots to look at here for hours and you can even stay overnight by camping. It's got an area that's available for youth groups. This area is only reachable through backpacking so it's far away from loud noises or vehicles.

Serene lake with a good 2-mile hike along lake, river, woods amd some prairie. It was a quiet…read moremid-day walk one snowy day... until I pass by a group of kids screaming and sledding along a slope, how fun :)

Oak Field Oaks has two parking lots. The lot by 87th street is quiet and gives a woods setting. The…read morefrontage road lot leads to the dog park.

This is a nice small walking path that isn't overly crowded. A good portion of it is shaded and…read morethen a small portion has some open prairie area. There's one main circle path that generally takes us twenty minutes. There's an option to extend the circle to make it longer about halfway through. We came at the end of October and weren't strict with keeping our dog directly on the main path. I extremely regretted it as I removed 7 ticks off of him after our trip. Lesson learned! If you are looking for a quick 30-45 minute, easy path that is mostly shaded, this spot is perfect!

This review is for the soccer department. After watching my 7 year old play 2 games I noticed she…read morewasnt getting very much game time. I complained as it was basically statically impossible to play as little as she did compared to the other kids especially the coaches daughter. They had 10 people with 7 positions yet somehow my kid sat the bench at the start of every quarter and played less than 50% of the game. All while the coaches daughter played the whole game. I confronted him about it and that guy actually told me that he doesnt believe in fair play and that because his kid puts more effort into practice that she deserves to play more then everyone else. I know hes a volunteer but these are 7 year olds that are in first and second grade. The director of the soccer department did nothing about this coach. Everyone develops differently but that is far to young to punish a kid for not knowing how to play the game perfectly. Bottom line, Hopefully your lucky and you dont get a coach like this, or you get lucky and the coach doesnt single out your child in a method of social bullying. Because, the Channahon Park District will do nothing to help you in this situation. That Coach shouldnt ever be allowed to coach anyone less then 4th grade. That Coach is going to be the reason why so many young kids turn away from soccer.

If you are looking for group fitness classes in the Channahon-Minooka area, the Channahon Park…read moreDistrict has some really good offerings. I take the cardio strength and kickbox strength with Annmarie. All workout classes are good for any fitness level. Most classes are only $5 for the drop-in rate. Most people sign up for the yearly fitness package, but the drop-in rate fits really nicely with my busy schedule. Definitely lost some pounds and toned-up a bit in the two months of dropping in and taking Annmarie's classes. Good luck and happy workouts.

You can get on to the Yellow Trail if you head across the field and into the woods. The field by…read morethe parking lot is a nice flat open space, great for picnicking. There's lots of parking and it doesn't seem like too busy a park (but not creepy or deserted--a welcome change from the likes of Swallow Cliff, for example). There are little lakes around of course, but it's not right on a lake lie some of the other parks--I'd say that's an upside and a downside in that it lacks the beauty of a lake, but probably lacks the mosquitoes, too. Out in the woods at Cherry Hill is a different story--out in the trees that place is literally swarming with mosquitoes, so don't forget your bugspray.

Beautiful secluded area that is really well hidden! Can be easily accessible on foot through the…read moreI&M trail. I consider this park a place to go on 3 mini trails that all loop and connect to each other. Learning about the history of this place is incredible. This was a former site of 3 residential homes and have been converted to a beautiful park. There is a visitor center where you can observe birds with binoculars, observe fish and learn about the local animals in the illinois region. Even a recreational space to educate children. Clean restrooms inside and throughout the trails. There's a couple of picnic shelters as well. You get to read some great informational stuff as you go along your adventure. Hiking shoes recommended! It's about 85 percent paved. One of the best trails in will county