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    Poplar Creek Forest Preserve

    3.7 (10 reviews)

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    Could Oz be just over that hill?
    Jack P.

    Well, this is a suburban vs. urban nature retreat, but still part of the Cook County Forest Preserve system. I joined an organized hiking group here one Sunday for a hike. Except for being criss-crossed by big suburban roads with considerable traffic, this is a great place to hike, with a varied landscape, a pond in one area, picnic spots and some beautiful vistas. Once inside, you forget the surrounding busy-ness. The hike we took was around 2 hours and we must have covered a good 7-8 miles in the Preserve. And there are various starting points and signs to guide you. If you do get lost, you'r only going to end up in a well-populated suburban neighborhood. So after a day of mad shopping at Woodfield Mall or that great Indie Swedish Temple of IKEA, and someone tells you to "take a hike", you can just head west on Golf Road and do that here.

    Eric E.

    I've driven up Rt59 for years and noticed a trail with a small, old cement bridge with two lion heads sculpted in. It always sparked my curiosity and I finally put two wheels to path here this week. The paved exterior bike trail here is a tad over 9 miles long, in one large circular loop. The trail is well marked and well taken care of. Sites along the path range from lakes, prairie, wide open spaces and sheltered wooded areas. Several points of parking can be found on multiple sides of the parks acreage with the largest being on Rt 59, near the western most point of the paved path. I especially enjoyed the hilly spots found in multiple portions of the trail. As for the sculpted lions, well I came across those as I was finishing the outer trail. There was a sign that probably advised about their history, but I was on a roll and didn't stop to read it. Did manage to snap of shot of it though. Happy trails.

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    Busse Woods

    Busse Woods

    4.5
    (73 reviews)
    8.8 mi

    I've passed by Busse Woods a million times along Higgins Road but never pulled in to have a look…read morefor whatever reason.  Probably because I could always do it tomorrow or another day lol!  Well, today I did pull in because we had an extended family celebration event at one of their picnic groves, specifically Grove 5 which is located quite conveniently close to the intersection of Higgins and Arlington Heights Roads (as opposed to deeper into the Woods). I must say this place Busse Woods is large, sprawling, neat, clean, and impressive (it's 3558 acres in fact). I think I knew that it was sprawling driving along Higgins Rd, but pulling in, you can see how well laid out and maintained the premises are.  It would be quite nice to revisit during winter and the change of fall colors also. Grove 5 in particular is an extra nice picnic grove in that it has a shelter and is near (540' to be exact per the website!) a nice and accessible restroom building.  The shelter is pretty large with a capacity of 100 people.  It's located in a section called Busse Forest-South and which comprises Groves 5 - 16.  Of those 12 groves, 4 have shelters, but only Grove 5 is close to an accessible restroom.  So, our family member apparently picked out the best grove, good job!  Busse Woods has 11 sections like Busse Forest-South, so it's massive with a lot of picnic location and other leisure activity options.  Anyway, go to their website for more info, but I was pretty impressed.  Busse Woods includes a Busse Lake as well as a 7 mile trail.  Big thumbs up for this Cook County Forest Preserve!

    Great place to get out and enjoy nature. Bummed we didn't see any elk roaming this time, but I have…read moreon other visits. Sometimes the bathrooms are open, other times sorry it's porta potties for you. Plenty of garbage cans around so don't litter in nature! The 7+ mile trail is paved. Bikers can be a little intense if you are walking or running. Lots of parking so be specific if meeting a group.

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    Poplar Creek Forest Preserve - hiking - Updated June 2026

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