It was a breath of fresh air the morning I decided to finally venture up to Skokie Lagoons to run. It was only a matter of time that I would visit after having passed through it via the North Branch Trail System while training for the Chicago Marathon some time ago. My visit to the actual site came after having the desire of running somewhere different, as well as having no interest in running the ever so congested Chicago Lakefront Trail. At the time, it was marathon training season with many runners out training for their fall and winter marathons. And not to mention other individuals out on the Lakefront Trail whether it be biking, walking, skating, or even at the beaches which I just did not have the tolerance for at the time. My GPS took me to what is labeled as Forest Way Picnic Grove #1 where I ended up parking. However, if you want to start your activity at the mile marker starting point, I recommend parking where the Chicago River Canoe and Kayak shed is located which is 1770 Tower Rd. Parking there will put you right at the 0/4.4-mile marker on the path. If not, Skokie Lagoons has several places to park your vehicle which are mostly along Forestway Dr. Prior to starting my run, I could not resist taking in the beauty of the lagoon which made me think to myself why did it take me so long to visit. As a fitness enthusiast that has been running for years, I would categorize the difficulty level of Skokie Lagoons as moderate because the terrain is not entirely flat; there are rolling hills in between miles 1-3, but nothing excruciating. And there are distance markings along the pavement of this loop style paved path totaling 4.4 miles per loop. Well into the path, I felt that sense of being in nature as I made my way around the loop. I also felt that feeling of being secluded on parts of the path, but there were always encounters with bikers at some point that kept me in the moment as well as the sounds of vehicles on the nearby roads. As mentioned, I encountered bikers mostly, but I did see walkers and runners occasionally along the path. And throughout my entire time on the path, I encountered two deer which crossed my path as they headed towards the lagoon. I spent a little over 3 hours on the path but could have easily gone longer if I wanted to. Like the start of my run, I took in the beauty of the lagoon again which looked so gorgeous with the sun beaming down on it, giving it that lustrous look. And I overheard the screeching sound of a bald eagle as I stretched and massaged my leg muscles off to the side of the path. There are a variety of activities you can conduct within Skokie Lagoons; some of those activities I saw or can certainly see are fishing, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, hiking, running, walking, biking, and even inline skating. And along the path, there are waste and recycling bins, even benches throughout. Overall, I had a very pleasant experience at Skokie Lagoons, as indicated in this review. As a runner, I can see myself returning just to conduct interval runs around its loop in build-up to long run events I participate in. ~Gonna run 'til I don't jiggle. ~ Thomas G read more

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Having lived in Chicago and visited Skokie Lagoons many times before, I can't believe I never left a review! Recently visiting friends in Evanston and needing a place to hike on a 70-80 degree day on my way back to Milwaukee, SL was a no-brainer! Skokie Lagoons has: - Great paved biking trails - Public kayak/canoe launch - Kayak/canoe rental - Good fishing! (Caught a NICE largemouth bass here once) - Lagoons, swamps, and more! - Paved trails that lead into Chicago Botanic Gardens I was hiking on the paved bike trail, which frankly, they're pretty long trails! Better for running, biking, and watersports IMHO. I can't believe people drop less than a 5-star review for this place! read more

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Beautiful lagoon in a park district. So quiet and serene on Sunday. The geese are freely roaming around, the birds are chirping and the water is rippling to the shore. Many visitors drive up from Chicago and Indiana just to experience this tranquility. read more

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05/06/20 - I went to Skokie Lagoons Forest Preserve which is part of the elaborate trail system that goes from The Botanical Gardens on the north end all the way south through a whole series of trails. These trails go within 2 blocks of my house through Labaugh Woods (5 house east of where I live) along Foster Ave to the Park District building. I met my sister and her friend & my wife as we are all getting a little stir crazy and needed to get out & take advantage of the beautiful weather. It was between 56 degrees & got up to 60 degrees, but it was sunny outside. Even w/family we wore masks and practiced social distancing (why take chances?). The trails run along Skokie Lagoon we ended up walking in the south portion (south of Tower Road) and were able to complete 4.3 miles. There is another portion of Skokie Lagoon that runs to the north of Tower Road, but that's another day. We saw a couple of deer peering at us through the brush & a Blue Heron perched on a log looking for its next meal. There were a surprising number of bikers & hikers out on the trail as well as a family fishing in the lagoon. Afterwards we had lunch together. I made some chicken sammiches w/mayo, mustard, arugula & spinach on Brownberry Oatnut bread. (Yummy). It was a nice way to spend a couple of hours & get a little exercise & enjoy nature. There is a pretty extensive trail system that is a great way to get out safety, enjoy nature, the weather & get some exercise. read more

Nice place to trail whil Covid-19. A lot of parking spaces. There was a trailing course. read more

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Skokie lagoons is a great park. A mere 15 minute bike ride from my house, you have water, fields, trails, and picnicking. You really get the feeling you are out in the country here and not so close to town. I like to think that many years ago before the north shore was so built up and more rural that mobsters drove up from the city to dump bodies here then get a burger over at Beinlechs. I do not know if that is true but hey it makes a good story. read more

Skokie Lagoons - The road to the lagoons. - Hiking Near Me - Glencoe, Illinois

Great place to bring the kids. Caught a couple small mouth to keep the little ones interested. Wish people would clean up their fishing line more....ugh....leave not trace!! read more

Skokie Lagoons - Hiking Near Me - Glencoe, Illinois

How can you not give this place 5 stars? In truth, it's really beyond a rating, and yesterday's early evening visit to Lagoon No. 5 took my breathe away. My hubby and I went exploring on the inbound walking path. We fully intended to take the paved path shared by bikes, but the dirt path called out to us. We had no idea where it would take us, but we just looked at each other and said, "let's go!" So we went. At first we were completely in awe--feeling like we had found the North Shore's greatest kept secret (though there were a few others on the path who most likely felt the same way). It was sunny out, and we saw a kid off in the distance hanging in a hammock and a photographer with his tripod looking for the perfect spot. We walked on the dirt path alongside the lagoon and suddenly found ourselves feeling like we were in an episode of Stranger Things--especially when we found a random tree branch teepee. Where would we end up? We had no idea. The walk started out peacefully, with a lot of "wows" and "look over there" comments. Then an off-road dirt bike rudely rushed past us (jerk). We never saw him again. Where did he go? We kept walking through the woods. We found lightening struck trees, the birds were happily chirping, and the droopy branches created a canopy to walk under. The dirt path got windy and more narrow in some areas, and we just kept following it. We ran into another couple who told us about a sunny area with deer. We attempted to take a photo before the deer family ran off. We continued to walk...and walk. It became dusk, and something in my bones said it was time to turn back. We had no idea where the end was. I became nervous. The mosquitoes were getting hungry. My husband started talking a lot and asking questions like, "what would happen if I had a heart attack? I don't think our cell phones would work here." At that moment I picked up the pace. Would we get out before dark? It felt like we had been walking for hours. At one point I was going so fast, I didn't notice the deer in the tall grass 3 feet from me. It was not afraid. As we headed back towards our starting place, I noticed it became eerily louder. The birds were all chirping and squawking...and the crows (they always freak me out). We heard frogs. More deer were coming out into the open. It was definitely time for animals and not humans to be out and about. Finally up ahead I saw our starting point in the distance. I breathed a sigh of relief. It's obvious that I watch too many scary movies. What started out as a calm discovery walk, turned into myself freaked out and out of breathe from walking really...really fast. Would I go back? Yes, but not at dusk. Not for me. Link to interesting read about the history of the Lagoons: https://www.winnetkahistory.org/gazette/swampsecretsskokielagoons Did you know a portion of the area was the home of a Nike anti-aircraft site from 1955 to 1974, during the cold war? read more

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My family and I enjoy doing outdoorsy things, but we never got much into kayaking. However, now my kids are older so we rented kayaks. For a double it was only $20 per hour. You can get a single for about $15. You can also rent a canoe that will fit up to 4 people, so it might be a better deal. Its nice renting there because the workers give you life vests, paddle, and help launch you into the lagoon. There's no need to lug all your stuff even if you have it. From there it is just peaceful with lots of wildlife to see in the lagoon. We spotted large cranes swooping down to catch their breakfast, ducks, Herons, and warblers. Make sure to pack your binoculars! There is fish stocked in the lagoon as well as native species. A man we talked to there had caught a few catfish. I believe there is walleye, pike, and bass there too. It was a really nice time and my kids enjoyed it (with me doing all the paddling of course!) so an hour is perfect. Also, my arms were getting sore so time was up for me. It's definitely a good workout! I look forward to doing it again sometime before the rentals end in October. read more

Skokie Lagoons - Fun kayaking with the family today! - Hiking Near Me - Glencoe, Illinois

It is a system of lakes the the south of Chicago Botanical Garden. Nice place for fishing and kayaking, cycling or hiking. Also there's a free public parking. read more

This is a great place to walk, ride bikes and bring the family. There is a kayak rental shop and the Botanic Gardens is next door. Parking along the lagoons is easy, just pull over on the side of the road. When I was a kid, we threw pop can in the water and shot them with BB guns. Not such a good idea today. read more

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Ok, first things first. I'm writing this in winter, yes, I know. BUT - winter is the time I start thinking about this place (generally mid-February, hey, we're almost there!). The Skokie Lagoons are a nice little getaway from the city when you need to get away and do something outdoorsy without seeing the skyline (like if you just go to the lakeshore or something). It's a nice relaxing, tree enclosed area perfect for a relaxing day on a kayak. I own my own, so I can't tell you about costs of renting here, tho' I hear it's fairly cheap. There are quite a few channels of water to explore here that you can generally paddle for a few hours and see quite a bit - and with no powerboats around, the waters here are totally calm, perfect for relaxation, fishing, and utter laziness on the water. One note on paddling, once the summer gets hot, the underwater plant life can get a little overgrown, making paddling a little difficult, or as I think of it, "upper body workout" - make sure to bring a lot of water... If water isn't your thing, there are quite a few trails for biking (I'm planning on exploring these on a longboard), and of course plenty of green areas for picnics (I'm thinking of bringing a hammock next time too) or just hanging out and reading. If you're like me and live in Chicago proper, it's fairly easy to get here if you drive, and if you drive, parking is incredibly easy to get depending what you're planning on doing when here making this place a good place to check out at least a couple of times per season. read more

One of the best hiking and biking spot in northern suburbs, it also has a kayaking station near by for some extra advenure

Very relaxing atmosphere with good spots for fishing. Parking is sparse but decent and free. Can get crowded but always family friendly read more

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Very nice, relaxing body of water to paddle around on! Quiet area and saw some wildlife! read more

Skokie Lagoons - Hiking Near Me - Glencoe, Illinois

Promising. This stuff has always been near my childhood home but I never really ventured into fully exploring the area. I drove to the Tower Road Boat Launch and parked my car/got my bike out. Did the bike path through the Botanic Gardens. On the way back I took the path/loop differently and ended up over here. I stopped for a rest and enjoyed the view. Definitely a good spot to come picnic or grill for the day. Also good to bike past obviously. read more

Skokie Lagoons - Hiking Near Me - Glencoe, Illinois

Went hiking on the paved trail from Tower Road to the Botanic Garden and should have been glorious on this unusually beautiful and warm November day, and it would have been had it not been for all the zealous bike riders. Most of them seemed to have a sense of self-entitlement, as if they own the trail they are riding on, as they raced passed me and my friend with little to no warning, inches away instead of giving a wide berth, very few wearing masks, rarely in single file unless they were alone, weaving in out if there were other hikers, etc. Not only did I find this complete lack of trail etiquette disrespectful, stressful, and unnerving, I actually feared for our safety. read more