Chicago, IL: Blackwell Forest Preserve Hike

Chicago, IL: Blackwell Forest Preserve

il

Distance: 6.2 miles

Link a DuPage county high point, oak and hickory woodlands, a marshy pit-stop for migrating birds, and the hiding spot for a woolly mammoth on this 6.1-miler west of Chicago.

White Pine Pond
Path
Goldenrod
Compass Plants
McKee Marsh

Trip Description
Waypoints

BFP001

Location: 41.828434, -88.176382

Follow the sign for McKee Marsh that point you along the wide, crushed gravel trail. White Pine Pond is on the right and beyond it is Mount Hoy, a former landfill and one of the highest spots in DuPage County.

BFP002

Location: 41.826811, -88.178625

Stay right at this junction about a quarter mile from the trailhead.

BFP003

Location: 41.835077, -88.182224

Pass through mature stands of oak, hickory, and elm before crossing Springbrook Creek on a steel bridge. On the banks of the rocky-bedded creek, large cottonwood trees reach to the sky and maples hang lazily over the water.

BFP004

Location: 41.837595, -88.182551

For a stretch after mile 1, savanna and marshes replace woods. A sprinkling of walnut, willow, and maple trees offer fleeting patches of shade.

BFP005

Location: 41.842071, -88.188055

Though traffic is light, use caution crossing Mack Road at mile 1.6. You'll cut through a cattail marsh up ahead where you'll likely see (and hear) red-winged blackbirds.

BFP006

Location: 41.845636, -88.189064

This first junction north of Mack Road marks the beginning of this route's 2.3-mile loop. Though you could do the loop in either direction, this route turns right onto the Bobolink Trail for a counterclockwise approach. After closing the loop, turn south here to backtrack to the south-side parking area.

BFP007

Location: 41.847438, -88.181355

As the trail curves left, it rises just enough to allow a view of the prairie's patchwork of colors: yellow, scarlet, and cream represent plants such as goldenrod, compass plants, sumac, and Queen Anne's lace. Take a break at the split log bench.

BFP008

Location: 41.851482, -88.190464

Stay left at the 4 successive junctions bypassing the 0.4-mile Nighthawk and 0.8-mile Catbird trails. You'll brush against patches of hickory and oak as you make your way west then south.

BFP009

Location: 41.849728, -88.196788

Near the observation deck on the left, researchers uncovered the bones of the largest woolly mammoth ever found in the Great Lakes region. The 13,000-year-old bones were found in a clay deposit in the marsh.

BFP010

Location: 41.845033, -88.195694

Stay left on the main trail to close the loop, but you could turn right on this 300-yard connector trail to head to the Forest Preserve's offices and a public restroom.

BFP011

Location: 41.845244, -88.193457

Another viewing platform allows you to scout bluebirds, great blue and black crowned night herons, white egrets, cormorants, and other birds that are known to visit the marsh. Spring and early summer is when the action reaches its peak.

White Pine Pond

Location: 41.827075, -88.177777

Mount Hoy looms above White Pine Pond near this trail's south end. If you have time, consider trekking to the top of the hill, 836 feet above sea level, but only 150 feet above the surrounding landscape.

Path

Location: 41.840745, -88.18481

The wide gravel path leading north through the Blackwell Forest Preserve's southern side.

Goldenrod

Location: 41.846915, -88.184595

Prairie flowers and birds will color your walk around the north-side loop.

Compass Plants

Location: 41.850523, -88.186339

McKee Marsh

Location: 41.849656, -88.196381

Home to a wide range of wildlife and birds, the murky waters of McKee Marsh once hid the remains of the largest woolly mammoth discovered in the Great Lakes region.

QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR NEW TRIP PAGES? CLICK HERE.

Subscribe to Backpacker magazine

Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter

PRINT THIS PAGE RSS FEED

Digg Delicious Yahoo Facebook Reddit StumbleUpon Google Newsvine MySpace Twitter

The Blackwell Forest Preserve is home to DuPage County's first wetland restoration project: McKee Marsh. Now the centerpiece of the preserve, the large marsh hosts dozens of species of migratory birds including herons, egrets, bluebirds, and bobolinks. This 6.1-mile lollipop loop links the multi-use regional trail through the park's southern side with the 2.3-mile interpretive loop around the marsh itself.

Begin at the lot just north of Butterfield Road and head west around White Pine Pond, skirting Mt. Hoy's western edge (after this hike, trek up the 150-foot slope on its eastern side for 30-mile views of downtown). The wide, gravel path ducks into oak, hickory, and elm groves headed north across Springbrook Creek before crossing Mack Road.

Less than 2 miles in, turn right onto the Bobolink Trail for a 2.3-mile loop; first through wildflower-sprinkled prairie grasslands, then around the west side of McKee Marsh. Early and late in the day, you're likely to see deer browsing goldenrod, milkweed, aster, and other prairie plants along this stretch. Look for interpretive signs explaining local wildlife and the area's glacial history as you complete the loop and begin backtracking south toward the trailhead.

-Mapped by Ted Villaire

QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR NEW TRIP PAGES? CLICK HERE.

Subscribe to Backpacker magazine

Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter

PRINT THIS PAGE RSS FEED

Digg Delicious Yahoo Facebook Reddit StumbleUpon Google Newsvine MySpace Twitter

ADD A COMMENT

Related Trails

Chicago, IL: Chain O Lakes State Park

Hike rolling prairies, expansive wetlands, and a peaceful stretch of the Fox River on this easy 5.6-mile hike in Chain O Lakes State Park.

Chicago, IL: Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area

Scout for waterbirds in the marshes and peer through dense tallgrass on this easygoing 5.25-mile hike through Goose Lake Prairie.

Chicago, IL: Kankakee Nature Trail

Explore wooded bluffs and a dramatic limestone canyon on the way to a waterfall on this 4.8-mile riverside hike in Kankakee River State Park.

Chicago, IL: Monee Reservoir

Monee Reservoir's 2.5-mile nature trail offers a family friendly wetland wander through a suburban wildlife sanctuary (and an idyllic fishing spot).

Chicago, IL: Ryerson Woods

This 4.3-mile loop follows the Des Plaines River as it winds through stunning forestland chock-full of stately hardwoods and colorful flowers.

Chicago, IL: Starved Rock Trail

This beautiful 4.3-mile loop adjacent to the Illinois River adds welcome relief--waterfalls, sculpted sandstone canyons, and impressive overlooks--to the usually pancake-flat landscape.

Chicago: Swallow Cliffs

Enjoy the views and solitude of this 9.6 mile out-and-back trek through wind and water-scoured ravines to glacier-carved moraines in southeast Chicago.

Chicago: Waterfall Glen

This preserve offers plenty of big city escape. Shady forests, gentle waterfalls, and a lofty vista over the Des Plaines River are just a few stops along this 10.1-mile multi-use loop.

St. Louis, MO: Kinkaid Lake

Traversing trickling falls, spongy boulders, and finger coves along Kinkaid Lake's western shore, this 9.2-mile out-and-back ends high above the lakeÛÓand leaves you dry.