Chicago News

Negative temps don't deter these hockey players and sledders across Chicagoland.

Local state parks will participate in a nationwide program to inspire people to kick off the new year with a hike.

$5.1 million in grants will help the forest preserves complete missing trail segments within four years.

Breeding season makes the wild canines more visible.

A community group argues the Chicago Park District's plan ignores major developments, such as the future Obama Presidential Center.

Millennium Park's Lurie Garden is just one crucial food source for the pollinators.

Indiana Dunes could become the 60th park in the system.

The joining of two nonprofits should improve natural resource management north of the city.

An outdoor photography talk, whooping crane conservation, outdoor health awards, and more are on tap.

Check out the views along the city's first elevated park and learn how it went from freight line to open space.

Advocates and opponents of these new bike share programs are hashing it out in the Windy City.

The park district's vision for the South Side park includes playgrounds, fitness stations, and lake access.

Cook County Forest Preserves has a few ideas for November fun.

How Cook County Forest Preserve's Web Map tech guides visitors to urban escapes.

New bridges, bike lanes, and crosswalks are among the proposed solutions to a spike in collisions with cars.

The controlled burns help restore ecosystem health to prairie and forest reserves.

The new 33-acre forest is called John Sunman's Woods Nature Preserve.

The historic pathway around Geneva Lake takes all day (and includes brunch).

312 RiverRun will join three parks by a new path along the Chicago River.

An undiscovered 12-acre plot has become a new preserve, which will be a sanctuary for monarch butterflies.

The Chicago Park District received a $900,000 grant to restore wetlands in 278-acre Big Marsh Park.

The Cook County Forest Preserves comprise 69,000-plus acres. WBEZ asks: Whose foresight was it?

Troy Cooper, a Naperville native, is growing his business to include river trips.

The International Dark-Sky Association has a basic requirement: people should be able to see the natural sky.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Someone is hanging rope swings in Logan Square Park—the same place a trampoline showed up months ago.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a few ideas for how to spend a day in southeastern Wisconsin.

Those stray dogs in Cook County could be coyotes with a disease called sarcoptic mange.

The recent feature "These Waters Run Deep" documents days of paddling, wandering, cruising, and conversing along Chicago's iconic waterway.

From Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve to Rock Cut State Park, seven perfect days of hiking and beer.

According to Cook County officials, too many rabid bats have been discovered in the city.

Last year, more than a thousand West Calumet Housing Complex residents were told to relocate. Where are they now?

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless say proposed paths will drive out residents under several Lake Shore Drive bridges.

The west end of the 606 is undergoing "real estate feeding frenzy," leading to displacement. Are recreation trails partly to blame?

Now 22 miles long, the North Branch Trail finally reaches all the way to Gompers Park.

From s'mores trivia and key chains to Elvis s'mores and Andes Mint s'mores, Indiana Dunes does National S'mores Day right.

The top picks range from city parks to far-flung canyons and beaches.

The 24-year-old man fell 60 feet from an off-trail area above Pontiac Canyon.

The outdoor instruments are meant to inspire residents to get involved with music this summer.

Armed robbers have attacked cyclists on the Bloomingdale Trail several times this month.

The landscaped plaza will host weddings and private functions in the South Side's Washington Park.

This year, improved park access helped the Windy City jump higher on the Trust for Public Lands list.

Multiple barriers make safe, easy bike rides harder outside of Chicago.

The free site covers more than 500 miles of water trails in 10 waterways.

WBEZ investigates otter sightings in and around the downtown Chicago River.

Plans for a new South Shore golf course would likely replace a community dog park.

Residents concerned that planned golf development in South Shore would edge out a natural area on the site.

The Divvy program rolls out four food-themed bikes, a membership discount, and plans to expand.

Researchers find the Divvy bike program isn't reaching effectively reaching minority and low-income residents.

First-time anglers get a deep discount to try their luck in Wisconsin lakes this year.

A new analysis finds sewage and runoff overflow into the urban waterway once every six days.

The little brown bat population at Devil's Lake State Park dropped from 200 to 20 in one year thanks to white-nose syndrome.

Park rangers found the body of the missing Chicago-area hiker Friday.

Park staff canvassing Rescue Creek area for a man who vanished Wednesday morning.

River Forest native describes how she made it through a week lost in the Great Bear Wilderness outside Glacier National Park.

New Bobolink Meadow Land and Water Reserve preserves 900 acres of primo habitat for grassland birds.

One trail is scheduled to open on August 12, while officials remain hopeful about a second stuck in the negotiation phase.