Arie Crown Forest - Nature preserve in Countryside - 6600 South La Grange Road, USA

Winter review: I hiked part of Arie Crown Forest yellow trail. It has two 2.0 mile trials. We ended up staying too long at Santa Fe Prairie (check it out if you like Caboose) and were only able to hike 1 mile there and back to my car. This location caught my interest because it has a street that goes inside the forest. If you go the street will be closed due to them not wanting to plow the snow but you can hike to the trail entrance a few blocks. A few trails lead to to other mini trails so exploring was fun. Tall trees all around. One of the trails connect to Lake Ida. I was a little disappointed I did not get to finish the 2 miles but plan to go back. Trail length: two 2.0 Miles trails Parking: Yes, Main parking at entrance and then a few parking along the forest street. Dog friendly: Yes but has to be leashed. Bathrooms: Yes, only saw one in the distance but not near the parking lot. Did not see any porta potties besides the one near the designated picnic area. Has designated picnic area: Yes Seating along path: I did not see anywhere to sit along the yellow trail. Bring something to sit on if you require frequent breaks. Strict or relaxed: Relaxed

DO NOT WALK/BIKE IN THROUGH THE NORTH TRAIL- extremely muddy, poor drainage, my bike got stuck twice. However, this is the only trail that i’ve had this problem on. Otherwise excellent trails especially near the south of the preserve for hiking/biking, some trails don’t show up on the Maps app but trail markers are dispersed throughout. Some litter although not enough to be an issue and covered picnic sites are easily accessible. Very hilly on the entire trail and good bridges.

Was an alright walk with a nice sized pond/lake. Most of the flowers must’ve been transitioning for fall but I did find a gorgeous tree with red leaves. I’ll return next summer and hopefully the sights will be more spectacular. Air smelled like city air. Wasn’t fresh at all. Lots of noise pollution as well. Not my kind of walk in the woods.

We walk our dogs here a couple times a week. We see lots of wildlife and not many people.

A peaceful place to enjoy nature and hit the trail.

Peaceful but adventurous! For my grandkids and I, it was a beautiful place to have our lunch we brought with us, play some frisbee, watch another family flying their kite, and then go exploring afterward. Memories were made. I have memories of my younger days here too. I love Arie Crown Woods.

Nice big wooded area. Just moved to the area and went there for the first time the other day. The road takes you in a circle along the preserves and makes for enjoyable ride and site seeing. There's also a pond nearby and some kind of building I believe for visitors to go to near the center. I would like to see a bit more of walking trails that go into the woods. I didn't see many. All in all good place to have a picnic..go for a drive..or enjoy music and lunch in the car.

Rare drive-thru forest preserve! Beautiful scenery and foliage during the fall. There are occasional areas where you can stop and park your vehicle to get out and look around. There is a separate hiking trail as well. And there are port-a- pottys too but not too many.