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Grant Woods

Open prairies, quiet woodlands and marshes teeming with wildlife await you at Lake County's second largest forest preserve.

Trails, Canoe Launch

Six miles of trails here are open to hiking, biking, and cross-county skiing. In winter, snowmobilers have access to 4.5 miles of trails that tie into adjacent snowmobile trails on private land. A 1-mile grass trail in the far northeastern section of the preserve can be accessed from Cedar Lake Road. The trail extends to Fairfield Road, across from Lake Villa Township's Caboose Park.

A separate parking lot located between Rollins Road and Lakeshore Drive just west of Fairfield Road provides trail access to the southern section of Grant Woods, and a connection to the Chain O'Lakes Bike Path. 

Across from the parking lot is a public launch on Long Lake for car-top boats: canoes, kayaks or other small watercraft. Launching is free and at your own risk. You'll need approved flotation gear and your boat must be properly registered with the state of Illinois. Electric trolling motors are allowed. Trailers are not permitted.

Location

Grant Woods Forest Preserve is located in northwest Lake County in Lake Villa. 

The south entrance/parking area is located on Monaville Rd between Route 59 and Fairfield Rd.

The north entrance/parking area is located on Grand Ave (Route 132) between Route 59 and Fairfield Rd. 

A separate parking lot off of Cedar Lake Road just south of Grand Avenue provides access to a 1-mile grass trail in the far northeastern section of the preserve. The trail extends to Fairfield Road, across from Lake Villa Township's Caboose Park.

The canoe launch parking area is located between Rollins Road and Lakeshore Drive just west of Fairfield Road. Trail access to the southern section of Grant Woods, and a connection to the Chain O'Lakes Bike Path is also available from this lot. 

History

After the Potawatomi left this area in the 1830s, most of it was grazed and farmed. Early landowners include Elijah Stanford, Charles Hawkins, and Otto Lehmann. Stanford and Hawkins were both born in New York in 1832. Stanford came to Fox Lake with his parents at the age of 12, left for the California Gold Rush with his wife at the age of 18, moved to Nevada when 32 and returned here to farm this land at age 38.

Hawkins moved here as a 13-year-old and stayed until he was 29, when the Civil War broke out. He joined the infantry and fought in several battles, receiving a bullet wound in his hand. After the war, he returned to his farm here and became a school director.

Otto Lehmann, son of E.J. Lehmann (founder of Chicago’s Fair Department Store and responsible for bringing the railroad to Lake Villa), also owned property in what is now Grant Woods. He and his family helped the area’s economy, employing local residents as horse trainers, carpenters, grounds keepers and more on their large estates, including the historic Lehmann Mansion, which is located adjacent to Sun Lake Forest Preserve in Lake Villa.

The Natural Scene

There is a lot of variety in this gently rolling landscape of woodlands, prairie and marsh. One area, designated as a protected Illinois Nature Preserve, was never farmed and thus is rich in rare native plants. It even supports a tamarack bog, a rarity in this region. Bluebirds fill the nest boxes dotting the property, springtime ponds fill to the brim with noisy frogs, summer prairie grasses tower over visitors, and year-round glimpses of deer, hawks and other wildlife abound.

Lake County’s only known stand of wild Kentucky coffee trees grows here. Since their large shiny seeds were used in Native American games and trade, the trees’ presence indicates the possibility that indigenous people frequented this site and perhaps even had a village here.

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