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7:23pm


   

Your Forest Preserves

your forest preserves

Maps

Grassy Lake Trail Map
Countywide Map & Guide to the Forest Preserves
Directions

Acreage

580 acres

Activities

Cross-Country Skiing
Fishing
Hiking

Amenities

Trails

Grassy Lake

Grassy Lake Forest Preserve features gently rolling hills, oak woodlands, marshes and moraines.

Three and one-half miles of trail winds through colorful sedge meadows and mature oak woodlands and offers scenic views of Grassy Lake and the Fox River valley.

Please note, bicycles are not allowed on the trails at this Preserve.

 

Location

Grassy Lake is located in southwest Lake County near Lake Barrington. [view on Google Maps]
Park at the Lake Barrington Village Hall, located on Old Barrington Road just west of Miller Road in Lake Barrington.
 

The Natural Scene

Two rare and valuable natural features of the Preserve include the Wagner Fen and Flint Creek.

Wagner Fen is co-owned by the Barrington-based Citizens for Conservation and the Village of Tower Lakes. In 2001, the Lake County Forest Preserve’s 55-acre Wagner Fen portion of Grassy Lake Forest Preserve was dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve, in conjunction with the 45 acres previously dedicated by the Citizens for Conservation. Combined, the Wagner Fen nature preserve complex totals 100 acres.

The Fen is an ecologically valuable wetland home to eight endangered and threatened species, including the bog violet and the beaked spike rush. Citizens for Conservation and Forest Preserve natural resource crews have worked together to successfully preserve and restore Wagner Fen. A biological control project designed to eliminate the non-native purple loosestrife from Wagner Fen has resulted in almost complete eradication of the evasive plant species from the site.

Flint Creek is one of the healthier streams in Lake County and in the state of Illinois. Its quality rating of a Grade B is considered rare for Illinois. Lake County Forest Preserve staff have restored stream banks along the Flint Creek corridor, with help from a grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Streambank Stabilization program.

 

Contact Information

Grassy Lake
Kelsey Road at Old Barrington Road
Lake Barrington, IL
 
Trail at Grassy Lake. Image (c) Justin

Preserve News

New lands preserved
Land buys expand three forest preserves
Share Forest Preserve Photos on flickr.com
 

Upcoming Events

Sep 23 Playdate with Nature
Oct 16 Forest Fitness