Your Forest Preserves

Van Patten Woods

The 975-acre Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve is one of the premier recreation sites in Lake County. An oak forest, 86-acre Sterling Lake, and the Des Plaines River provide a picturesque backdrop for outdoor recreation activities such as fishing, picnicking, horseback riding and flying model aircraft.

Five miles of crushed-gravel trails offer fun for hikers, bicyclists, cross-country skiers and horseback riders. The Des Plaines River Trail bisects the Preserve and is open to horses, bicycles, snowmobiles, and hikers. Its trailhead is at the far northern Russell Road entrance. It can also be accessed from other trails within the Preserve.

On the Preserve's northern end is a rustic tent youth campground that can be reserved for organized youth groups of up to 100. The site has a water pump, fire rings, firewood, parking and toilets. Model aircraft enthusiasts will enjoy a nearby flying field, which includes a windsock, spectator area, toilets, drinking water and parking.

Sterling Lake also boasts a public launch 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. Trailers are permitted but parking is limited to the grass overflow parking lot. Electric trolling motors are allowed.

Van Patten Woods was Lake County’s first Forest Preserve, created in 1961 with a 162-acre purchase. In the 1970s the abandoned gravel pit that is now Sterling Lake was acquired. Mined from the 1930s through the mid-1970s, this area was deeply scarred. Major restoration that took place between 1989 and 1993 resulted in the safe and clean Preserve we enjoy today.

This Preserve is named in honor of David Van Patten, President of the Lake County Forest Preserves in 1960. The former gravel pit was once known as Vulcan Lake. Following a name-the-lake contest, it was renamed Sterling Lake for Sterling Township, a short-lived name that was changed to Newport Township in 1850.

The key natural feature here is the Des Plaines River and its adjacent floodplain, which serve as a refuge to many native species while providing flood control to Lake County residents. On higher ground to the river’s east, you can relax among native oak woodlands and planted pine groves. To the west, natural areas are being restored where the former gravel quarry had severely altered the land.