Preserves & Outdoor Recreation

Your Forest Preserves
Relax and have fun in your clean, safe Forest Preserves, located just minutes from home or work in Lake County, Illinois. A variety of award-winning facilities and programs await you. Each season offers new opportunities to learn and enjoy.

Activities
Your Lake County Forest Preserves offer endless opportunities for year-round outdoor recreation, nature exploration and relaxation. Most Forest Preserves are located just minutes from your home and boast award-winning facilities, miles of trails for biking, hiking, and horseback riding, picnic shelters, lakes for boating and fishing, and acres of wide-open spaces for visitors of all ages to enjoy.

Planning Your Event
Let the Lake County Forest Preserves host your next business meeting, wedding or anniversary celebration, group outing or child's next birthday party. Several of our facilities offer rental and catering.

Living Near a Preserve
Living near a Forest Preserve can help you develop a special connection with nature. We want to be a good neighbor. You can too. Learn about our Boundary Guidelines and Preserve Watch public safety program.

Controlled Burning
Every spring and fall, our ecologists safely burn hundreds of acres throughout Lake County. Why? Because fire is one of the things these areas need to regain a healthy diversity of species. See notices about current controlled burns.

West Nile Virus
The Lake County Forest Preserves care about the safety of our preserve visitors and neighbors. We also care about the health of our wildlife and natural habitats. Our challenge in working with West Nile virus, along with many other issues that we face, is finding the right balance that benefits and provides safeguards for both people and nature.