Millennium Trail and Greenway

Before heading out, click the button below to check the current status (open/closed) of trails and underpasses.

The planned 41-mile Millennium Trail is a vital trail corridor designed to connect central, western and northern Lake County. When tied with neighboring Lake County trails, such as the Fort Hill Trail, North Shore Path, Des Plaines River Trail, and the McClory Trail, it becomes part of a spectacular system linking residential areas to parks, forest preserves, schools, and business districts.

Today, 33 miles of the Millennium Trail are open to hikers, bicyclists and cross-country skiers. The trail surface alternates from gravel to paved along various completed sections of the trail. Please keep dogs leashed and on trails at all times, and pick up after them. Learn about our Off-Leash Dog Areas (permit required).

Horseback riding is permitted only along an 11-mile section of gravel trail from Lakewood north to the horse trailer parking area at Singing Hills Forest Preserve in Volo. From here, the trail surface changes from gravel to paved, and horses are not permitted on the paved section.

A 1-mile section along Hawley Street between Midlothian Road and Seymour Avenue in Mundelein was completed in partnership with the Lake County Department of Transportation. This segment features a combination of paved trail and a portion of sidewalk that runs between Highway 45 and Seymour Avenue.

Planned Trail Sections

Elsewhere, new trail sections are being engineered and constructed, and final routes are being identified to complete the trail.

View Construction Alerts

Activities

Biking
Cross-Country Skiing
Hiking
Horseback Riding

Amenities

Drinking Water
Horse Trailer Parking
Public Parking
Toilets
Trails

More About This Preserve

Regional Trail Connections

Fort Hill Trail

A 2-mile stretch of the Fort Hill Trail connects to the Ray Lake, Lakewood and Millennium Trail systems. A trailhead parking area and trail tunnel at Gilmer Road offers Fort Hill Trail users a safe connection between Lakewood and Ray Lake. The closest horse trailer parking is at Lakewood.

North Shore Path and McClory Trail

You can use these regional trail systems to connect to our Millennium Trail, and to our Des Plaines River Trail.

The Millennium Trail links to the roughly 11-mile North Shore Path along the edge of Hawley Street at Route 176. From here, it winds east through the streets of Mundelein and follows an old railroad bed through Libertyville where it connects to our Des Plaines River Trail. It then continues east through Lake Bluff where it meets the 20-mile McClory Trail at Sheridan Road, which runs north/south through the county.

The North Shore Path and the McClory Trail are managed by the Lake County Division of Transportation and are open for hiking, biking and cross-country skiing.

History

The first section of the Millennium Trail opened in fall 2002 at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. Funds from the voter-approved 2008 referendum helped provide for sections of the Millennium Trail in western Lake County.

Location

From Hawley Road north to Singing Hills: Access is available at the Lakewood Winter Sports Area off Fairfield Road just south of Route 176 in Wauconda. An additional trailhead with horse trailer parking is located at Singing Hills, off Fish Lake Road north of Gilmer Road. Horses are only permitted on the gravel trail section from Lakewood north to the horse trailer parking area at Singing Hills.

From Singing Hills north to Marl Flat: Access is available at the Singing Hills parking lot at the northeast corner of Fish Lake Road and Gilmer Road. An additional trailhead with parking is located at Marl Flat Forest Preserve off of Fish Lake Road between Route 120 and Nippersink Road. Horses are not permitted on the paved trail section north of the Singing Hills horse trailer parking lot.

From Fourth Lake north to McDonald Woods: Access is available at the Operations and Public Safety Facility on Grand Avenue west of Route 45 in Lake Villa.