Under An Hour From Chicago Is A Family-Friendly Nature Preserve With Trails, Fishing, And Interactive Exhibits

At the edge of Chicagoland, cul-de-sacs give way to creeks and roads to trails in the Hidden Oaks Preserve. Many visitors to Chicago (and even some locals) might not realize just how much nature is within easy reach of the city — take, for example, the restored Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie an hour outside of Chicago. Heading southwest from the city center, you could get to Illinois' Hidden Oaks Preserve in no more than a 45-minute drive. The preserve is a small, walkable green refuge (at just 33 acres, per the Forest Preserve District of Will County), but in its modest footprint, you'll find forests, creeks, savannahs, ponds, and more to wander through.

The preserve provides a lot of ways to engage with the outdoors that make it a favorite for families — trails, fishing, and kid-friendly naturalist events among them. "It has tons of trails and cool things for kids to play on and around," a Google reviewer shared. One highlight of the preserve is the Hidden Oaks Nature Center, which hosts exhibitions and has live reptiles. Beyond the reptiles indoors, the preserve is a treasure trove of wildlife: Deer, coyotes, and woodpeckers are some of the animals that call it home.

The plot of land taken up by the Hidden Oaks Preserve is small — just a bite-size stretch of the greenery below the DuPage River — so its trails are better suited to a casual stroll than an adventurous hike. Still, Hidden Oaks does have a 0.74-mile nature trail that can be hiked or, in winter, used for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, per the Forest Preserve District. The preserve also includes a small, paved section (under half a mile) of the DuPage River Trail, which extends down to Channahon State Park, a historic park with camping and canoeing. You could very easily access close to 4 miles more of the trail from Hidden Oaks by crossing a bridge over the DuPage River to the segment encircling Whalon Lake.

Another activity families love is climbing around the play area behind the Nature Center. It's built with a more nature-forward feel rather than a modern one, incorporating the woodland and brook setting into its wooden play structures. "Lots of open-ended opportunities for gross motor movement and natural play," a Google reviewer said of the play area.

A portion of the preserve is the Hidden Lakes Trout Farm, connected to the area's trails. This cluster of small lakes allows for shoreline fishing, with bluegill, sunfish, bass, and trout listed by the Forest Preserve District as some of the potential catches. The fishing area is supplied by a bait shop.

While much of the appeal of the Hidden Oaks Preserve lies in its outdoor opportunities, the indoor Nature Center is worth a stop as well. During its open hours (every day except Tuesdays), the center has naturalists on hand who sometimes host family-friendly events like journaling circles and animal feedings. Plus, the center has some interactive displays and live animals that encourage children to get connected with nature, including for toddlers. There are restrooms inside, too.

If you're flying into Chicago, the Hidden Oaks Preserve is about a 35-minute drive from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. There's a parking lot available at the Nature Center, which has its own rain garden. The preserve and center are free to visit. As the preserve sits within Bolingbrook, a lively Chicago suburb and family-friendly haven, you could stay for a weekend at one of the local hotels or inns. The Residence Inn by Marriott Chicago Bolingbrook, for example, has a 4.4-star rating from Google Reviews and is about a 10-minute drive from the Hidden Oaks Preserve.