Forest Preserve District of Cook County

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Forest Preserve District of Cook County 70,000 acres of wild and wonderful in Cook County, IL. Don’t you sometimes just want to escape?

Explore the natural beauty of Cook County for an hour, a day or even a night. When you’re surrounded by 70,000 acres of wild and wonderful, there’s no better place to feel free. This page has been created for the Forest Preserves of Cook County and its visitors to share news, ideas and events. We welcome your engagement and feedback, but comments posted by a member of the public are the opinion of the poster only, and do not necessarily imply endorsement of or reflect the opinions or policies of the Forest Preserves. Comments containing any of the following content will not be permitted and are subject to removal and/or restriction at any time and without prior notice:
- Obscene, sexual or pornographic content and/or language
- Content that promotes discrimination by the government on the basis of race, age, religion, gender or other protected class
- Private, personal information published without consent
- True threats to any person
- Conduct that violates any federal, state, or local law or encourages illegal activity
- Spam, commercial promotions or links to malware or viruses
- Actual defamation

The Forest Preserves reserves the right to deny access to our social media sites for any individual who repeatedly violates the Forest Preserves social media policy, at any time and without prior notice. All comments posted to any Forest Preserves social site are bound by the social media platform’s terms of use or code of conduct. Users who enter private or personal information do so at their own risk, and the Forest Preserves is not responsible for any damages resulting from the public display of, or failure to remove, private or personal information. Content posted on the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s social media sites may be subject to disclosure under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and retention under the Local Records Act. This policy and terms of use may be amended from time-to-time, without further notice.

Looking for an opportunity to get outdoors and make a positive impact on the environment? 🌳Join us this Friday from 9–11...
11/10/2026

Looking for an opportunity to get outdoors and make a positive impact on the environment? 🌳

Join us this Friday from 9–11:30 a.m. at Axehead Lake for a Tree TLC volunteer day!

Help care for trees in the Forest Preserves’ picnic groves by spreading mulch and clearing away pruned branches. Every helping hand makes a difference! 🌱

Learn more and sign up:

The Forest Preserves of Cook County’s more than 70,000 acres of woodlands, prairies and wetlands provide endless, year-round opportunities to get outside, get exercise and […]

To commemorate  , we’re hosting a series of events that illuminate the remarkable cultural heritage of Native American c...
11/10/2026

To commemorate , we’re hosting a series of events that illuminate the remarkable cultural heritage of Native American communities.

Explore Nation of Nations, an exhibit celebrating the diversity of contemporary Indigenous communities of the Great Lakes Region, on display Nov. 1–30 at Trailside Museum of Natural History.

Learn more about our Native American Heritage Month events: fpdcc.com/nnahm

11/09/2026

🌳 A forest 100 years in the making starts with a single acorn!

Crews recently planted nearly 150 young oak trees at Harms Woods near Skokie, taking the first steps toward bringing a rare woodland ecosystem back to life.

The trees have already been on quite a journey! Grown from locally collected acorns in 2023, they spent two years at Chicago Botanic Garden before being cared for by Forest Preserves staff and finally planted in their new home.

The goal? Transform a field dominated by nonnative grasses into a thriving flatwoods habitat that could one day provide more space for native plants and wildlife while helping protect neighboring nature preserves.

And this is just the beginning! Each tree will be monitored as it grows, helping our ecologists learn how to restore these rare woodlands for generations to come.

🎥 Watch our crews plant the beginnings of a future forest!

Learn more: https://fpdcc.com/planting-the-seeds-of-a-future-forest-at-harms-woods/

Happy  !In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting Oak Forest Heritage Preserve, a place with thousa...
11/05/2026

Happy !

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting Oak Forest Heritage Preserve, a place with thousands of years of cultural and historical significance.

Here are 4 things to know about its history:

1️⃣ A Landscape Shaped by Glaciers: Since the last retreat of the Wisconsin Glacier approximately 14,000 years ago, this land has held significance because of its unique location between a raised morainal ridge and the lower Chicago Lake Plain.

2️⃣ A Place of Native American Significance: The elevated landscape offered Native American inhabitants refuge from lowland swamps, views of prairie fires and potential enemies, and access to nearby woodlands for materials and sustenance.

3️⃣ An Important Village Site: In 1958, an archaeological investigation uncovered eight houses and mapped an entire Native American village, the first identified in northeastern Illinois. The village appears to have been occupied around 1680.

4️⃣ Preserving History Today: Acquired by the Forest Preserves in 2010, Oak Forest Heritage Preserve protects 176 acres, including woodland and prairie habitat. Visitors can explore its history along a nearly 2-mile paved loop trail, as well as enjoy birdwatching, fishing at Pogie Lake, and winter recreation such as cross-county skiing and snowshoeing.

Oak Forest Heritage Preserve is more than a place to enjoy nature. It’s a landscape that holds generations of history and stories worth remembering.



📸: Captured by Eric H, Oak Forest Heritage East, December 2022

Don’t miss out on the latest Forest Preserves of Cook County updates! Sign up for our monthly newsletter, Forest Way, to...
11/03/2026

Don’t miss out on the latest Forest Preserves of Cook County updates! Sign up for our monthly newsletter, Forest Way, to get news, events and volunteer opportunities delivered right to your inbox. 📬

Stay in the loop and be part of the action—📧subscribe now at: fpdcc.com/newsletter

📷: Palos Park Woods by Joy Hyzny📍: October 2024 In autumn, the oak woodlands of Palos Park Woods glow with shades of gol...
11/02/2026

📷: Palos Park Woods by Joy Hyzny
📍: October 2024

In autumn, the oak woodlands of Palos Park Woods glow with shades of gold, orange and red. Visitors enjoy hiking the 8-mile-long unpaved trail, watching for wildlife and peaceful moments beneath the colorful canopy.

To commemorate  , we’re hosting a series of events that illuminate the remarkable cultural heritage of Native American c...
11/01/2026

To commemorate , we’re hosting a series of events that illuminate the remarkable cultural heritage of Native American communities.

Learn more about our Native American Heritage Month events: fpdcc.com/nnahm

Happy Halloween🍂🕸️📷: Mark Korosa, Short Eared Owl at Bartel Grassland, January 2023
10/31/2026

Happy Halloween🍂🕸️

📷: Mark Korosa, Short Eared Owl at Bartel Grassland, January 2023

Get involved this November! Join a fun community event to help prepare native seeds for sowing. Each precious seed was h...
10/30/2026

Get involved this November! Join a fun community event to help prepare native seeds for sowing. Each precious seed was hand-collected by volunteers and will be returned to the forest preserves to restore the land. No experience necessary. Light refreshments provided.

Join us at one of these upcoming volunteer events:

CALUMET REGION: Calumet Seed Processing
Nov 10 at Sand Ridge Nature Center, South Holland

CENTRAL REGION: Central Confluence Seed Collectors
Nov 14 at Native Seed Nursery, Western Springs

Visit fpdcc.com/volunteer/ to learn more and sign up.

Address

536 N Harlem Avenue
River Forest, IL
60305

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