![]() ![]() It also looks great for walking and biking. It is an excellent option for untechnical asphalt free running. I ran the 9.5 mile loop yesterday, 5/14/16. I didn't see any reference to being able to RUN on this trail, but, I went for it and was not disappointed. ![]() To access parking on the southwest side, follow Lemont Road to where it crosses 101st Street the parking turnoff is on the east of Lemont where 101st comes in. To access the southeast end of the trail continue south on Cass Avenue from I-55 and bear left at the elbow bend onto Bluff Road the parking area is a short distance up the road on the right. Turn right on Northgate Road then right again into the parking area (there are 2 parking areas the second right is a larger lot). On the north side, take I-55 to the Cass Avenue Exit and head south. There are three main parking areas for Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve. Horseback riders can park their trailers in designated spots at the trailhead on Northgate Road trailer parking is not allowed at the Lemont Road lot. Horseback riding is not allowed in developed recreational areas, such as the youth group campground. Cyclists must stick to the designated bike trails. The multi-use trail system accommodates cyclists, equestrians and hikers, and some trails are groomed in winter for skiing. You're likely to see lots of wildlife here, too. The 700-acre forest is a contiguous wooded acreage interspersed with dolomite beneath a prairie habitat, home to rare plants.Īs you explore the limestone-surfaced trail, you'll discover the woodlands with dominant oak and maple trees, as well as prairie and grassland habitats and planted pine groves. The preserve is geologically significant, featuring glacier-carved rock ridges, ravines and wetland potholes, which are not found anywhere else in the county. A third parking lot is on the east side of Lemont Road at 101 st Street, 1 mile south of I-55.The trail system in Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve makes a loop around the entire park. Take Bluff Road 0.3 mile east to the lot. To reach the Rocky Glen waterfall parking lot, take Cass Avenue 1.5 miles south of Northgate Road to Bluff Road. Turn right on Northgate and go 400 feet to the lot. From I-55, take Cass Avenue 0.5 mile south to Northgate road. And, Waterfall Glen is part of the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor, a new kind of national park, welcoming travelers to the parks, trails, canal towns and landmarks along this historic passageway. Because of this rich variety, more than 300 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles and another 300 of invertebrates use the preserve year-round or during migrations. Waterfall Glen’s prairies, savannas and oak maple woodlands contain 740 native plants species, 75 percent of all the plants known to grow naturally in DuPage County. That same year, the District named the site Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, not after the familiar falls but in honor of Seymour “Bud” Waterfall, an early president of the District’s Board of Commissioners. In 1973, the preserve got its single largest addition - more than 2,200 acres of surplus land from the U.S. Rocky Glen soon became the site of the preserve’s well-known tiered falls, which the Civilian Conservation Corps built in the 1930s. In 1925, the Forest Preserve District purchased its first 75 acres at Waterfall Glen, the Signal Hill and Rocky Glen areas. ![]() In 1907, the Lincoln Park Commission, a predecessor of the Chicago Park District, had its own 107 acres with a small nursery and a considerable supply of topsoil, which it used to fill in the shoreline along Lake Michigan to create the Lincoln Park area. It is also one of Illinois & Michigan (I&M) Canal National Heritage areas.īy the late 1800s, though, the Ward Brothers’ mill was turning out lumber on Sawmill Creek, and Edwin Walker’s three quarries were yielding tons of quality limestone for projects like the landmark Chicago Avenue Water Tower and Pumping Station. Long before Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet paddled their way through the Des Plaines River Valley in the mid-1600s, American Indians were living along the surrounding limestone bluffs, including today’s Signal Hill, which served as a communications vantage point.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |