Hickory Creek Barrens marks the western boundary of the expansive 1,542-acre Hickory Creek Preserve located in Frankfort, New Lenox, and Mokena.

In 1998, the District dedicated the 575-acre Hickory Creek Barrens as a State Nature Preserve, providing complete protection for the plants and animals that reside there. This special designation is due to its ecological classification as a "barrens" - an area that shows progression from grasslands, to shrubs, to forests. This unusual feature can be found at Hickory Creek Barrens. Due to the sensitive natural resources in this Nature Preserve, dogs are not allowed there.

A restoration project is currently underway in a 30-acre section of the Preserve. View more information about this project here.

Access to Hickory Creek Barrens is provided by a parking lot on Schoolhouse Road. Located off of the parking lot is a picnic shelter which is available for reservation. The lot also provides access to the Hickory Creek Bikeway - West Branch. This 2.8-mile asphalt trail leads hikers, bicyclists, and cross-country skiers to Brightway Lane, where it veers due south to the District's Hickory Creek Junction on Route 30. The trail leads through meadow and forest and across Hickory Creek, and features a hilly topography.

This parking area also provides access to the historic one-room Schmuhl School Museum on the southeast corner of Route 30 and Schoolhouse Road, which is owned and operated by the New Lenox Historical Society.

Photograph Courtesy of Timothy Good