Preserves & Trails

Fill up the water bottles, leave the car at Hickory Creek Junction, and take a bicycle ride down the Old Plank Road Trail. Travel the Old Plank Road Trail east or west past remnants of Illinois' once great prairies for a total trail length of 21.5 miles.

The trail east to Park Forest passes the antique shops of historic Frankfort and the Dewey Helmick Nature Preserve. Look for gems such as big bluestem and great egrets in the prairie and wetlands of the preserve. The trail west from the Junction takes visitors through New Lenox, past parks and prairie, to Joliet.

Hickory Creek Junction also serves as your trail connection to the Hickory Creek Bikeway - West Branch. The paved bikeway travels through a portion of the 1,542-acre Hickory Creek Preserve, over Hickory Creek and through woodlands and wetlands. The trail extends north from Hickory Creek Junction for 1 mile to Brightway Lane in Mokena, and turns west 1.8 miles toward Schoolhouse Road. At Schoolhouse Road, trail users can visit the historic Schmuhl School, the last one-room schoolhouse in the area.

For a shorter trip, hike, jog, bike, skate, or cross-country ski the 1-mile loop trail around the wetlands at Hickory Creek Junction.

After your trail ride, relax at a picnic shelter or the accessible playground, constructed from recycled materials. Benches near the playground offer a place to rest and reenergize.

Photograph Courtesy of Tim Good

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