Chill out this fall with the self-paced Woods Walk challenge

With electronic distractions all around us, there’s something calming about a program that encourages you to explore nature at your own pace during the crisp, cool days of fall.

And that’s the beauty of the Forest Preserve District’s annual Woods Walk challenge, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 1, and runs through Monday, Nov. 30. The free program, which is sponsored by The Nature Foundation of Will County, is for all ages.

Woods Walk is celebrating its 24th anniversary this year, and the the popular challenge is the Forest Preserve District’s longest-running program.

“I think it’s a popular program because people can complete the hiking challenges on their own timeline,” said Eilleen Koran, the Forest Preserve’s recreation coordinator. “It also gives people a reason to break out of their routines, hike at different preserves and make new outdoor discoveries without ever leaving the county.”

Participants who complete seven of 10 preselected trails will earn a medallion that can be pinned to a backpack or tacked on to a walking stick. The medallions change each year and have become collector’s items for longtime Woods Walk hikers.

“This year’s medallion features the silhouette of a white-tailed deer, which is the state animal of Illinois,” Koran said.

Varied trail lengths

2026 Woods Walk trails range from 0.5 to 4.25 miles in length, and each offers a unique experience.

“We choose a range of trails to encourage people to explore paths throughout the county and discover new preserves that they haven’t visited before,” Koran said. “There are a variety of habitats that these selected trails feature. Hikers will go through grasslands and forests and along wetlands and streams. Each hike offers something new to explore and cool things to see.”

All the hikes are under 5 miles so that people can squeeze them into their busy lives, she added.

This year’s featured trails are as follows:

• Hidden Oaks Preserve, Bolingbrook, 1.25 miles
• Keepataw Preserve, DuPage Township, 0.5 miles
• Prairie Bluff Preserve, Crest Hill, 2.75 miles
• Rock Run Preserve — Paul V. Nichols, Joliet, 2 miles
• Joliet Iron Works Historic Site, Joliet, 2.5 miles
• Hickory Creek Preserve — Hickory Creek Barrens, 3.5 miles
• Plum Valley Preserve, Crete Township, 2 miles
• McKinley Woods — Kerry Sheridan Grove, Channahon, 1.5 miles
• Monee Reservoir, Monee Township, 2.25 miles
• Forked Creek Preserve — Ballou Road Access, Wesley Township, 4.25 miles

Challenge begins Sept. 1

To get started, download the free Goosechase app on your smartphone and search for Woods Walk once the program begins Sept. 1. The app will allow you to track your walks.

You can also track walks using a hard-copy travel log available at the following Forest Preserve locations: Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon; Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook; Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville; Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township; and Sugar Creek Administration Center in Joliet.

The deadline for submitting a completed travel log is Monday, Dec. 7. Medallions for those who have hiked at least seven of 10 trails can be picked up at a visitor center or sent through the mail.