Woods Walk

Event information

Photo by Anthony Schalk

Event details

This ongoing program runs from Monday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 30. 

Get out on the trail and enjoy the changing of the seasons with the 23rd annual Woods Walk challenge! Experience 10 beautiful Will County trails during their fall splendor. Trails range from 0.5 miles to 3 miles in length, and each trail offers its own unique experience.

This year’s featured trails are as follows:

• 2.5 miles at Hammel Woods
• 3 miles at Kankakee Sands Preserve
• 2.5 miles at Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Nature Preserve
• 2 miles at Messenger Woods Nature Preserve
• 1.5 miles at O’Hara Woods Preserve
• 0.5 miles at Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve
• 1.5 miles at Riverview Farmstead Preserve
• 1 mile at Rock Run Rookery Preserve
• 2 miles at Theodore Marsh
• 1.25 miles on Wauponsee Glacial Trail

To view all the routes, visit our interactive map or pick up your booklet after Sept. 1. Don’t forget to log your walks as you go. To participate, pick up a Woods Walk travel log on or after Sept. 1 online or at select Forest Preserve visitor centers: 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. Returning this year is the option to track and log walks easily and conveniently using the Goosechase app.

Complete seven of the 10 Woods Walk trails and receive a 2025 Woods Walk hiking medallion featuring a fox. The deadline to submit a completed travel log is Sunday, Dec. 7.

Event requirements

No registration is required. 

The trails included in the program are asphalt, limestone or natural surfaces across uneven terrain. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service to participate in this program should mention their request when registering or submit a request online no later than 48 hours before the program.