Enjoy a plethora of winter activities at Lake County Forest Preserves
By Kim Mikus
Lake County Forest Preserves
Greg Townsend spends a great deal of time monitoring the weather during the winter. The superintendent of maintenance for the Lake County Forest Preserves oversees an operations staff that prepares an array of winter recreation areas in preserves across the county.
Grooming cross-country ski trails, maintaining sled hills and making ice skating rinks are just a few tasks his crew tackles during the winter months, along with maintaining trails.
While the temperatures have made ice skating and ice fishing a challenge this season, there are plenty of other activities to take advantage of.
"There are so many winter activities that offer opportunities to exercise and enjoy nature within the beautiful forest preserves," Townsend said.
Most forest preserves are open from 6:30 a.m. until sunset daily. If a preserve gate is open before 6:30 a.m., the preserve is considered open for use. The exception is two solar-lit trails.
With small solar lights to guide the way, hikers can take an evening hike along a 1.3-mile fitness trail at Old School Forest Preserve in Libertyville, and along a 1.65-mile hilly section of the Millennium Trail, adjacent to the Winter Sports Area at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda.
These illuminated trails and adjoining parking lots remain open after sunset until 9 p.m. daily, through March 8. Bicycles and equestrians are not permitted on the lighted trails after sunset. Dogs are allowed, but must be leashed.
Most forest preserve trails are not plowed. Exceptions include paved trails at Old School, Hastings Lake Forest Preserve in Lake Villa and Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville.
Nine playgrounds are open and accessible through the winter, and can be found at these forest preserve locations: Independence Grove, Lakewood, Old School, Captain Daniel Wright Woods in Mettawa, Half Day in Vernon Hills, Heron Creek in Lake Zurich, Greenbelt in North Chicago, Hastings Lake and Van Patten Woods in Wadsworth.
<h3 class="leadin">Sledding
Sledding is available on two sled hills that are quite different from each other. The hill at Old School has a run length of 209 feet, with a vertical descent of 41 feet and an average slope of 11 degrees.
The</a><![CDATA[ hill akewood is 425 feet, with a vertical descent of 64 feet and an average slope of 8.5 degrees.
"Forest preserve crews use snowmobiles and shovels to smooth moguls and jumps," said Maintenance Crew Chief Frank Volm.
"Sledding is fun at any age," said Gloria Lopez, executive assistant at the Lake County Forest Preserves. She and her husband recently brought their 5-month-old son, Roman, to the Old School sled hill.
"Roman just loved it. He was waving his arms around," said Lopez, who bought a little red sled that includes a safety belt to strap him in. She said the sled has a string, allowing her to pull Roman along the trails when she hikes.
"It's a great way to get outside and enjoy the weather," Lopez said.
<h3 class="leadin">Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiers can enjoy nearly 189 miles of trails at forest preserves throughout the county. Groomed trails are available at the Lakewood Winter Sports Area and at Old School.
When conditions allow, skiers can use the dedicated equestrian trails at Lakewood and Raven Glen and most forest preserve hiking trails, except at the Ryerson Conservation Area in Riverwoods.
A 4-inch snow base is required at Ryerson in order to protect sensitive habitat at this Illinois Dedicated Nature Preserve site.
Groomed trails are available at the Lakewood Winter Sports Area, Old School, and along the Des Plaines River Trail, between Old School and the Wright Woods Canoe Launch on Route 60. Grooming is typically done two days after a large snow.
When there is 3 or 4 inches of snow, Volm said a snowmobile pulls a mini-trailer that mimics cross-country skis with weights on them to create the path for skiing. He reminds cross-country skiers to stay on the outside of the trails.
<h3 class="leadin">Snowmobiling
Snowmobilers can use 21 miles of designated trails within the preserves, many of which connect to other area snowmobile trails. The Des Plaines River Trail, from Russell Road to just south of Wadsworth Road, provides the longest stretch of trail for snowmobilers. Parking and trail access are provided at Van Patten Woods and Sedge Meadow forest preserves.
Snowmobile trails are open 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 6:30 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. The snowmobile trailer parking lots are open extended hours for snowmobilers.
<h3 class="leadin">Ice Skating
Ice skating is available on the lake at Independence Grove, and on man-made rinks at Lakewood and Old School forest preserves.
"This has been a tough year for ice skaters," Volm said. "To make the rinks, the optimal temperature should be 24 degrees," he said.
Crews use a fire hose and lay about a quarter inch of water on the rink, let it freeze and then spray another quarter inch, repeating until the ice is several inches thick.
"The base layer is key. You have to make sure there are no bubbles in the ice," Volm says.
<h3 class="leadin">Ice Fishing
When conditions allow, ice fishing is available at Banana Lake at Lakewood, Sterling Lake at Van Patten Woods, and only on the south bay of the lake at Independence Grove. A 4.5-inch layer of ice is required to open the lakes for fishing, Townsend said, adding that the entire lake must be frozen.
<h3 class="leadin">Wacky Weather
Going by the calendar, our Midwest winter recreation season should be in full swing. But weather forecasts and recent springlike temperatures have proved otherwise.
"The weather has been wacky this season," Townsend said. It's the latest bit of oddness in a winter season that saw record snowfall on Halloween, temperatures just under 60 degrees the day after Christmas, a record 12-day stretch of gray skies at the end of January, and this past Sunday's sunshine, helping to reach about 50 degrees. But as we know from living in Chicagoland, winter is not over yet, regardless of what the groundhog said.
Before heading out to a forest preserve for some winter fun, it's a good idea to check the status maps for each activity to find out what's open: LCFPD.org/winter-sports.
• Kim Mikus is a communications specialist for the Lake County Forest Preserves. She writes a bimonthly column about various aspects of the preserves. Contact her with ideas or questions at kmikuscroke@LCFPD.org. Connect with the Lake County Forest Preserves on social media @LCFPD.