Possessing one of the few waterfalls in the Chicago area, Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve offers 11 miles of trails through a wooded, hilly and sometimes spectacular terrain in Darien, Illinois. The main circular trail is paved.
Main entrance is in Darien, Illinois on Northgate Road near the Cass Avenue exit on Interstate 55. There are also parking lots by the waterfall on Bluff Road off Cass Avenue (small and fills up early in the morning), and on the east side of Lemont Road at 101st Street, one mile south of the Lemont Road exit on Interstate 55. A detailed pdf trail map may be found here.
23 miles from the center of town
Main trails, parking and portable restrooms are accessible.
Biking, Birdwatching (hawks, owls, thrushes, warblers, woodpeckers), Cross-Country Skiing, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Jogging, Model Airplane Field, Picnicking, Running, Watchable Wildlife and Wildflowers.
The waterfalls were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
Consult the trail map for restroom locations.
Nearby Sylvia’s Bakery located at 8117 Cass Avenue in Darien offers delicious pastries at reasonable prices.
Argonne National Laboratory is adjacent to Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve and is open to the public on a very limited number of days for tours of the fascinating science and engineering research center.
Spring, Summer, Fall
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