Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve

This trail is absolutely beautiful with a waterfall, bridges, well kept winding trails.
There are smaller offshoot trails, but the main one is about 9.5 miles. It’s one of the best, if you want to feel nature and notice it’s beauty, take a stroll or ride your bike. I recommend you not bring your road bike (skinny wheels), it may make it more difficult. Hybrids, mountain, dirt bikes would be perfect.
There are some steep hills but if you get tired, jump off and walk a ways. The whole way around on bikes takes us a couple hours, but we stop to look at the scenery.

Nine miles of rolling hills and peaceful waterfalls which allow for a scenic walk, run, bike, etc., throughout the spring, summer, and fall months. Several parking areas along the trail definitely help with accessibility. Pack bug spray on the muggy days or you’ll come out resembling a small pox victim. Great place to relax or briskly pass through burning calories.

This is definitely a hidden gem in this area.
Lots of great hiking/​biking/​running to be had here. Main trail is about 11 miles and circles the Argonne laboratory, and there other paths which spur off of it as well. Lots of thick woods, with tall trees and is beautiful in all seasons. What makes this really shine compared to the other forest preserve in the area is the waterfall and the topography. The creek is surrounded on both sides by ravines and bluffs of varying height, providing a nice view atop them looking down at the water. Also some neat remains of old pavilions, as well as what was once known as the Lincoln Park Conservatory (It provided plants for you guessed it… Lincoln Park!). Definitely worth it, as one can easily spend most of the day exploring this place.

Beautiful place and lots of history. Tons of unique photo opportunities are abound for personal photos or landscapes. Fall colors are a must

Beautiful place to go for a little doggie walk or a bike ride. The place is huge, clean and beautiful. I came here with my boyfriend and the puppies so he can take some pictures of the leaves changing colors. The waterfalls are beautiful and I like that you can walk around on the rocks.

WGFP has lovely trails for walking or biking! I waked a little under half of the trails today and it’s all very flat– an easy trek for people of all abilities. We saw frogs, chipmunks, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects. I might return with a bike but walking was just fine (it was hard to tell from some of the reviews here). This place is a nice get away for the day for anyone in or around Chicago.

Nice, peaceful place. I get a great workout on my bike!

Living in the city for almost 6 years, I’ve had very few car-​less biking experiences. I’m programmed to dodge pedestrians, buses, crazy cabbies and lost Wisconsin visitors that have never driven around a biker.
I came across an online article on Time Out Chicago about best bike paths and read about WG. Instantly, I imagined the joy of singing TLC’s Waterfalls while biking past a beautiful body of water. We made the hike up to Darien and even though it was drizzly, we pushed through. The path is not paved but crushed gravel but works fine for any bike. As an intermediate biker, I found the course perfectly challenging. There’s some tough inclines and really fun downward slopes but don’t get cray and try to do a drifting turn on crushed gravel. I almost fell on my ass a couple times trying to look cool.
The scenery is amazing. It varies from flat, flower-​filled prairies to deep forests with huge canopies of trees covering the sky. We finally came across the waterfall (which was a little trickier to find) and I had my TLC moment :). The rest of the ride was wonderful as well as the free parking.
FYI, the bathrooms don’t have doors and water fountains are sparse. The course itself can be a little complicated since signs aren’t clearly indicating where to go but what’s the worst that can happen riding around in a forest, right?

So this is an update on my previous review on this park. Like mentioned in the previous review, I had only traversed maybe the first mile by foot during sunset, took some pictures of some breathtaking views, and then turned around as the sun was setting, and I really wanted to do the 9.5 miles on bike and not foot.
So the very next day I dropped by REI and picked myself up a mountain bike (review for REI available as well). I went at about 5 pm today, and between pictures, me being totally out of shape and enjoying the sights it took me about 3 hours– probably would have took me two if I did’t take so many breaks, go down the wrong paths about 3 times (in total it tacked on an extra mile or two).
Gorgeous scenery, make sure you have a water bottle and any other essentials. Along the path I saw only 2 port-​a-​potties (the second one around I believe the ⁴⁄₅ mile mark) is handicap accessible. I do feel that the path markers could be a bit more dispersed because as mentioned before, I did go down the wrong path a few times. The first time I knew I was down the wrong path because I ran into a chain link fence. The second time I hit railroad and a huge sign that said «private railway» and the third time i hit more chain link fence. In all honestly I probably should have realized that the road was the wrong road because the gravel changed into what appeared to be quarry rocks, my fault on that one. But then again, I never road a bike trail before, let alone 9.5 miles haha!
Maybe its because I went on a weekday, a few hours before sunset, but I saw some amazing wild life! Some of the pictures aren’t as clear as I would have wanted it to be from my phone, but thats because I couldn’t get closer without scaring them off (I kept moving 5 feet closer with each picture till the animal flew or ran away lol). I saw a hawk, 2 deer, and once while staring a trail map for 5 minutes determined not to get on the wrong path again, I turned around and saw a baby garden snake just chilling by a rock about a foot away from me. He didn’t do anything and, as soon as I saw him I got startled for a second and then said what many people have said before as their famous last words: «Snake?! Let me get closer and take a picture».
Make sure to follow the signs, the waterfall is at the 6.5 mile marker area. You won’t run into it if you just follow the path. To get to it you actually have to stray off the path, so watch for those trail guides! I actually passed it up by 500 feet the first time, and after 2 hours of biking i wasn’t going home till I saw the waterfall!
For some reason the pictures of the waterfall on Unilocal (including mine) don’t do it any justice. Trek to it. I promise its worth it! It makes the 6.5 miles definitely worth your time and effort!
Along the path you’ll also see 3 – 4 marshes, 2 streams, a lake and of course the waterfall. Also, if you trek the 9.5 miles you will definitely have to cross actual road a few times. Just be cautious and aware!
Overall great trail, will definitely trek again, probably during the week and not the weekend. It’s quieter, you don’t have to worry about parking, it’s less crowded, and you’re more likely to see wildlife that way!
TL;DR: Pay attention to the trail maps it’s easy to get lost and have to backtrack for a mile. Go on a weekday, less crowded, easier for parking, higher chances of seeing wildlife (deer, hawks, snakes). Easy to miss waterfall which is around the 6.5 mile mark so pay attention to the trail maps.

Love this place and so does our dog! The trails are very well preserved and clean, and the place is totally dog friendly. My fb and I enjoying climbing down and walking along side the creek all the way to the waterfall. Our pup loves swimming and snorkeling in the water to cool down.

I didn’t make it too far on the path yet (still working on my stamina, don’t judge!), but I enjoyed what I did see. It’s a challenge, as it is mildly hilly, and is gravel, but it is so beautiful! Especially with the Fall just starting, and leaves changing. I am looking forward to seeing more of the glen as I get better at running!
Multiple areas with ample parking– the one lot is almost a circle, which made me a little dizzy driving around. They have bathrooms on site, but no doors on the stalls (WHAT???), and full of bugs that fly at you when you open the door. I’d avoid those if you could!

I love the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve. And I really have to, considering I literally work inside of it. Great place to go running after work, and one of these days I’ll get my butt over to the actual waterfall.
Lots of birds, sometimes some deer, an occasional person riding a horse, runners, bicyclists, and all sorts of trees and flowers and wildlife.
Definitely check out the model airplane field on a nice, not-​windy day. I like scoping them out from my vantage point at work, but it’s even cooler when you’re much closer (and actually at the preserve).
And if you think you might want to drive into Argonne to take a look, because, hey, it’s right there, don’t bother unless you have a gate pass. The guards will just make you take a u-​ey back from whence you came.

My favorite forest preserve!
Lots of trails and beautiful waterfalls! And a great bike bath!

This is a great place to take the Family for a hike! The falls area beautiful (albeit small) There is something for everyone here.
No kids? Go for a run or a Bike ride on the Nine mile Hard pack Gravel track!
Parking is limited, so come early or park on the main road and hike (that is what you are there for :-)
Pet friendly too!

All I have to say… backpacking my camera equipment up and down the rugged trails was 100% worth it. My new found love for toy photography using real life scenery was made perfect at the Waterfall Glen. Reenacting my 80’s youth with a couple of characters from the film Predator and Rambo in a jungle like setting was bad @ss!!! Sure people stopped and asked questions as I was staging the toy scenes. Definitely a friendly environment. I can’t wait to go back and explore more.

I was dead-​set on being miserable (euphemism for ‘pre-​menstrual’) for the full duration of my time at Waterfall Glen, but my stone cold, robotic heart warmed and I admittedly cracked the world’s tiniest smile when we came upon the waterfall area, rife with super cute pups frolicking in the shallow stream, scoopin’ up water bugs in their jowls.
Does it get any better than that?
Only if there were air conditioning. That’s what I always say.
Just kidding. I’ve never said that before now. I like the heat. Normally. But not on this day we visited Waterfall Glen. On this day, I hated everything and everyone (though I was starting to warm up to those previously mentioned puppies).
The problem was that I had not planned on going to a forest preserve that day. I’d just suffered through the bug swarm that was the Arboretum the weekend prior, and this was supposed to be my day to tell nature to f*ck off because I was hell bent on going to the mall and getting what turned out to be $ 30 deodorant sold to me by the biggest b*tches you’ve ever seen behind a department store fragrance counter and then maybe picking up a potholder since I don’t have one and it only recently occurred to me that I probably shouldn’t use the same rags I use to take hot sh*t out of the oven to clean up cat hairballs. I mean, I wash them after, of course… but after you pick up one hairball or feline up-​chuck, are they ever really clean again?
So anyway, I bought the stupid deodorant (which took all of 3 minutes), we stopped for a coffee, and then I was checking out this sweet fox potholder/​oven mitt set at the next store when I turned with excitement to show my SO, when he was nowhere to be found. Because he took off and was sitting outside the store looking miserable as all hell. So I did what any reasonable person who was pre-​menstrual, would do: I slammed the potholder set down, stormed out of the store, briefly and mildly accosted my significant other for being so miserable after less than 10 minutes at a quiet, not-​crowded, outdoor shopping center (a place we NEVER go, so it’s not liek I drag him there all the time) when I’d spent hours upon hours getting eaten alive the previous week drudging through dirt, dead animal carcasses, and literally being eaten alive by insects, and then told him we were leaving. Congratulations. You won… we’ll do something you want to do… again. But I’m gonna be a bad sport about it.
He knew he was in trouble. The worst kind. The kind where I don’t say a word and I don’t tell him where we’re going or what’s going to happen. The kind where I take him somewhere mysterious and undisclosed… but also somewhere he’ll really enjoy. Then, when we get there I don’t say anything. I don’t smile. I just stand by and follow along while we do the things that he loves and I hate, but do anyway because I love him… and to make a point about how selfish it was of him to not allow me one hour of doing something that I enjoy and that makes me feel good. Like I said, the worst kind of trouble with the worst kind punishment.
So I take him to Waterfall Glen and I can tell he’s interested in what an afternoon here has to offer, but also fearful of the wretched mood I’m now in. I’ve got him right where I want him, but it’s not going to be easy. I’m dressed for an afternoon of window shopping in the upscale suburb of Oakbrook, not hiking and creek-​wading in a south-​suburban forest preserve on a 95-​degree day and I’m not wearing a lick of insect repellent and I am to bugs what picnic baskets are to Yogi Bear.
I parked in a very unofficial gravel patch where Cass meets Bluff and we entered through these small but semi-​official openings in the fence next to where we parked. We were greeted with dollops of dog doo on the trail, which I didn’t mind because I like dogs and I love doo. We followed several other couples for around 8 – 10 minutes until we go to the waterfall. We would NOT have been able to find it had we not followed those other couples.
The waterfall is man-​made and not very big. It’s longer than it is tall and you can walk across the top of it. It’s lead and leads into a very shallow, rocky stream. If you wore capris or board shorts and water shoes, you’d be perfectly dressed as the water only just skims your shins at it’s deepest and is largely made up of rocks — many jagged and unstable.
While I was determined to quietly pout, I was open to seeing some wildlife. While made up of mostly birds and bugs, I did hear one family yell that they saw a watersnake by the falls, but I was too far away to see so that tidbit remains as hearsay. I did see some little fish and this really bitchin’ millipede… it musta had 100 legs!!! Just kidding, obviously, as a millipede, it had at least infinity legs and I took a picture to prove it.
The point is, even at your crabbiest, it’s hard to have a bad time while biking, hiking, wading, dog walking, etc at Waterfall Glen.

This is a great 9.5 mile looped trail within a forest preserve for all exercisers! The main trail is an 8 foot wide crushed limestone path. There are frequent shaded areas as it passes under the picturesque trees. On this path you will see many joggers, cyclists, dogs, butterflies, horses and an occasional deer if you’re lucky. Also, as you pass by the marshes you will hear the loud frogs croaking away.
Along the trail you will see wooden post trail markers. On top of these posts, they indicate in red which way the main trail goes. On one of these posts, near Cass Avenue and Bluff Road, the orange mark shows you the way to the waterfall. In this picture of the trail marker, the post is showing you the main trail goes straight and the waterfall is to the right.
The best time to see the waterfall is after it rains; otherwise it’s not much of a waterfall at all. The only bad thing is, that’s when those pesky little mosquitoes are the worst! So make sure to put on some insect repellant. Here at the waterfall, you will find the intriguing narrow inner paths that take you under the trees along Sawmill Creek. On this trail you will come across an old limestone fireplace. I love this section of the trail, just be aware of the poison ivy that is all around! Remember… LEAVES IN 3, LET THEM BE! But if it has thorns, it is not poison ivy.
This inner trail will also take you back to the wooden bridge that crosses Sawmill Creek. East of the bridge, keep an eye open for the decrepit old single room building from the 1920’s just off the main trail. There is some old history within this trail!
There are three parking lots along this loop that offer free parking and access to the trail. Each of these three lots has information centers, restrooms, and even supplies a free trail map that you can take along with you. The main trailhead is located off I-​55, exit south on Cass Avenue. In less than one mile the parking lot will be off Northgate Road. If you want to park closest to the waterfall, just continue south on Cass Avenue and there will be another parking lot just as you head east on Bluff Road. The third parking lot is off I-​55, exit south on Lemont Road and it is off 101^st Street.

My running group came out here as a change of scenery from the lakefront. Our mileage for the day was 14 miles, but for me, it was 15 miles. Oh boy… It’s going to be a long day. :) The loop itself is about 9.5 miles and has numerous hills. I’m from California, so these hills are not as steep but after living here for about 3 years, these hills were tough especially if you are used to running at the flat lakefront. I’m running Nike Women SF, so this is a great place to do hill training for this area.
Loved going here and will come back soon for more hill running fun!

I read about Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve– folks said the natural beauty reminded them of Door County. Girlfriend and I drove out on a Sunday the weekend the tiny buds and flowers pushed up. We did a couple miles on an interior loop. There had been a lot of rain and the woods were flooded– the path was actually closed but unmarked on the end we entered. The trees are old and beautiful. I followed animal tracks into the brush and emerged on the edge of a huge meadow. White tail deer grazed on the other side.
Next time we should bring the bikes for the scenic long paved loop. This time we drove to the opposite end of the preserve to see the waterfall. We parked and had to enter the woods over a swollen creek. Stones and a log were the steps over the water. My girlfriend hopped over the stream. I got both feet on the log, lost my balance, and the log rolled. I put aside my natural inclination to struggle and went limp, flopping helplessly into the muddy water. It was the best thing I have done for her in months. We continued through the ridge of old pines to the trail to the waterfall.

What a great place, save for the D.O.E. area in the middle of it…
Me and the pups easily spent all day here hiking the main trail (9.5 miles) and then hitting up the side trails that run along Sawmill Creek and the falls.
I already put this as a tip but, just in case —
If you just want to see the waterfall, keep driving down Cass ’till you hit Bluff Rd. You can park at the Waterfall Glen Outdoor Education Center. It’s only a short hike from there.
The main loop is crushed gravel and is geared towards runners, bikers and walkers. It’s not a difficult trek, elevation changes are easy and most are gentle inclines, there are a few steeper ones but, it’s nothing you can’t handle even if you’ve never hiked a day in your life. There are also benches every so often where you can rest up, have a snack and hydrate.
Picture this:
There are Information Centers and Restrooms at the parking areas/​entrance. The Information Center has a box filled with maps, visitor guides and park information pamphlets. Cool reading material to take with you on the trail. The restrooms were pretty smelly and I came in dead winter… wonder what they’re like in the heat of summer… still, as Ian Malcolm would say «When you gotta go, you gotta go»
Information Center Picture —
Restroom Picture —
At the Northgate Rd. entrance is also a large fire pit with wooden benches that can be used… looks like it’s be a lot of fun if you’ve got a small — medium size group of hikers.
Picture this —
Along the main loop are side trails —
Kettle Hole — 0.9 miles
Tear Thumb — 1.1 miles
Rocky Glen — 0.2 miles
I checked out ‘Tear Thumb’ — It’s a grass trail that’s really easy to walk but, I’m not a fan of it. Mainly because the only thing you see is fence with «No Trespassing… D.O.E.» signs and D.O.E. buildings on your right side.
Picture this:
Once you get to the falls then you can find the REAL side trails — the no-​name ones, the ones where your boots get dirty and you have to duck under hanging vines or climb over fallen tree limbs… THIS is where it’s at for me.
Just south of the falls as you walk along the creek path, there are more fire pits — these are OLD and made of stone. I’m particularly fond of the outdoor fireplace there. Picture this —
.
Pass the two fire pits and veer towards the creek, you’ll find a tiny little trail that runs right along the edge of the creek, it’s beautiful even in winter. There are lots of little spots where you can sit (in the dirt) and just see and hear the water flowing over the rocks… loved it.
OK OK… enough already.
If you’re a nature fan you gotta check this place out.
SYOY