The North Creek Woods or North Creek Meadow is located within the
Cook County Forest Preserves
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural area ...
in
Lansing, Illinois
Lansing is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Lansing is a south suburb of Chicago. The population was 29,076 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Lansing is located at (41.565785, -87.545791). It is south of the Chicago city limits a ...
. The woods are connected to the other forest preserves of the Thorn Creek Trailsystem. They are named after North Creek, a tributary of
Thorn Creek
Thorn Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 19, 2011 tributary of the Little Calumet River that travels through Will County, Illinois, Will and Cook County, Illin ...
that runs through the woods. They contain many miles of paved bike trails and off-trail dirt hiking paths.
They are a popular place for runners, cyclists, and walkers during the warm and cold times of the year. North Creek Woods contains both dense
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
and
prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...
. The bicycle trails go through both. There is also a pavilion located at the main parking lot on Glenwood-Lansing Road. The woods are mostly flat.
See also
*
Cook County Forest Preserves
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural area ...
*
Ned Brown Forest Preserve
The Ned Brown Forest Preserve, popularly known as Busse Woods, adjoining Elk Grove Village and Schaumburg in Illinois, is a unit of the Cook County Forest Preserve system. It is named after Edward "Ned" Eagle Brown. A section of the northeast ...
*
Sauk Trail Woods
Sauk Trail Woods are located within the Cook County Forest Preserves in Park Forest, Illinois, Park Forest and Chicago Heights, Illinois. They are part of the Thorn Creek Trail System. They contain miles of paved bike trails and off-trail dirt pat ...
External links
Forest Preserve District of Cook County website
Protected areas of Cook County, Illinois
Nature reserves in Illinois
Forests of Illinois
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