The Palos Forest Preserves are 15,000 acres of forest preserves in the
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
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 areas ...
, located principally in
Palos Township, Illinois.
During the 1930s, the area of the Palos Preserves south of
Archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
was known as the Argonne Forest. This commemorated the battleground of the
Meuse–Argonne offensive
The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along th ...
where over one million Americans fought during World War I.
[
] During World War II, Argonne Forest land leased to the
Army Corps of Engineers became
Site A, a research facility where experimental nuclear reactors built for the
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
helped in the development of the first nuclear weapons.
The Argonne Forest area is known to geologists as Mount Forest Island,
[ an area which, during the Last Glacial Period, formed a triangular island long and wide, rising above the waters of the surrounding ice-age ]Lake Chicago
Lake Chicago was a prehistoric proglacial lake that is the ancestor of what is now known as Lake Michigan, one of North America's five Great Lakes. Fed by retreating glaciers, it drained south through the Chicago Outlet River.
Origin
The cit ...
.
Epoch of glacial retreat:Chicago
/ref>
The Palos Preserves feature the Palos Trail System, the forest district's largest multi-trail system. The system comprises some 40 miles of unpaved trails, connected to each other by many intersections. The longest trail, "Yellow Unpaved" is 9.2 miles long, while "Brown Unpaved" is the shortest, at 1.1 miles. Trails are made for hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
, bicycle riding
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...
, horseback riding
Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...
, and, in the winter, even skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
. There are sixteen entrances to the system which, along with the preserves as a whole, are open from dawn to dusk each day.
The 6,600-acre Mount Forest Island area was, in 2021, designated an Urban Night Sky Place by the International Dark-Sky Association
The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a United States-based non-profit organization incorporated in 1988 by founders David Crawford, a professional astronomer, and Tim Hunter, a physician/amateur astronomer. The mission of the IDA is " ...
. It is the largest such Urban Night Sky Place designation in the world.
Communities adjoining the preserves are Palos Hills
Palos Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago. The city was established in 1958 and had reached a population of 18,530 in the 2020 census. It is the home of Moraine Valley Community College as ...
, Palos Park
Palos Park is a village in southwestern Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,899.
Geography
Palos Park is located at (41.665682, -87.836633).
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Palos Park ...
, Hickory Hills, and Willow Springs.
Visitor features
Camp Bullfrog Lake
This campground has year-round camping. It has campsites for tents, RV's, as well as large and small cabins. One needs to make a reservation in advance. They also offer kayak
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...
rentals for registered campers. It has a camp store and shower facilities.
Camp Kiwanis Equestrian Center
It's a place to rent horses for horseback riding near some of the trails.
Fishing Lakes
There are many lakes to fish at in the trail system. Saganashkee Slough
Saganashkee Slough is a 377-acre, manmade riparian lake that forms part of the valley of the Cal-Sag Channel. It is located in the Palos Forest Preserve of Cook County, Illinois, on wetland that was drained but was later reverted to a lake starti ...
is the largest one. Maple Lake, Bullfrog Lake, Tomahawk Slough, Long John Slough, and Horse Collar Slough, are some of the other larger ones.
Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center
The building was a regular school from 1886 to 1948, and it became a learning center for children and adults starting in 1955. It is now open year-round but closed on Fridays. At this center one can learn things about nature of the surrounding area, and as well as the plants and animals that live there. Many schools have educational field trips at this nature center for free. There are several walking trails that start at the Schoolhouse where kids can go exploring along one of these trails, you can find a 6,000 square foot garden.
Maple Lake
At the Maple Lake Boating Center you can rent canoes
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the term ...
, kayaks, and row boats. They are open from April until October 6 days a week while being closed only on Tuesdays. It also has an overlook area for scenic viewing as well as a mountain bike staging area.
Picnic Groves
There are many wooded areas with picnic tables, both with and without shelters. A permit, and an advance reservations are required to hold parties. The locations, which vary in size, can hold up to several hundred people.
* Buffalo Woods
* Country Lane Woods
* Hidden Pond East
* Pioneer Woods
* Pulaski Woods
* Spears Woods
* Willow Springs Woods
* Wolf Road Woods
Red Gate Woods
Red Gate Woods is the burial place of Chicago Pile-1
Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the world's first artificial nuclear reactor. On 2 December 1942, the first human-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated in CP-1, during an experiment led by Enrico Fermi. The secret development of t ...
, the world's first nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...
. Constructed as part of the Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
, in 1943 the reactor was transferred from the University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
to the Forest Preserve District for further experimental work. Historical markers at Site A indicate where the remains of the reactor are buried. The burial site has a granite marker at its center and is perfectly safe to visit, but there is still some radioactive contamination underground and Tritium still leaches (at very low levels) into the nearby Des Plaines River.
Saganashkee Slough
Saganashkee Slough is a 377-acre man-made lake. At its largest depth it is 6.3 feet deep. It has 3 entrances: East, Central, and a boat launch entrance if you want to bring your own boat. Starting at the East entrance, there is a path used for hiking along the southern part of the lake, and it goes for about 3 miles.
References
{{Reflist
External links
U.S. Geological Survey Map
at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved November 18th, 2022.
Trails
Geography of Cook County, Illinois