BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG
Last week, my friend Dave and I visited 242-acre Heron Creek Forest Preserve (22890 N. Old McHenry Road, Lake Zurich, IL 60047) in Lake County to hike and do a little birdwatching after hiking earlier in the day at the splendid Reed-Turner Woodland down the road. I was hiking again with my 6th grade teacher, but that’s another story. It was a 75-degree day in late June. The sky was blue.The trails were largely empty. And work could wait—at least for a few hours.
Heron Creek Forest Preserve features an outside loop trail (1.6 miles) and various shorter loop trails that allow visitors to explore the interior of the preserve. (Click here for a trail map.) My friend and I hiked all the loops—and repeated some to add some distance to our hike. As a result, we ran into the same cyclists several times (who looked like they were having a great time) and one birder who lamented that it was too late in the day for good birding, but he loved being outside anyways.
The wide gravel trails traverse rolling hills and pass the south branch of Indian Creek and Heron Creek Pond. Lake County Forest Preserves (LCFP) says that “the Indian Creek basin, which flows through Heron Creek, is an Advanced Identification Wetland, the highest wetland classification in Lake County.”
The birder we met was right. We didn’t see too many noteworthy birds, but we did hear the distinctive sounds of many sandhill cranes behind a dense stand of trees to the west. Our bad birding luck notwithstanding, more than 180 bird species have been sighted at the preserve. My friend told me that the preserve is a hotspot for eastern bluebirds. Other species that you might see include northern flickers, indigo buntings, gray catbirds, green herons, and bald eagles. According to LCFP, six state endangered bird species (black terns, black-crowned night herons, yellow-crowned night herons, ospreys, Forster’s terns) and three state threatened bird species (brown creepers, pied-billed grebes, red-shouldered hawks) have been sighted in the area. Check out eBird for a complete list of bird species sighted at the preserve.
My friend and I walked and talked, and cyclists and runners occasionally passed us. And then we walked and talked some more. Summer travel plans. The state of the world. Old shared acquaintances. Sometimes it’s just fun to walk and talk.
No story about Heron Creek should pass without mentioning the preserve’s great playground. I’m going to let the LCFP give you the details on the playground: “An innovative playground provides a colorful series of tunnels, slides, ladders, bridges, decks, and swings for children to climb and explore. The playground has two separate areas, one for ages 2–5, and one for ages 5–12. Much of the playground is ramped for handicapped accessibility. There is also a sand pit, and lookout stations with views into the woods.”
Finally, consider volunteering at Heron Creek or other properties that are managed by the Lake County Forest Preserves. No experience is necessary, and opportunities are available on both weekdays and weekends. Volunteer activities include:
- Spring: Brush clearing, garlic mustard control, planting
- Summer: Garlic mustard control, wildlife monitoring, weed management, planting, seed collecting
- Fall: Brush clearing, seed collection, tree and scrub planting
- Winter: Brush clearing, sowing seed
Click here for more information on volunteering.
Before You Go
Heron Creek opened to the public on October 10, 2008. In terms of European settlement, the area was first settled and farmed by German immigrants in the 1840s. Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, and other Native American nations lived in, hunted on, and traversed this area for tens of thousabds of years before that and some still reside in the area and walk the land.
Open 6:30 a.m.–sunset, daily
There are three parking areas at the preserve.
In the winter, the preserve is a popular spot for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Dogs must be always leashed and kept on trails; click here to learn about LCFP’s Off-Leash Dog Areas (permit required)
Picnic shelters are available for rental. Click here for more information.
Site amenities include drinking water, picnic tables, and washroom facilities.
Historic and charming Long Grove is just a few minutes from the preserve if you’re looking for food and refreshments after your hike.
Copyright (text, except quoted material, © LCFP): © Andrew Morkes
Copyright (photos): © Andrew Morkes, except the following bird photos and playground photo
Bald eagle, © Ron Holmes, U.S. Fish & wildlife Service (USFWS_; Black-crowned night heron (2 photos), © Sandra Uecker, USFWS; Eastern bluebird, © N. Lewis, National Park Service (NPS); Bluebirds, © Jean Owens, USFWS; Forster’s tern, © Sandra Uecker, USFWS; Forster’s tern, © USFWS; Green Heron, © Rick Hansen, USFWS; Indigo bunting (2 photos), © Michael Schramm, USFWS; Osprey, © Jacob W. Frank, NPS; Pied-billed grebe, © Robert H. Burton, USFWS; Pied-billed grebe, © Mike Carlo, USFWS; Red-shouldered hawk, © Peter Pearsall, USFWS; Yellow-crowned night heron, © Lynn Scarlett, USFWS; Yellow-crowned night heron, © Joanna Gilkeson, USFWS; playground photo, © LCFP
Looking for some other great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $19.99.
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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES
I’ve been a writer and editor for more than 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I also served as a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school for five years.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 80 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, College Readiness: The Vault Guide for High School Juniors and Seniors, the Vault Career Guide to Consulting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series), Lerner Publishing, and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades, Hands-On Careers, Social Media Today, Woman in STEM Careers, Getting Started, and Cool Careers in Science series).
Here’s a list of the environmental- and clean energy-focused titles that I’ve written or co-written:
- Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
- Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
- Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Environment (Getting Started series)
- Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)
- Women in Environmental Sciences (Women in STEM Careers)
Articles about my work have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Practical Homeschooling, and other publications. My photographs of musicians, artists, and the natural world have been published in several books. My poetry has been published in Cadence, Wisconsin Review, Poetry Motel, Strong Coffee, and Mid-America Review. As an amateur artist, I’m pleased to say that four of my paintings were included in the 2025 Beverly Art Walk.
