Late Fall Amble at Bode Lake

Late Fall Amble Soaking in Amber Views and Lake Serenity at Bode Lake in Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Fantastic fall weather encouraged us to hike through new preserves this fall. One glorious day, we ventured to Bode Lake for the first time. While not overly busy, the preserve was certainly abuzz with fellow nature lovers enjoying the exceptional weather.

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Hiking Off of the Des Plaines River Trail to Beck Lake

Hiking Off of the Des Plaines River Trail to Beck Lake Enjoying Fantastic Birding Near Mount Prospect, IL

Throughout autumn, we have been exploring as many trails as possible to witness what beauty unfolds during the change of season. Plenty of entry points to the Des Plaines River Trail offer access to stunning forested areas. We hiked a along one section in Lake County earlier this season. On a day where we had to stay a bit closer to home, we opted to ramble along the Camp Pine Woods section near Mount Prospect taking a path that spindled off to Beck Lake. Immediately upon embarking on our trail, we were enveloped by the fall forest.

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Skokie Lagoons: Stunning Water Wonderland in the Chicago Suburbs

Chicago's North Branch Trail Wound Us Through Breathtaking Skokie Lagoons

Skokie Lagoons provides an amazing 894-acre nature preserve featuring hiking, biking, boating, fishing, kayaking, picnicking and more. My husband and I visited Skokie Lagoons for the first time this weekend and just wow -- we should have visited much sooner! A little interesting tidbit -- Skokie Lagoons is not actually in Skokie. The preserve is on the Skokie River in Wilmette. Skokie is a little further from our home than Wilmette and would have taken a bit more planning, so I think my own not understanding the preserve's location kept us from going sooner! I am glad that we finally explored the spectacular views!

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Hiking in Paul Douglas Forest Preserve in Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Last week, we hiked a section of Paul Douglas Forest Preserve in Hoffman Estates, IL. This section of the Forest Preserves of Cook County was new to us and we were pleasantly surprised. The section that we hiked abuts near I-90 yet we found the preserve to be quite peaceful.

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Penny Road Pond in Barrington, Illinois

Looking for a new place to hike, we headed over to Penny Road Pond in Barrington over the weekend. The trails adjacent to the pond area are a bit less defined than in other preserves. In general, the area experiences less traffic which lends to a particularly peaceful experience.

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Early Spring Scenes from Crabtree Nature Center

Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington Hills, IL is alive with the sounds of spring! While we still have a little while before spring "officially" starts, a recent hike through the preserve revealed our native wildlife already making preparations for the season ahead. This time of year is one of my favorites to hike because there are generally fewer hikers and the barrens trees make it much easier to see birds.

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