Accessible and Stroller Friendly Sites

The District's envisions itself as a place where people of all ages, cultures and abilities are engaged and empowered to learn about and contribute to conservation in diverse and impactful ways. 

By offering accessible trails, picnic shelters, restrooms, fishing piers, and more, the Conservation District meets and in many cases exceed the minimum Accessibility Standards under the American with Disabilities Act. The District has constructed or renovated almost all of its sites and facilities since the ADA became law, and continues to assess and improve site features to conform to ADA standards. 

While most District sites have accessible routes from parking lots to restrooms and picnic shelters, a few go beyond this and feature longer paved or surfaced trails that are accessible for those using mobility aids or strollers. These sites are listed below.

For more information about accessible amenities visit our Accessibility page.


Brookdale 
Brookdale's Paulsen Road Access (in Woodstock) offers a picnic shelter, restrooms, and water pump that overlooks an 11-acre pond. A short tree-lined trail (150 yards) winds around the lake to a fishing bridge. This site is perfect for a picnic and a short stroll outdoors. Ducks, geese, turtles and herons can often be seen along the shorelines.


Elizabeth Lake
Elizabeth Lake (in Richmond) offers a 175ft asphalt path that leads to the observation deck.

Fel-Pro RRR
Fell-Pro RRR's East Entrance (in Cary) offers a paved 1.2 mile looped hard surface path that includes a picnic pavilion and restrooms. However, since this was the original path, the grade is over the minimum slope in some areas. Fel-Pro RRR's West Entrance offers a .32 mile hard surface trail with picnic shelter, picnic area, and restroom access. 


Fox Bluff
Fox Bluff in Cary offers a short .25 mile, tree-lined trail where a picnic table awaits you at the end to enjoy a quiet lunch along the banks of the Fox River.


Hebron Trail
The Hebron Trail (which offers three sections totaling 6 miles in length) connects to the Prairie Trail through North Branch Conservation Area near Richmond on the east, and on the west travels from Lange Road through Hebron to Church Street. The trail travels along oak savanna, sedge meadow, over Nippersink Creek, through rural farmland, open meadows and past the wetland complex of Goose Lake Conservation Area. 


The Hollows
The Hollows (in Cary) offers a 700ft paved path that leads to an accessible fishing pier extending out for an overlook of the 22-acre Lake Atwood.


HUM Trail
The Huntley-Union-Marengo trail runs from East Street in Marengo to Vine Street in Union. This 3.2 mile paved, multi-use trail provides a recreational amenity for local bikers, strollers, runners and dog walkers alike.


Nippersink Canoe Base
Nippersink Canoe Base (Spring Grove) features a 550ft paved path through savanna woodlands that leads to Nippersink Creek shoreline. 


North Branch
North Branch Conservation Area (inRichmond) features a 1.5 mile crushed stone trail that winds through prairie and savanna and over Nippersink Creek and connects the Prairie Trail on the East to the Hebron Trail on the West. 


The Prairie Trail
The Prairie Trail is paved for 17 miles from Ringwood south through Algonquin. Park at the Hillside Road Access lot in Crystal Lake just west of Terra Cotta Road and travel north to enjoy views of the prairie on either side; or park in Peterson Park, south of McCullom Lake Road in McHenry and travel north or south.



Ridgefield Trace
Ridgefield Trace offers 7.5 miles of paved surface from Lake Ave. in Woodstock to Walkup Ave. in Crystal Lake.  The trail extends primarily along Route 14, originally an Indian trail (also known as a trace) and Ridgefield was one of the first towns in the area.


Stone Mill Trail
The Stone Mill Trail is a 1.5 mile paved multi-use trail that takes users from Maxon Road in Chemung, along Ramer Road to Lawrence Road near Milky Way Park in Harvard. Stone Mill Trail connects two rural towns, providing a safe means of travel and additional recreational amenity for local residents to walk, bike or rollerblade.


Lake in the Hills Fen
Lake in the Hills Fen in Lake in the Hills offers a picnic shelter, restrooms and scenic vistas. Paved surfaces extend from the parking lot approximately 300 yards in three directions allowing for different vantage points overlooking prairie, sedge meadows and wetlands.