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Spend An Hour, A Day, Or A Night Exploring FPCC’s Northwest Cook County

person fishing on Busse Reservoir just before sunset
Fishing is popular at the 457-acre Busse Reservoir.

From boating and biking to birdwatching and fishing, there are numerous ways to experience the great outdoors in the Forest Preserves of Cook County. With nearly 70,000 acres of wild and wonderful, Cook County residents and visitors can find ways to explore the Forest Preserves for an hour, a day, or even a night. Use the suggestions below for ideas on ways to explore the Forest Preserves in Cook County’s northwest area:

An Hour

  • Visit Crabtree Nature Center, where visitors can explore the exhibit building’s natural history displays. There are also three self-guiding trails.
  • Hike or bike the Deer Grove Trail System. There are varying lengths of paved and unpaved loops, immersing trail users in diverse ecosystems including wetlands, prairies and savannas.

A Day

  • Drop a line at Busse Lake. There are more than 20 miles of shoreline for anglers of all ages to sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery while waiting for the fish to bite. Busse Lake is stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike, brown bullhead, channel catfish and walleye.
  • If being out on the water is more appealing than relaxing on the shorelines, consider renting a boat from the Busse Lake Boating Center.

A Night

  • Plan your next camping excursion at Camp Reinberg. Camp Reinberg is nestled in the Deer Grove forest preserves, and offers campers a variety of accommodations: tent sites; tent/RV sites with electricity; large, year-round cabins with heating and air conditioning; small, three-season cabins; and an organized group tent site that can accommodate up to 25 people.