Discover the natural history and local wildlife displays in the Crabtree Nature Center exhibit building or explore Crabtree’s rolling, glacier-formed landscape on three self-guided trails.
On this page:
- Location, Hours & Things to Do
- Walking Trails
- Upcoming Events
- Field Trips & Hybrid Learning
- Nature Notes
- Rules
- Volunteer Opportunities
Location, Hours & Things to Do
Crabtree Nature Center
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Nature Center
- Nature Play
- Accessible Indoor Bathroom
- Hiking & Walking
- No Fishing
- Birding Hotspot
- No Dogs
- Service dogs are allowed at most public locations. View accessibility policies.
Hours
Mar - Oct: 9am - 5pm, closed FridaysNov - Feb: 9am - 4pm, closed FridaysClosed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's DayClosures & Alerts
Walking Trails
Crabtree Nature Center offers three unpaved walking trails that wind through woodlands, wetlands and prairies.
Surface
UnpavedEstimated Total Length
3.4 milesThings to Do
- Service dogs are allowed at most public locations. View accessibility policies.
Hours
Mar - Oct: 8 am - 5 pmNov - Feb: 8 am - 4 pmClosed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's DayClosures & Alerts
Upcoming Events
Teen Exploration Day: Teen Hiking Meet-up
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Spend time with other teenagers in the community, experiencing nature by learning about local plants and animals, and socializing on […]
Color Walk
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Nature is more than just green, join us on a 1.4-mile guided walk.
Wee Wandering Wednesdays
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010A special program for little naturalists. Read a story, make a craft, and go on an adventure. Ages 3 to […]
Crabtree Gyotaku
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Join us for a brief presentation and create your own masterpiece using the traditional Japanese art form of printing fish. […]
Bats of the Night
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Learn about these mysterious nocturnal creatures.
Cicadas!
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Discover the secretive underground lives of our noisiest insects.
Nature Play-Date
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Join other families in our nature play area for fun and socializing.
Disability Pride Month: Sensory Walk
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Gain a new perspective of the world by using different senses.
Maker Space for Nature Play!
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010All ages are welcome to create, paint and sculpt.
Scat-venger Hunt
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Drop in to get the scoop on poop as you hunt for scat.
Scat-venger Hunt
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Drop in to get the scoop on poop as you hunt for scat.
Wee Wandering Wednesdays
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010A special program for little naturalists. Read a story, make a craft, and go on an adventure. Ages 3 to […]
Field Trips & Hybrid Learning
Our hybrid learning and field trip offerings allow teachers, parents and youth leaders to use forest preserves and nature centers as an outdoor (or virtual) classroom. Our hybrid learning programs serve kindergarten through 12th grade students and meet Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), while our field trips serve everyone from pre-K to adult learners.
Contact one of our nature centers or experience.nature@cookcountyil.gov for more information or to discuss programs tailored to your learning objectives.
Nature Notes
Crabtree Nature Center is home to more than a thousand acres of rolling, glacier-formed landscape in northwest Cook County, and features a variety of habitat including woodland, wetland and prairie. These habitats provide a rest stop along the migratory bird highway, where over time many species of birds have been recorded as breeders or migrants.
Everyone from the avid birder to the nature novice is invited to stroll along the trails to view the local flora and fauna or stop at the blind at Crabtree Lake to view the hosts of waterfowl that visit in spring and fall.
Each season brings a different experience for visitors at Crabtree Nature Center. In spring, wildflowers carpet the woodlands. The summer brings blossoms in the meadows and prairies. Fall brings autumnal tones to the forest canopy and the native grasses. Winter brings solitude, broken by the calls of various birds visiting the grounds.
Before 1830, this land was clothed in forest, prairie and marsh, but settlers brought rapid change to the landscape. Farming and homesteading practices led to prairies being plowed, marshes drained or dredged, and timber cut for building material.
Since its purchase in the mid-1960s by the Forest Preserves, Crabtree has been slowly returning to its natural state through restoration by Forest Preserves staff and volunteer efforts.
Nature Center Rules
- Pets are not permitted on Nature Center grounds, including the parking lots.
- Nature Centers are unable to accept injured, orphaned or abandoned wildlife.
- For your safety and for the protection of natural areas, please stay on marked trails. Trails are for hiking only.
- Bicycles are only allowed in Nature Center parking lots, or at provided bike racks.
- For the benefit of other visitors and wildlife, please maintain respectful noise levels at all times.
- Picnicking is not permitted on Nature Center grounds. An adjacent picnic grove can be opened for pre-registered groups on weekdays.
- Food or drink is not permitted in Nature Center buildings.
- With the exception of water or sports bottles, food and drink are not permitted on Nature Center trails. Please dispose of litter in proper receptacles.
- Collecting of any kind is prohibited, as is the use of metal detectors. The fine for picking wildflowers is $500.
- For the protection of animals and visitors alike, please do not feed the wildlife.
- Be mindful of closing times for trails, the Nature Center building and parking lot.
- Please report safety hazards or suspicious activities to the Nature Center staff.
- Cross-country skiing is not permitted on Nature Center trails.