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.
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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
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
Education
Complement your curriculum and help meet standards by taking your classroom outdoors with a visit to a local preserve or nature center. Learn about the region’s plants, animals, and natural communities by walking nature trails, meeting live ambassador animals, or participating in field science labs.
Educators are encouraged to explore our Guided Learning opportunities for field trips and in-classroom programs. Teachers also have access to Educator Resources, which include lesson plans, resource loan kits and workshops.
The Forest Preserves also provides Programs, including the Nature Express Bus, to give students experiences they will never forget.
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.
Events
Events
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Fall Equinox Forest Bath
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Welcome fall with a guided forest therapy walk with certified forest therapy guide Gayle Byck.
Free • Registration Required -
Wee Wandering Wednesdays
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Read a story, make a craft and go on an adventure. Ages 2 to 6 with an adult. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served […]
Free -
Moon Festival
FeaturedCrabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Celebrate the season under the glow of the full moon with guided forest‑therapy walks, moon‑viewing and sharing of traditional mooncakes during this Asian cultural festival. […]
Free • Registration Required -
Party for the Preserves
FeaturedCrabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Celebrate the places that bring us together with a day of outdoor fun for all ages. Enjoy a bilingual prairie walk, family activities, hands-on seed […]
Free -
Golden Prairie Walks
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Join us for an afternoon stroll.
Free -
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Sunset Photography Meetup
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Join Crabtree Nature Photographers’ Meetup Group for a guided sunset walk and capture nature in the fading light.
Free • Registration Required -
World Animal Day
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Celebrate Filipino American History Month with this year’s theme: See the World Through Their Eyes during this English/Tagalog bilingual program.
Free -
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Hispanic Heritage Month Nature Art Studio
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Create art inspired by renowned Hispanic artists. All ages. Drop in.
Free -
Children’s Yoga
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Discovering yoga through story, song and various yoga poses that will engage the use of imagination and all the senses. Program provided by Karen Fotopoulos, […]
Free -
Wee Wandering Wednesdays
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Read a story, make a craft and go on an adventure. Ages 2 to 6 with an adult. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served […]
Free -
Chair Yoga
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Explore gentle postures, breathwork, meditation and deep relaxation with Karen Fotopoulos, a registered yoga teacher from Discover Yoga with Karen. 18 and up.
Free -
Senior Nature Club
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Discover nature through activities. Ages 55 & up.
Free • Registration Required -
Rust at Dusk
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Explore an old farm trail surrounded by tallgrass prairie and relics of the past. Ages 12 & up.
Free • Registration Required -
Restoration Workday
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Help us restore healthy habitats. Ages 8 & up. Children under 15 w/ adult. High schoolers may earn service hours.
Free • Registration Required -
Little Sprouts Sound Lab
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Explore nature through sensory activities, outdoor listening and sound‑making. Ages 2-6 w/ adult. Siblings welcome.
Free • Registration Required -
Fall Color Walks
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Join us for an afternoon stroll.
Free -
Fall Artisan Series: Felting
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Get crafty on select Wednesday evenings. Ages 18 & up.
Free • Registration Required -
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Sunset Photography Meetup
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Join Crabtree Nature Photographers’ Meetup Group for a guided sunset walk and capture nature in the fading light.
Free • Registration Required -
Animal Enrichment Studio for Teens
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Create enrichment items for our ambassador animals, then see how they are used as an important part of their care.
Free -
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Reptile Awareness Day
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Learn about and experience reptiles from Illinois and abroad.
Free -
Prairie Pages
Crabtree Nature Center • Barrington, IL 60010Join our adult nature book club with the Barrington Area Library!
Free • Registration Required
Volunteer Opportunities
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.
- All-terrain wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you plan to use multiple chairs or need special accommodations for a specific event, we request a minimum of 72 hours’ notice to ensure availability.