On this page:

• Locations & Things to Do
• Poplar Creek Trail System
• Fishing at Bode Lake & Barrington Road Pond
• Nature Notes
• Volunteer Opportunities

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Locations & Things to Do

Arthur L. Janura Preserve includes multiple locations:

• Carl R. Hansen Woods
• Bode Lake
• Bode East
• Barrington Road Pond
• Great Egret Family Picnic Area
• Poplar Creek Bicycle Lot
• Poplar Creek Equestrian Parking
• Poplar Creek Land and Water Reserve
• Poplar Creek Model Airplane Flying Field
• Shoe Factory Road Prairie Nature Preserve

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Poplar Creek Trail System

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Trail Access

Access the Poplar Creek Trail System at any of these locations. Check out the trail maps listed above to find on-street or bikeway access points.

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Recommended Hikes

Red Paved Loop

This trail offers access to birdwatching, fishing, and picnicking at Carl R. Hansen Woods.

• Length: 8.9 miles
• Surface: Paved
• Terrain: Flat

For those looking for a lengthier hike, try the Red Paved Loop. Trail access is available at Carl R. Hansen Woods, Bode Lake, Bode East, Barrington Road Pond, Poplar Creek Bicycle Lot and Great Egret Family Picnic Area. The open space found within this 8.9-mile loop provides habitat for shrubland and edge bird species including gray catbirds, brown thrashers and indigo buntings. Bring a pair of binoculars and enjoy peaceful birdwatching while hiking. Various mammals, such as coyotes and deer, also inhabit the open space.

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Brown Unpaved Loop

Partly a mowed grass trail, this route provides views of Shoe Factory Road Nature Preserve.

• Length: 2.7 miles
• Surface: Unpaved
• Terrain: Rolling

For visitors looking to explore beautifully restored habitat, the 2.7-mile unpaved Brown Trail meanders around Shoe Factory Road Nature Preserve and through Carl R. Hansen Woods. These lands have benefitted from decades of ongoing restoration work.

Shoe Factory Road Nature Preserve, a rare, 9-acre remnant gravel hill prairie, is located in the northwest corner of the preserve. Plants that grow on the hill have specially adapted to dry conditions, such as silky aster, rough blazingstar, and porcupine grass. Carl R. Hansen Woods, a restored “prairie grove,” boasts beautiful oaks and bountiful spring wildflowers.

While exploring the Brown Unpaved Loop, visitors can take a break at the small waterbody to watch for waterfowl such as great blue herons and great egrets, as well as painted turtles and darting leopard frogs. Access the trail at the Carl R. Hansen Woods entrance.

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Yellow Unpaved Loop

The gravel trail through the Schaumburg Road Grassland is a favorite for horse riders.

• Length: 3.7 miles
• Surface: Unpaved
• Terrain: Rolling

On the southwestern portion of Arthur L. Janura Preserve is Schaumburg Road Grassland. The 3.7-mile Yellow Unpaved Loop that winds through it can be accessed at the Poplar Creek Equestrian Parking entrance. As the entrance name suggests, the site is popular among horse riders and provides equestrian parking. Hikers and riders on this gravel trail will notice restored prairie and woodland, as well as unrestored farm fields and woodlots, which provides a good opportunity to enjoy a changing landscape.

Restoration work at Schaumburg Road Grassland began in 2009. The prairie and old-field areas provide habitat for many grassland birds like bobolinks, eastern meadowlarks and Henslow’s sparrows, as well as numerous native prairie plants such as big bluestem, Indian grass, blue-eyed grass and wood betony.

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Fishing

Bode Lake

Bode Lake North is a six-acre lake with a maximum debt of 13.4 feet at the north end; the larger and deeper Bode Lake South is 10 acres with a depth of 20.7 feet. Ice fishing is permitted on the south lake; however, due to inflow from Poplar Creek no ice fishing is permitted on the north lake.

• Fishing Map (PDF)
• Population Survey: North (PDF) | South (PDF)

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Barrington Road Pond

This small, two-acre pond has a maximum depth of 7.2 feet.

• Fishing Map (PDF)
• Population Survey (PDF)

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Nature Notes

Amid the hustle and bustle of popular Arthur L. Janura Forest Preserve, beautiful restored prairies, wetlands and 300-year-old oak trees remind visitors that this is no manicured city park. This preserve provides thousands of acres of habitat for plants and animals, including the nine-acre, state-dedicated Shoe Factory Road Prairie Nature Preserve, a rare gravel hill prairie in the northwest corner of the preserve along Shoe Factory Road. Here, graceful yet hardy plants adapted to dry conditions look out over the vast expanse of the preserve.

Arthur L. Janura Preserve is rich with remnant woodlands and prairie. Since 1989, the Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards have transformed agricultural fields and farm homesteads into healthy native ecosystems, ranging from tallgrass prairies to wetlands. Their efforts have seen native plants, birds and animals thrive in these healthy and diverse settings. More than 300 acres are under management.

Visitors can find prairie plants here such as prairie blazing star, blue-eyed grass, coneflowers and wild false indigo. Grassland birds such as bobolinks and savanna sparrows breed in the large, uninterrupted spaces. Woodcocks display in spring. Harriers sail over the open fields. The woodlands harbor plants such as red trillium, wild hyacinth and shooting star, along with giant oak and hickory trees.

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Volunteer Opportunities

Poplar Creek – Carl R. Hansen Woods

The Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards have transformed agricultural fields and farm homesteads into healthy native ecosystems, ranging from tallgrass prairies to wetlands. Their efforts have seen native plants, birds and animals thrive. Outdoor workdays are held every weekend all year. Volunteers receive training and tools for all activities and are supervised by knowledgeable personnel. 

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Poplar Creek – Schaumburg Road Grasslands

The Schaumburg Road Grasslands area features old farm fields surrounded by groves of oak woodlands and is home to numerous grassland birds, including Henslow’s sparrows, grasshopper sparrows, and eastern meadowlarks. It is being restored to native vegetation, but all management decisions are made with the birds as the number one priority. No experience is necessary: just an interest in working with others to protect and restore our natural areas.