From walking and cycling to viewing beautifully restored habitats, Harms Woods has it all. This popular forest preserve is bisected by the North Branch of the Chicago River. To the east of the river, visitors can take advantage of the North Branch Trail; to the west of the river, visitors can walk along unpaved trails and enjoy spring wildflowers, butterflies and birds thriving thanks to years of dedicated restoration efforts.
On this page:
Locations & Things to Do
Harms Woods includes multiple locations:
- Harms Woods-North
- Harms Woods-Central
- Harms Woods-South
- Glenview Woods
- Calvin R. Sutker Grove
- Harms Woods Nature Preserve
- Harms Flatwoods Nature Preserve
Harms Woods-North
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Accessible Indoor Bathroom
- Accessible Portable Bathroom
- Trail Access
- Hiking & Walking
- Bicycling
- Dogs
(on-leash only) - Cross-Country Skiing
- Birding Hotspot
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Indoor bathroom open April 1 to October 31 depending on weather conditions.
- Portable bathroom open November 1 to April 30 depending on weather conditions.
Picnic Groves
- Accessible Grove #5
(with shelter)- Accessible May 1 to October 31.
- Distance to parking: 375 ft
- Distance to accessible indoor bathroom: 340 ft
- Capacity: 300 people
- Grove #6
- Capacity: 100 people
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
- ALERT 11/07/2024 - 05/05/2025: North Branch Red Paved Trail will experience temporary closures between Glenview Woods and Harms Woods-North (or approximately Glenview Rd to Old Orchard Rd) for infrastructure repairs. Trail users should use the yellow unpaved trail (just west of the Red Paved Trail) as a detour, which they can connect to at Glenview Road or at Harms Woods-North. North Branch Trail System - Red Paved near Glenview Woods and Harms Woods-North.
Harms Woods-Central
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Portable Bathroom
- Trail Access
- Hiking & Walking
- Bicycling
- Dogs
(on-leash only) - Cross-Country Skiing
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Portable bathroom open May 1 to October 31 depending on weather conditions.
Picnic Groves
- Grove #3
(with shelter)- Capacity: 300 people
- Grove #4
- Capacity: 200 people
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
- NO ISSUES 3/16/2025: Open during normal hours.
Harms Woods-South
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Portable Bathroom
- Trail Access
- Hiking & Walking
- Bicycling
- Dogs
(on-leash only) - Cross-Country Skiing
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Portable bathroom open May 1 to October 31 depending on weather conditions.
Picnic Groves
- Grove #1
(with shelter)- Capacity: 300 people
- Grove #2
- Capacity: 100 people
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
- NO ISSUES 3/16/2025: Open during normal hours.
Glenview Woods
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Portable Bathroom
- Trail Access
- Hiking & Walking
- Bicycling
- Dogs
(on-leash only) - Cross-Country Skiing
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
- ALERT 11/07/2024 - 05/05/2025: North Branch Red Paved Trail will experience temporary closures between Glenview Woods and Harms Woods-North (or approximately Glenview Rd to Old Orchard Rd) for infrastructure repairs. Trail users should use the yellow unpaved trail (just west of the Red Paved Trail) as a detour, which they can connect to at Glenview Road or at Harms Woods-North. North Branch Trail System - Red Paved near Glenview Woods and Harms Woods-North.
Calvin R. Sutker Grove
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
- NO ISSUES 3/16/2025: Open during normal hours.
Harms Woods Nature Preserve
Location
Things to Do & Amenities
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
- NO ISSUES 3/16/2025: Open during normal hours.
Harms Flatwoods Nature Preserve
Location
Things to Do & Amenities
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
- NO ISSUES 3/16/2025: Open during normal hours.
Trails
North Branch Trail System
The North Branch Trail System offers paved and unpaved trails along approximately 20 miles of the North Branch of the Chicago River, making it a premier biking route in the northern suburbs.
Location: Chicago, Glenview, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Skokie & Winnetka
Surface
Paved & UnpavedEstimated Total Length
36.7 milesHours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
- ALERT 11/07/2024 - 05/05/2025: North Branch Red Paved Trail will experience temporary closures between Glenview Woods and Harms Woods-North (or approximately Glenview Rd to Old Orchard Rd) for infrastructure repairs. Trail users should use the yellow unpaved trail (just west of the Red Paved Trail) as a detour, which they can connect to at Glenview Road or at Harms Woods-North. North Branch Trail System - Red Paved near Glenview Woods and Harms Woods-North.
- ALERT 02/27/2025 - 03/17/2025: Yellow Unpaved Trail will experience a temporary closure for pavement repairs at the bridge over the Skokie River, to the east of Erickson woods. North Branch Trail System - Yellow Unpaved near Erickson Woods.

Nature Notes
Visitors to Harms Woods, particularly west of the river, will be treated to an incredibly varied spring woodland wildflower display, including wild geranium, trout lilies, blue cohosh and white trillium. Because habitat restoration efforts have removed much of the invasive brush at Harms, abundant wildflowers feed butterflies and birds from spring through fall. Chorus frogs call from small ponds. Visitors have seen great crested flycatchers, chestnut-sided warblers, and Cooper’s hawks. Wait by the river a while and you may spot a mink as it splashes in the water.
East of Harms Road, Harms Flatwoods is a unique, often very wet woodland. Because it can be somewhat more buggy than many preserves, it tends to attract more dedicated naturalists than casual hikers. From the northwest corner (at Harms and Old Orchard), visitors can walk a gravel loop trail to see uncommon ferns and other flatwoods specialties. This area has also benefitted from significant habitat restoration.
Learn more about nature at Harms Woods:
- Forest Preserves of Cook County Dedicates Milestone 25th Illinois Nature Preserve (October 2019)
- Harms Flatwoods Named Illinois Nature Preserve (February 2017)
Volunteer Opportunities
Harms Woods
Join North Branch Restoration Project volunteers as they remove invasive European buckthorn, brush and weeds from this fine oak woodland situated along the North Branch of the Chicago River. Harms Woods is notable for its rich native flora. The plant list includes over 350 native species, over 40 percent of which are conservative species found almost exclusively in healthy, intact ecosystems.
Harms Flatwoods
Harms Flatwoods is dominated by huge bur and swamp white oaks, with an understory of black ash, winterberry, hazelnut and other native trees and shrubs. Flatwoods communities are very wet in the spring and fall rainy seasons because a clay pan underlying the top layers of soil tends to hold water. Join North Branch Restoration Project volunteers in removing invasive species, allowing the rich understory of this unique ecosystem to thrive.