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Locations & Things to Do
Sauk Trail Woods includes multiple locations:
- Sauk Trail Woods-North
- Sauk Trail Woods-East
- Sauk Trail Woods-Central
- Sauk Trail Woods-South
- Schubert’s Woods
- King’s Grove
Sauk Trail Woods-North
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Portable Bathroom
- Trail Access
- Hiking & Walking
- Bicycling
- Dogs
(on-leash only) - Cross-Country Skiing
- Fishing
- No Alcohol (without permit)
Picnic Groves
- Grove #3
(with shelter)- Capacity: 150 people
- Grove #4
- Capacity: 100 people
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
Sauk Trail Woods-East
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Portable Bathroom
- Trail Access
- Hiking & Walking
- Bicycling
- Dogs
(on-leash only) - Cross-Country Skiing
- No Alcohol (without permit)
- Portable bathroom open May 1 to October 31 depending on weather conditions.
Picnic Groves
- Grove #1
(with shelter)- Capacity: 100 people
- Grove #2
- Capacity: 100 people
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
Sauk Trail Woods-Central
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Portable Bathroom
- Trail Access
- Hiking & Walking
- Bicycling
- Dogs
(on-leash only) - Cross-Country Skiing
- Fishing
- No Alcohol (without permit)
Picnic Groves
- Grove #5
(with shelter)- Capacity: 200 people
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
Sauk Trail Woods-South
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Portable Bathroom
- Trail Access
- Hiking & Walking
- Bicycling
- Dogs
(on-leash only) - Cross-Country Skiing
- Fishing
- No Alcohol (without permit)
- Portable bathroom open May 1 to October 31 depending on weather conditions.
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
Schubert’s Woods
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Portable Bathroom
- Trail Access
- Hiking & Walking
- Bicycling
- Dogs
(on-leash only) - Cross-Country Skiing
- No Alcohol (without permit)
Picnic Groves
- Grove #1
(with shelter)- Capacity: 150 people
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
King’s Grove
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Parking
- Portable Bathroom
- Portable bathroom open May 1 to October 31 depending on weather conditions.
Picnic Groves
- Grove #1
(with shelter)- Capacity: 300 people
Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
Trails
Thorn Creek Trail System
The Thorn Creek Trail System's nearly 20 miles of paved and unpaved trails connect multiple forest preserves, winding past lakes, wetlands and woodlands.
Location: Calumet City, Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Lansing, Lynwood, Park Forest & South Holland
Surface
Paved & UnpavedEstimated Total Length
29.9 milesHours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
Fishing at Sauk Lake
Sauk Lake is a 29-acre lake with a maximum depth of just over four feet. It was created as an impoundment of Thorn Creek in 1923 when a dam was installed at 26th Street. Due to heavy erosion and sedimentation from Thorn Creek, the game fish population is quite sparse, made up mostly common carp and bullhead. Smaller numbers of largemouth bass, bluegill and green sunfish are also present.
Fishing Access
Nature Notes
Sauk Trail Lake was formed when Thorn Creek was dammed and water filled the steep walls of the creek banks.
As Thorn Creek flows into the Little Calumet River, it is a popular stopping point for migratory birds in late fall and early spring. Visitors have seen wood ducks, osprey, white-eyed vireos, yellowthroats and towhees. Hikers can see gray-headed coneflower, Rudbeckia and fragrant plants like mountain mint along the trail. A marsh in the northwest corner of the preserve is home to aquatic plants and grasses.