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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
- Picnic Grove
- Picnic Grove
(with shelter) - Fishing
- No Alcohol (without permit)
Picnic Groves
3, 4 (view picnic grove PDF map of Sauk Trail Woods-North)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
- Picnic Grove
- Picnic Grove
(with shelter) - No Alcohol (without permit)
- Portable bathroom open May 1 to October 31 depending on weather conditions.
Picnic Groves
1, 2 (view picnic grove PDF map of Sauk Trail Woods-East)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
- Picnic Grove
(with shelter) - Fishing
- No Alcohol (without permit)
Picnic Groves
5 (view picnic grove PDF map of Sauk Trail Woods-Central)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
- Picnic Grove
- Fishing
- No Alcohol (without permit)
- Portable bathroom open May 1 to October 31 depending on weather conditions.
Picnic Groves
6 (view picnic grove PDF map of Sauk Trail Woods-South)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
- Picnic Grove
- Picnic Grove
(with shelter) - No Alcohol (without permit)
Picnic Groves
1 (view picnic grove PDF map of Schubert’s Woods)Hours
Year-round: Sunrise to SunsetClosures & Alerts
King’s Grove
Entrance
Things to Do & Amenities
- Portable bathroom open May 1 to October 31 depending on weather conditions.
Picnic Groves
1 (view picnic grove PDF map of King’s Grove)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
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.