The West Trail Loop in Burnidge Forest Preserve is a 1.47-mile unpaved nature trail that meanders through both woodlands and prairie. Offering gorgeous views of seasonal colors at the low cost of a few small hills. To get to this trail from the parking lot, you need to take the Centrail Trail Loop.
Overall Thoughts on Burnidge Forest Preserve West Trail Loop:
Difficulty (Lower is Easier)
Amenities
Transportation & Accessibility:
Crowding:
Views & Wildlife:
Overall Rating:
Difficulty of West Trail Loop in Burnidge Forest Preserve
The West Trail Loop is an unpaved mode grass trail that branches off of the paved Centrail Trail Loop in the Burnidge Forest Preserve. One thing to note is that there are some small elevation changes on this 1.47-mile West Trail Loop.
Options are plenty for cutbacks and add-on pathways. However, the signage in the park is poor. Most markers are at this point just wooden sticks that no longer have any directions, arrows, or colors. While this wasn’t a challenge on the paved Centrail Loop Trail, when it comes to branching grass trails with no signage we found ourselves breaking out the map.
This trail did not offer park benches, however, the central trail loop on the way out to the parking lot did.
Transportation to Burnidge County Forest Preserve
Located in Elgin, Burnidge County Forest is about an hour’s drive from Chicago. Unfortunately, this is a drive-only destination as there is no viable route via public transportation and the surrounding road network lacks bike lanes or sidewalks.
Although there are a few parking lots within the park, The Centrail Trail Loop is located right off of the parking lot on Burn Ridge Road.
In order to get to the West Trail Loop, you will need to take The Centrail Trail Loop.
Beauty & Wildlife
This trail takes you through both wooded areas and open prairie spaces.
When we went in the fall the golden yellow colors of the prairie and the yellows, reds, and oranges of the forest made the perfect autumn palette!
This unpaved route winded us through nature, taking us out/far from the hecticness of the city/suburbs.
However, this trail and connecting paths did have some groups of hikers. With some trees already bare, parts of the trail or other paths were visible and noise seemed to echo.
During this trip on the West Loop Trail, we only saw birds. However, as it was late in the season we figured most of the animals were somewhere safe keeping warm.
Know before you go to Burnidge County Forest Preserve:
Make sure your phone is charged. The signage in the park is not ideal, so we relied heavily on a map, which we had on our phone. I would suggest taking a photo of the map at the trailhead, so you always have something to go off of.
Although you should always do a tick check, I highly recommend it here as the path is unpaved and routes you through several areas where you will brush up against trees or long grasses.
This is a location where you would want to bring and wear an ample amount of bug spray! We were lucky to explore in late fall when mosquitos were not a big concern.
Burnidge Forest Preserve offers more activities beyond hiking. This park offers fishing and some trails also allow horses!
If you’re looking to extend your stay overnight, Burnidge Forest Preserve offers camping at Paul Wolff Campsite. Campsites start at $12 a night for Kane County residents and $18 for non-residents. Reservations are not accepted and the site is first come first serve.
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I love being off the beaten path, those that are not paved 😉 Good advice about the ticks!!