Country Side’s Arie Crown Forest and Sundown Meadow offers a Forest Preserve with trails, fishing and a picnic area. Right off of the highway, this Cook County Forest Preserve is easy to get to by car. The area gives a slice of Illinois nature while being close to highway access and several suburb areas.
Overall Thoughts on Arie Crown Forest and Sundown Meadows:
Difficulty (Lower is Easier)
Amenities
Transportation & Accessibility:
Crowding:
Views & Wildlife:
Overall Rating:
Difficulty
Arie Crown Forest offers a 1.5-mile loop. The yellow trail was mostly flat, winding around the highway, neighborhoods and with a small connector path took you to Lake Ida in Sundown Meadow. Sundown Meadow offers a spot for a picnic and fishing. It can also be accessed via a closer parking lot as well.
Getting to Arie Crown Forest and Sundown Meadow
This Cook County Forest Preserve is located right off Highway 45 and near the interchange of 55.
There was lots of parking between the Sundown Meadow entrance and Arie Crown. And, when available there are parking spots close to the trailheads, however when we went in the Winter only the two major parking lots were open. This did mean we had a bit of a walk before the start of the trail.
If you are looking to go fishing, you will want to park at Sundown Meadow.
This is not a public transportation-friendly place. It does not hook up to any train or bus.
Beauty & Wildlife
This trail does wind up close enough to the highway that it is visible at least in the winter. This means for a good portion you do get loud road noise. However, the trail does sneak away from the road at some portions where you can feel more of a part of nature. Yet, other parts of the trails butt up to backyards. When we went there was also a bit of airplane traffic as well adding additional noise.
The highlight for me was this area of dead wood providing storybook eerie vibes.
As for Sundown Meadow, it fulfilled its name. It is a meadow with a lake. Picnic benches are also available in the meadow. Although it was a nice little spot, you could see box store signs, again reminding you how close you are to a major road.
Yet, like us, we did see geese and ducks enjoying the weather and Lake Ida. When we wandered through the meadow we saw a snake thinking about slithering out of its home.
If you are looking for a fishing spot, you can give Ida Lake a go.
Know Before you go
Once again, there are two parking lots. If you are planning on fishing park at the Sundown Meadow Parking Lot. For hiking you can access the trails via either parking lots and when it’s open, there are spots even closer to the paths and Lake. In the winter, however, the trailheads and lake are a bit of a walk as part of the park is closed to vehicles.
Bring bug spray. Between the lake and the woods, it will come in handy!
