We splashed through puddles and nearly lost our shoes to mud while discovering McGinty Slough during a spring hike. This Cook County Forest Preserve near Lemont Illinois weaved us around a lake, through swamplands and forests.
Overall Thoughts on McGinty Slough
Difficulty (Lower is Easier)
Amenities
Transportation & Accessibility:
Crowding:
Views & Wildlife:
Overall Rating:
Difficulty Of the Brown Unpaved Loop
This multi-use path is a 2.9-mile-long loop. The trail is most likely on the easy side when it is dry.
However, we went after a rain storm and found the path to have several obstacles from mud that made us slip and other muddy spots that acted like suction cups, nearly pulling our shoes completely off! We also encountered several deep puddles that covered the entire width of the walking trail. And at one point the lake became the path.
Getting to McGinty Slough
This trail offered parking via the Sag Valley Equestrian Parking lot. Taking the the Red Unpaved, you can access the Brown Unpaved Loop (West). Please note you do have to cross a fairly busy road with only pedestrian signs.
There are no nearby public transportation options.
Beauty & Wildlife
There was a lot of wildlife out and about on our hike. We even had to stop and wait for ducks, who were relaxing in a puddle on the trail to swim out of our way! A fish flopped around in our path, where the walkway met the lake. We also saw a frog or toad jump into a puddle we needed to cross. We also spotted 2 snakes who quickly slither out of our way. To top it off, we could hear the melodies of the bullfrogs throughout our walk.
The Lake was fairly reedy and lined with trees. There were only a few spots where you could look out and enjoy the views of the lake.
This path also took you under massive powerlines. You could hear the buzz of electricity above you!
The trail also butted up against the busy road at times. Where you were walking along a road with no sidewalks (it’s a mowed path), and only the red forest preserve signs indicated a path both notifying you and the drivers of the situation at hand. This also means you could hear road noise during portions of the hike.
Know Before You Go
As we found out, this path is not ideal after storms. It is very marshy and gets muddy and washed out. As always make sure you are well prepared for the weather or path conditions. This might mean keeping a towel or extra socks, shoes, and clothing in the car for mud excursions! We were covered in mud by the end of this walk, and our shoes/feet were soaked.
Between the swampland and lake, bug spray is a must for this area.
Amenities:
This is a horse trail with a parking lot for trailers! You can also go fishing in the lake.
Sounds like a fun adventure after a good rain!