Less than 30 minutes from Chicago, Palos Park Woods, a Cook County Forest Preserve, offers a forest adventure! For a 3-mile loop, we hiked a portion of the Sag Valley yellow trail and the purple connector trail. Both trails are rated intermediate.
Overall Thoughts:
Difficulty (Lower is Easier)
Amenities
Transportation & Accessibility:
Crowding:
Views & Wildlife:
Overall Rating:
Difficulty of Palos Park Woods
This trail is rated an intermediate path by Cook County and after hiking it, I definitely agree. While most of the trail was level there were a few fairly steep hills. As a more novice hiker, I slipped a smidgeon on these hills going down.
When it came to places to stop, there were no benches, so we just took water breaks on the side of the path. I would highly suggest you have water, and quite a bit of it at that, for this hike! Between the two of us, we shared one water bottle and by the end, we wished we each had our own supply.
Transportation
Via Car
Palos Park Woods-North is only a 25-minute or so drive from Chicago. There are several parking lots surrounding the Yellow Trail, which at its fullest is about 8 miles! We parked at the 1st entrance off of Kean Ave. from Calumet Sag. Rd. We started our journey by going to the left quickly crossing over Kean Ave. and taking the purple connection early. Thus creating a smaller 3-mile loop.
Via Public Transportation from Chicago to Palos Park Woods
There are several ways to get to this park from Chicago via public transportation. Check Google Maps and Ventra to find the best option for when you are going! Most trips will require at least one transfer and some walking. Taking public transportation the trip is estimated to be about an hour and a half one way.
I have listed one route below detailing how to get from Chicago to Palos Hills Woods-North.
Metra (SWS) SouthWest Service Union Station to Orlando Park 143rd Street and Pace Bus 379
Start at Union Station and take the SWS Metra train Line to Orlando Park 143rd Street. Once you get to Orlando Park 143rd Street you will need to walk about 7 minutes to route 45/south La Grange Road. There are crosswalks and sidewalks available in this area.
From here take the Pace Bus 379 from the La Grange Rd & 143rd St stop to La Grange Rd & McCarthy Rd. This Pace Bus offers weekend services on both Saturday and Sunday!
Please note that the Metra and Pace offer fewer trains and buses on the weekends. Plan accordingly!
This stop takes you close to the Pleasant Hill Equestrian Center, which has access to the Sag Valley Trail and can lead you to the portion of this trail that is reviewed here in this article. I would like to note though, that this bus stop may not have crosswalks!
Also, note that the start of my journey is about 1.5 miles from here.
Beauty & Wildlife at Palos Park Woods
The hills and the woods were beautiful and had this post-peak fall glow. Even with most of the trees bare, there were some reds and golds clinging on and some green shrubs adding color to the woods. Plus walking through fallen leaves is always fun! Like I said some of the trees were bare, and because of this, we had a better view of surrounding houses than we may have had if the trees were full.
The other thing to note was the presence of fairly consistent road noise, though some parts of the path were noisier than others. However, the trek tried hard to surround you in nature, with few spots revealing the road. Only twice did we have to cross the road with zebra crossings and pedestrian signs present. Right after the path took us straight back into the woods.
Know before you go:
Make sure to plan out your hike before you begin. Even though the signs and mile markers were nice and clear at this park, we still checked the map on our phones frequently to ensure we were on the right route.
The yellow trail without the purple connector goes on for nearly 8 miles!
What to Bring to Palos Park Woods
This is an intermediate trail. I would suggest making sure you have water and some sort of snack. As always make sure you have a charged phone.
I also like to ensure we have a photo of the map on our phone before we start. This way we have access to an offline map if we need it.
Amenities
When it comes to amenities the trail offered the basics but nothing special. There was a porta-potty at the trailhead and a shelter with picnic benches. Because it is also a horse trail, at the trailhead there was a place to tie off.
One other thing to note about it being a horse trail is that hikers may want to watch where they step.
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