Oakhurst Forest Preserve — Attraction in Aurora Township

Spend may hours volunteering at this preserve, clearing invasive brush and picking up trash. The lake is man made, and designed to alleviate flooding in Aurora, so expect the north part of the trail to flood in early spring. Same goes for the trails through the woods - they are muddy and wont dry out until later in summer. The wet nature of the woods also means mosquitoes will be rampant - so only enter the wooded area if you are covered up and have plenty of bug spray.

Based on other comments, I should point out the following: Fishing is catch and release only, and dogs must be leashed at all times. Otherwise you can get ticketed. Yes, there are restrooms. No, you cannot camp here, and the preserve closes at sunset, so you shouldn't be wandering the trails at night.

Future renovations are in the works, which may include repairing roads, improved parking for boat trailers, new shelters and restrooms, new boat ramp, fishing pier. Also plans for a new bike trail - connecting the 5th Ave path through the preserve up to the new...

Oakhurst forest preserve is an amazing place to get a run in while also getting some hill action! There is a large 85 ft elevation trail, which is fairly steep for Northeastern Illinois! There are crushed limestone paths located around the big lake in the middle of the preserve. Make sure to bring an extra pair of shoes as they will get dirty! Since the hill is very steep, relatively speaking, there are multiple ways to traverse it. You can take the Toboggan hill, which is the steepest (as seen in my photos attached.) there are also 4 other paths that bring you to the peak of the hill. Again, throughout the park, I rarely spotted another person and if I did, they were extremely friendly. There are on-side bathrooms for you to use and they are free or charge. I come here fairly frequently for some exercise either running or just doing hill climbs. If you are ever in the area, this is a must stop destination for adventurers, like myself! Great job Fox Valley Park Distrist and Forest Preserve District...

Nice little nature preserve when you need to get away from it all sometimes. A big pond (that I think even allows fishing) and a running/walking trail. The day I went out there, there was literally only one other car in the whole parking lot. Oh, right, there is plenty of parking as well. Would be a cool place to take the kids/family for a nice little nature walk. By the way, just a disclaimer - I did not inquire about the bear population whilst I was in the preserve, so I'm not really sure what the situation is there. I guess I would say, just in case, probably bring bear spray and maybe a jar of honey. That way, should you run into a hungry grizzly or Kodiak, you can toss them the jar of honey to distract them. Then, when they are busy fighting off the bees and tigers who will inevitably smell the honey and become insanely jealous, you can sneak up behind the bear, tap him on the shoulder and then blast him in the face with your bear spray. 2nd Disclaimer Don't actually do any of...