Crabtree Nature Center — Attraction in Barrington Township

Crabtree Nature Center is one of my favorite escapes in the suburbs. The trails are quiet, peaceful, and surrounded by woods, wetlands, and open prairie. No bikes allowed, which makes the walk feel calm and almost like a little therapy session. The main loop is a few miles and easy to walk, with a nice mix of shady spots and open areas.

It’s also a great place for birdwatching you’ll hear and see plenty of wildlife if you slow down and pay attention. The Nature Center has some fun exhibits, a kids’ play area, clean restrooms, and water fountains, which is super convenient.

I usually combine this with a bike ride on the Paul Douglas trail. You can extend paul douglas ride by connecting to the Crabtree Trail via the path along Algonquin Rd, park your bike, and then take a short walk through Crabtree before heading back. It’s a nice way to break up a ride with some peaceful time on foot.

Every season has its own charm. No matter when you visit, it feels like a little reset away from traffic and noise. Highly recommend if you want a...

Crabtree Nature Center is close by for us, and we like the peaceful walking trails around the lake and out into the open prairie land. It's not a long walk (there are two 1.4 mile loops which can be combined into a ~3 mile walk), but it's pleasant and refreshing to see the tall grasses waving in the wind or feel the cool shade of the trees. It gets muddy, so consider that after a rainy period. The path around the lake is the shadier of the two on a hot day; the Phantom Prairie trail is less crowded and takes you out into more open space than you'd expect to see in the suburbs. Neither trail is often crowded, though, and no one's biking or walking dogs here. The nature center is...

The indoor center had some typical displays. The outdoor play area seemed very overgrown. The paths had lots of tall plants hanging into the path, and they were encroaching on the children's area. All I kept thinking about were ticks and poison ivy. I even thought I saw some poison ivy right in the path of the story walk. I may have been mistaken, but it certainly looked like "leaves of three." Even staying on the path didn't really assure me that we would come out without some "friends" latching onto us. It seems like they could cut some of the growth back farther from the paths and activity areas. But I guess it was a true nature experience. I'm just not much of...