Thaddeus S. "Ted" Lechowicz Woods — Attraction in Jefferson Township

I really love this area of the Chicagoland Forest Preserve. Firstly there are plenty of places to park in the Ted Leckovicz Woods. You have two options, one: for walking or cycling you can stay on the paved trail if you go east you will go over a large Steel Bridge and you can continue on the North Branch Trail towards Gompers Park. Hikers also have the option to walk on the grass downward along the very small Toboggan Hill and there are well-marked trails that walk along the slowly moving Chicago River. I think this is the best way to see this area, there are many other areas after the large Steel Bridge to the east that also continue down along the Meandering path of the Chicago River. If you are out for a leisurely walk to get rejuvenated by Mother Nature, without question this is the way to go. In other parts of the world they have a phrase that is translated to be "Forest bathing". That means that you immerse yourself in nature within a forest to feel better and to feel...

With the recently completed extension of the North Branch Trail I'm sure that this has become a much more frequented area. At the southeast end of the woods the Trail has an overpass over the Metra train line that leads to the Forest Glen Woods and at the northwest end, the Trail goes over the North Branch of the Chicago River. In between there are 4 parking areas, a large picnic/play area (that has sledding in the winter) and some bikes available for...

Since putting in the bike path, this is one of the best places to walk and connect to the North Branch trail. I access the North Branch trail from here and bike all the way to the Chicago Botanic Garden 4-5 times a month, no matter the weather. Spring is one of the prettier times as the flowers are stunning. During evening, this place is gorgeous as you can see 1000s of...