River Trail Nature Center — Attraction in Northfield Township

After humans mistook Rocky the baby coyote for an abandoned puppy, they captured him in nature and sent him to an animal shelter in Tennessee before he’d even opened his eyes. From there, he was sent to the Forest Preserves of Cook County and relegated—all alone—to a small, bleak corncrib cage at the River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook, Illinois. With a constant view of the forest around him, Rocky now presses his snout against the bars that imprison him.... at the River Trail Nature Center, Rocky languishes alone and has been observed pacing in apparent distress. This blatant disregard for his needs threatens his health, but sadly, it’s business as usual for the self-proclaimed “nature center.” Eagles, owls, and hawks are also confined to small, barren cages there, including a kestrel and a screech owl who are kept in 4-foot-by-4-foot boxes with no room to fly and no access to sunlight, fresh air, or foliage. But there’s hope for Rocky! The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado—which is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries—has offered to relocate him to an expansive naturalistic habitat where he could roam with other coyotes. WILL THEY ALLOW ROCKY...

The staff are very friendly and enthusiastic and there is a variety of free programming offered - that I very much appreciate. Some interesting displays and animals indoor and out, with a good assortment of amphibians and reptiles especially indoors. The only reason for the 2 star rating is for the tiny pen the healthy coyote is kept in. I was stunned the first time I visited, didn’t realize such a situation can be legal (sadly it is, says a lot about the laws we apply to animals). I’m glad someone in the community is trying to advocate for change. Just because the pen apparently meets the basic minimum requirements doesn’t mean it’s right and beyond the suffering of the animal doesn’t teach the right lessons for our children. This isn’t some awful roadside attraction for goodness sakes. Perhaps for various reasons it may be too late to move this poor animal to a sanctuary but there is no excuse to not expand the pen at the very least. I understand that any decisions are made at the county level not by the staff here and I want to believe that they are advocating for...

Serene escape to natural, loved the view of Des Plaines River, flowing calmly making a small bend, with ample seating options to enjoy the view. Great spot to enjoy a nice picnic. There is a nature inspired play area for the kids. The Interpretive Center explore displays featuring native species- there are live snakes, turtles, frogs and fishes to take a closer look at. The trail following the Des Plaines river is very serene. The ancient sugar maple woodlands is very popular and they have annual sales of maple syrup which attracts lot of people from near and far.

Rescued wildlife and animal ambassadors is another highlight here, if you are visiting during the feeding section, you can learn about these animals story and wildlife rehabilitation.

Unlike other forest preserves in the area, this one does not stay open till sunset, it usually closes early around 5pm. Do check the timings before you plan...