Salt Creek Woods Nature Preserve — Attraction in Proviso Township

Nice place to go for a walk to see nature, be alone, contemplate. Plentiful wildlife, deer, raccoons, possoms, muskrats, nutria, field mice and bears ! Frogs ( peepers) are especially vocal in the many wet areas they call home in the spring time. Some of the trails could be groomed, raised and maintained better but most are passable if you don't mind getting a bit wet. The forest itself is not self sustainable as Ive noticed alot of dead" old growth" trees. It would be a good idea to install some drain tile to mitigate some of the standing water to natural low laying areas to increase the biodiversity and to prevent some of the devastation caused by the damage done to many of the magestic oaks, and other hardwood giants. This is my observation of over 38yrs.of visiting this area as an informed observer. There's a beautifull strand of bald cypress that are 80-100yrs+ growing along an old livestock pond that was established in the 1800s by digging small trenches by early settlers to this area. The purpose was two fold, one to drain area's that were to wet for cultivating, second was to pool this excess for live stock( cattle& bears) which could be utilized 9 months out of the year. The cypress are over 80'feet with a girth of 3.5-5feet. In the fall they turn a beautifull orange and then looe their needles. A pleasent place to spend an afternoon enjoying nature at its best. Pick up your trash and leave it as you found it ! Respect wildlife,...

I enjoy coming to this trail as the road is well-paved, has that refreshing smell of nature, you can hear the birds chirping beautifully, and the occasional encounter with deers crossing or just behind trees. Just an FYI though, as of today (06/13/19), the road on North Edgewood Avenue to 31st street is under construction (refer to uploaded picture), so the bike path leading to the north side of the trail is...

Salt Creek runs through several "woods". One is Bemis and another Brezina. As a kid I spent every spare moment in these woods, riding my Stingray along the hidden trails in 7 foot tall Ragweed forests. We had a tree platform and a wonderful rope swing across Salt Creek, too. So glad that they have actually improved the woods with dedicated trails and well-marked...