Busey Woods — Attraction in Urbana

Busey Woods can be a bit confusing to navigate, especially if you venture off the boardwalk. It's quite large, so be prepared for a longer walk compared to smaller nature centers. You're likely to spot deer during your visit. As a newcomer to the area, I'm not accustomed to nature centers of this size. The trails can take up to an hour or more to complete, whereas I'm used to shorter 15-minute walks. It would be nice to have more rest stops and better maintenance, but I understand the staff is likely occupied with events inside the main building. Remember to use the bathroom there before setting off, as there are no facilities along the trails. Normally, there's a small creek that runs through the forest and forms a swamp, but it has dried up due to the ongoing drought. Despite that, observing the creatures in the swamp is still a magnificent sight. We did encounter a snake, although my partner can't recall its appearance. One great aspect of this nature center is its proximity to a large park where you can go paddle boating and swimming. Additionally, it's conveniently located in the heart of the city, so that's a plus. However, since it's close to the road, some trails can be too near to traffic, which is the only downside in my opinion. Overall, it's the best nature center I've...

It's a great place to hike, see beautiful woods, and read nature facts. But THIS IS NOT A BIKE TRAIL, and some people will make sure you know it... Now I have a rule with myself where I just don't interact with people when they act toxic. I just turn around and walk away from them. So what happened here was that I explored the woods for the first time ever when riding my bike. Then this one person stopped me and said, "Excuse me, you can't ride your bike here. There's a sign that says no bikes, so you need to leave." It's a fine normal thing to say. I didn't say anything to her, turned around, and walked my bike out of the forest. But then the person kept following me out of the forest and just kept saying, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Until I was finally back on the main road. I feel like she kept doing this so that she could get a response out of me and do god knows what. I have read previous reviews that are similar, and they go back 3-5 years, with one-star reviews, so I'm generous with giving three stars. These random individuals, who are not forest preserve volunteers or employees, take it to themselves police and enforce the forest rules. Please respect one another, don't harass others, and have a...

The grass was pretty overgrown in the park area. In the wooden trail there were a couple of benches that carpenter bee's had made home in, and while they're not necessarily a threat it only takes one small child upsetting the nest for things to go poorly. The was a play log of sorts that looked like it was for climbing on and crawling under, two pieces of cardboard covered the sides and inside was filled with literal trash including an old pan and some pipes. I haven't been back in about a month but it definitely needed some TLC that it wasn't getting...