Crabtree Nature Center

My husband and I took our three kids here on Sunday afternoon and it was a lovely family outing! To get to the trails you first walk through a nature center building. It is free, and there are interesting exhibits. There were live turtles, fish, birds, an owl, etc. We were more interested in an outdoor walk so we didn’t spend a lot of time inside, but it was interesting and the kids enjoyed it!
We took a nice walk around a lake once we went through the nature building. So many big and beautiful trees, plus a large portion of the path was natural prairie. At the end of the loop there were caged birds — a hawk, two owls, and a turkey vulture. So fun to see! The walk was easy and not too long for our 9, 7, and 3 year old kids. The path is unpaved but you could easily do it with a jogging stroller.
The only reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars is because there seemed to be a lot of rules posted. No food, no bikes, etc. They want you to come, walk around, and leave. No family picnics here.

Great non-​strenuous hike through woodland, prairie and adventure center. There are some moderate hills to mix it up and tire out smaller folks. I recommend starting on the bur edge trail to the right so you end at the adventure area (otherwise you could get stuck there if with kids).
If coming from Chicago, I’d recommend taking 94 and Willow Road vs. 90, as it’s a nicer ride.

Nice place to visit. We usually go to watch the bird feeders. There’s a room where they feed right outside the window. The employees are always nice and helpful.

We went her on the spur of the moment to get out of the house.
They loaned us snow shoes and we walked a small trail.
Staff was friendly, they have a nice kids play area and we waited 15 minutes for a nature talk and craft project.
Best part– it was all free!
It has always been pleasant I have been coming here for 30 years.

I have cousins that live near here so we sometimes wind up here for a walk especially after a big meal. There’s about 5 miles of trails. We did them all in the span of a couple hours and that’s even with snow on the ground. I am a city boy so its always nice to connect with mother nature. Last time here there was a snow cover so the only traces of animals were their tracks and their poop.
They have snow shoes that you can rent. They looked like a hit with the families with kids. Price is free with a drivers license ID.

Me: You know, I can just picture zombies busting out from behind those trees.
Friend: You watch too much of those crazy shows.
Me: That’s true. But don’t you agree that this is where you might see a bunch of zombies if there were a zombie apocalypse?
Friend: *speechless*
Ok, so I have a vivid imagination. True, I loved World War Z (the book of course) and I am a huge fan of the Walking Dead (TV, never read the books). So if you need a place to enjoy nature and let your imagination run wild, check out Crabtree.
My friend, my son and I took a leisurely hike one morning. The area is well-​maintained and such a wonderful space. There are walking trails and a separate path made especially for the kids. That separate path makes it more of a playground with a roped «spider web», a bridge, some stepping stones and an area perfect for hide and go seek with hollowed wood structures and makeshift canopies. (where zombies could totally be hidden)
The fields are wide and lush. There’s a lake with a small «duck lookout» building with a telescope to help you scout ducks or geese (or zombies).
Wildlife? We were lucky to see a young deer amble past us, looked curiously at us and then walk away. There are owls and a vulture that are kept on site. They were injured in the past and could not live on their own so the Nature Center takes care of them now. We spent a bit of time here because my son is a total animal lover and loved watching them swoop around in their areas.
The Nature Center building is closed on Fridays so we’ll have to check that out another time. The bathrooms are located on the outside of this building so no worries if you need to stop (or hide from zombies).
Great place to check out year round.

Nature.
That’s a thing, huh.
People like doing all that outside stuff and things… or so I’m told.
Me, I’m okay with nature. We know each other exist, but we don’t always get along. I like animals and stuff… stuff does not include insects. Well, not all bugs. Spiders can suck it. Mosquitoes can hella suck it. Maggots inside things I was planning on eating: Suck it. You get the picture.
Plants… I eat them. I don’t LOVE them, but I respect them. I’m not drawn to them or having them in my house or taking care of them, but they’re not a threat (for now… anyone who’s seen The Happening knows what I’m talking about) is all I’m saying.
I guess the gist of what I’m saying is that I’m not nature freak. I like fun nature like tropical beaches and sunshine but Midwest nature? Meh. Pretty take it or leave it… but have to admit this place is pretty cool.
They’ve got some decent flat-​land hikes, great for all you photographers out there looking for a pretty scene. If you go towards the end of summer into early fall, you’ll be amidst miles of those amber waves of grain everybody’s always raving about.
The hikes here are pretty easy peasy if you’ve got the time. Perfect for kids and old people, but nothing too crazy and there’s some cool activities along the main hike route. You start off at an educational nature center then walk through some trees, field of high grass (or whatever it is), there’s multiple ponds, ducks, turtles, etc, a cool bird lookout on one of the ponds, a fun bee playground and mini rope course in the shape of a spider web, and the grand finale for me where the raptor cages with the owls, vultures, and such were tearing apart their meals. Super fun and animals seemed to be pretty happy even though caged.
Just a nice little place to spend the day, and that says a lot coming from a person who more often than not finds herself at odds with nature.

Awesome park. Nice trails that go by ponds, tree covered areas and prairie. It’s for hiking only, so no bikes to run you or your children over. The trails are nice and wide. There’s a nice nature center at the entrance with some of the local wildlife on display and a play area for kids. Will definitely be here again!

If you like casual walks in the great outdoors, this is one place to check out. There is a variety of things to see in the Nature Center building and in the Crabtree Preserve itself. My first visit here was late July 2013 on a relatively cool and overcast day.
Inside the Nature Center building were some displays with live turtles, a snake, a flying squirrel, and an owl. There were a few informational spaces for the kids to learn about the wildlife and the vegetation of the area. I picked up a basic map of the preserve at the Information Desk which showed the walking trails and names of the marsh areas. A white board on the walkway up to the Nature Center building also noted several activities for kids and families throughout the summer months. I also saw a yield sign indicating that «Wildlife has right of way.»
The trails around the marshes varied in different places, mostly mowed pathways through the grassy areas or wood chips covering the walkways. But there were several areas that were a bit muddy (it had rained the night before my visit). One of the kid-​focused areas had a set of planks that led through a maze of trees to different «hidden» nooks and places to sit and rest.
During my stroll through the preserve and marshes, several times I heard my self exclaiming, «Oh wow, look at this!» Yes, I’m all into nature, but some of the things I saw were not what I’ve seen at other forest preserves in my area. I’m guessing at the names of some wildflowers, but I saw: Cardinal Flower, Black-​eyed Susan, Queen Anne’s Lace, Morning Glory, Milkweed, Thistle, Purple Coneflower, Prairie Coneflower, Chicory, Prairie Blazing Star, Wild Bergamot, and plenty more that I couldn’t identify. Some interesting mushrooms and fungi were in the marshes and forest.
I also came across two types of pear trees and a few mulberry trees with fresh mulberries (they look like blackberries on a tree). I also saw a tree with green, olive sized fruit that may have been some kind of plum since I saw the same fruit on the ground around the tree which was red instead of green. Birds, butterflies, herons, turtles, frogs and other wildlife were also in the area.
So, some tips for those who visit:
— Plan for insect protection! I’m thankful that I wore long sleeves, pants and had plenty of (natural /​essential oils) bug repellant. I encountered lots of mosquitos along the way and re-​sprayed myself several times to keep them at bay.
— Observe all the signs and notices. No bikes, no jogging, no pets, leave no trash– These things really makes a difference, especially when compared to other preserves or outdoor areas.
— Be sure to leave the premises before closing time! I confirmed that they were closing at 5:00 PM on the day I was there. Sure enough, at 4:59 PM they were at the front entrance to the preserve closing the entrance gate.
— There’s plenty of parking, restrooms available at the Nature Center building, and a few benches along the trail for resting.
— Kid-​friendly, but I don’t think strollers are allowed past the main Center. It would be difficult to take them on any trails anyway.
— Take your time, take your camera, and keep the peace.

The first time I came to Crabtree Nature Center a couple of weeks ago, I was attacked by mosquitoes. I went at 8am with good intentions to explore and walk around. After about 5 minutes, I felt an itch so I stopped walking for a second. I looked down and I was covered in mosquitoes all over my shirt. It was the craziest swarm I had ever seen so I screamed and ran back to my car at lightning speeds. I had bites all over my body but mostly all over my scalp and neck! :(
Well this morning, I was much better prepared. Before leaving home, I sprayed every inch of my body and clothes with Deep Woods Off! and I’m happy to say I came away unscathed. I must say that when I went at 8am I was the only person at the entire place. I ended up leaving about 945am and by this time there were 2 workers present around the actual Nature Center building but no fellow patrons.
Now for this reason, the entire time I was on the trails, I was totally freaked out. I screamed a couple times when bugs flew into my head or I thought I heard something in the woods. Seriously I feared for my life thinking what a great place it would be for someone to lurk and steal me then I’d never be heard from again. ‘Course I had my phone with me and was ready to call for help but I’m sure my heart was accelerated throughout my entire walk. Not to mention the main, long path ventures to Phantom Prairie… Great, I thought.
Aside from that, I really enjoyed Crabtree and am planning on going back. So the main path which they call Phantom Prairie loops around 2 miles going around swampy marshes, prairies and plains, and deeply wooded areas. Burr’s Edge trail is another 1.67 miles and then Giant Hollow’s Trail is .5 miles. I enjoyed going through the prairies most of all as it’s a bit different than the usual. The paths varied from grassy to muddy to dirt to woodchips and are only paved right in front of the nature center. So be prepared because my feet got soaked since it rained last night. On the paths, you’ll chipmunks darting in front of you, I nearly killed a frog as he hopped right out from under my foot, and of course the usual suspects like squirrels and bunnies. And holy birds! They had so many different kinds of birds flying around plus some a few super cool looking huge birds in the marsh areas. I know there are deer here too as is evident from the many deer prints on the path… and their dung! Watch your step at all times on the path! After you hit the prairies, there is dung every few feet!!! I also saw either coyote or fox droppings, too. Gross to see yet cool to know they’re around. I’m a weirdo.
There are also benches every so often so don’t worry about getting going and not being able to go the full distance. Rest, take a load off, regroup and trudge on!
The cages for the birds are right outside the exhibit building. There is a badass turkey vulture that does his thing and couldn’t care less if you’re standing outside his cage snapping shots and staring at him. Next to him was a barred owl I felt bad when I first rolled up on him because he started making this clicking noise like I was making him uncomfortable. He was so gorgeous and adorable but I tried to keep my distance because I wanted the little guy to be at ease.
At first I was a bit worried about the red-​tailed hawk because he had these leather bands around each of his feet and when he tried to fly they seemed to stunt him. He even ran into a log once, poor little guy. But I then read about how these animals are in their exhibit because they had injuries or some other condition so they couldn’t survive out in the wild. That made me feel much better about these poor little guys being in cages and my gawking at this beautiful animals. The final birdie in the lineup was the Great Horned Owl. He looked so gangster — didn’t bat an eye or a wing the entire time I was observing him & his homies.
After checking out the birds on display, I ventured a bit more because for some reason I thought they had coyotes and foxes but I guess not. I did find a cool lookout point with binoculars and a chair so you can observe ducks.
I went through the exhibit building and it was cool being the only person in there. They have a good number of smaller, native animals which I thought was pretty rad — Snakes, Turtles, Catfish, Screeching Owls, Flying Squirrels, tons of fish and birds. Plus activities for kids! And bathrooms!
I really think Crabtree is another one of those hidden suburban gems. I love ALL animals so loved that I got to get my walk on plus see a bunch of cool creatures.

Great place to go for a stroll. Nice wide trails and a decent length loop if you combine the two smaller loops. Lots of wildlife to see and good variety of terrain to pass through.
This place is great to bring kids to discover live wildlife inside the nature center. There are also caged owls, a hawk, and a vulture just outside the nature center as well and I had a great time just watching them.
There is also a little hut along the trail that is used like a hide for viewing birds on the pond that is protected from any human intrusion. Get a close up view with the provided binoculars.
Be aware that the trails can be very muddy or even impassable after heavy rains. We had to detour about 300 yards through prairie to avoid a flooded low area next to a pond. Other muddy parts of the trail were made passable by people throwing branches in the mud. Chances are you will get dirty so prepare accordingly.

Have been hiking out here for decades and past time to review. Interesting through all seasons, as good as it gets. Hurry b4 the sequester turns it into a Chase Bank with the Nazi-​foldout logo.
…“112 acres of woodland, wetland and prairie provides a rest stop along the migratory bird highway. 260 species have been recorded using these habitats, with at least 89 species breeding onsite. Bird watchers can stroll through the trails to view birds along the way or stop at the blind to view the hosts of waterfowl in spring and fall.“
Hours seem to be reduced and shorter each time I visit, so be sure and check their website or call for whatever the current closing time is because it is NOT sundown.
Mosquitoes have been way down the last few years, but generally you MUST HAVE some repellent and preferably clothing and a hat to cover you up when it’s bad. There are also deer flies and they can take a chunk out of you. It can also be very wet in rains so be prepared with some boots or tennis shoes you don’t care about. Sounds like fun, but it really is.
A great place to take a walk through ALL seasons. Some 20 minute, 45 minute and over an hour walks through a mix of woods, orchard, meadow, and small ponds, underutilized during the day but watch out for the school buses. Fun to take 2 – 5 year olds for their first look at frogs and maybe some turtles often sunning themselves on a log. There are displays specifically oriented toward children in the Nature Center and staff (less all the time) are very helpful.
NO picnicking, biking, jogging etc, focused on maintaining as peaceful and natural a state for the plants and animals as possible. Do no harm, have fun.

definitely liked this place! there were owls! haha, so cool. it’s a nice place to take a walk and photos with friends. very peaceful and awesome.

This is one of our favorite nature centers! It is a decent length walk and the trail takes you through a few different terrains (woods, prairie, wetland). We always see a variety of birds, frogs, and turtles whenever we go. In fact last time we were here we saw a «nut» in the middle of the trail — it turned out to be a palm-​sized baby turtle! For us a trip to Crabtree is always a memorable experience and a great opportunity to find peace in nature. Even when I lived a little further away than I do now it was always worth the trip to come here.

Stopped by here Labor Day weekend for something to do on a nice day. Great trails (not paved but nice and wide and easy to follow), but bring bug spray! Center itself has some nice exhibits — the live animals (owl, snakes, turtles, fish, mice, etc) are really neat and fun to watch. There weren’t any events going on at the time, but we grabbed many brochures describing events throughout the year. What a great, free, place to spend a couple of hours. Close to Barrington Arboretum for dinner or treats afterwards!

Crabtree has a lot of great events, though many of them are more child-​oriented and have less variety than at some other FPDCC nature centers. The diversity within these kid-​friendly activities like Budding Naturalist days, the Viva Vultures party (an actual birthday party for a vulture), and night hikes mean that if you do take your kids here, you can come back again and again without worrying about your kid getting bored.
There’s some good birding on the trails, which have some nice variety in the terrain. You’ll go through wooded areas, prairie, and marshy areas by the water. Bring bug spray, sunglasses, and, if it has rained lately, rubber boots. (Stay away from the marshy trails if frogs squick you – I was here once last summer and they were hopping right across my feet!) If you’d rather birdwatch from inside the nature center, they have feeders set up in such a way that you can see them very well from indoors. There are also some rehabilitated but unreleasable critters if you want a «guaranteed» wildlife spotting.

Wild things make everything groovy! Crabtree Nature Center is one of those places to go to get away. Walk, observe, take pictures, let the sun shine down on you, let the wind blow in one ear and out the other: clear your brain.
For those expecting bells and whistles; get with those softer bells and whistle at Crabtree. This is a Cook County preserve, there are tons of trails; they also have a Naturalist who can explain the small exhibits. These include a number of rehabilitated creatures, who help educate kids.
Crabtree is a huge migratory stop off for Canada geese, as well as ducks. But it is also home to beautiful hawks, coyotes, skunks, owls, otters, and deer, who you actually do see. No bikes allowed; nothing living there is riding a bike, so you hafta hoof it.
One yearly event is Bird Day. Very cool to see humans in Nike’s or other foot gear meander through a Migratory Bird Obstacle Course. It’s a common sense way to teach kids about inherent/​not so inherent dangers to these creatures, i.e. oil spill, fishing line, etc. Crabtree is also exceptionally pretty when the seasons change.
One point: Crabtree Nature Center lets nature take its course with as little interference as possible, unless a creature is seriously injured and a risk to visitors. That’s a good heads up in the event you are bringing small kids. You may have some «splain’in» to do as to why you can’t go help a limping goose. So, pretend you’re Lewis & Clark and go: you’ll enjoy what they have to offer and burn a few calories too!

I have been here during every season, yes even a day after the Blizzard of 2011. The staff here is fantastic and will be happy to answer any nature question you might have. The trails have creeks, ponds, lakes, prairies and plenty of trees. One interesting thing you may notice if observant are the charms that people place in trees. I have spotted a silver fairy and a few others. Turtles, Deer, Frogs, Beavers and many birds can be seen here. If you want to do a quick 3mile hike with friends or family this is a great place to visit.

I saw this on a map and decided to meet my friend here before going to the movies. It’s pretty easy to get in and out of here as well as free parking. It’s open from sunrise to sunset and there is a main visitor center. The visitor center has examples of leaves and trail markings you’ll find when you’re outside. They also have live turtles, live snakes, live birds inside as well. There is a viewing area for the bird feeders and they have microphones set up near them so you can hear them from inside.
There are 3 trails with 2 of them around the main lake. They are not paved, but pretty well stamped down by the grass or dirt. We went counter clockwise around the shortest path and at the end, near the main visitor center were a couple of group/children’s activities. One resembled a spider web while another was a bee path using tree stumps. There were also some caged animals including owls and hawks and an explanation on controlled burning. Overall, it’s good for a nice quiet walk or just to get away for a few hours.

This is a cute little nature preserve in the North burbs. It doesn’t have a lot, but it’s nice to walk around in the Spring.