Salt Creek Trail System

two people riding bicycles on the Salt Creek Trail System

The Salt Creek Trail System’s paved and unpaved trails run along the Des Plaines River, Salt Creek and Brookfield Zoo, offering visitors views of a glacial valley, gravelly moraine and Salt Creek’s unique pool and riffle environment.

On this page:


Overview & Maps

Salt Creek Trail System

Location: Brookfield, Forest View, La Grange Park, Lyons, McCook, North Riverside, Oak Brook, Riverside, Westchester & Western Springs

Surface

Paved & Unpaved

Estimated Total Length

16.4 miles

Hours

Year-round: Sunrise to Sunset

Closures & Alerts

*Please be a courteous trail user: Follow posted signs and our trail rules and etiquette.

Trail Access

Access the Salt Creek Trail System at any of these forest preserve locations (ordered from West to East). Check out the trail maps listed above to find on-street or bikeway access points.


Bemis Woods-South
Ogden Ave, west of Wolf Rd
Cook County, IL 60558 (view web map of Bemis Woods-South)
(near Western Springs)

Bemis Woods-North
Wolf Rd, south of 31st St
Cook County, IL 60523 (view web map of Bemis Woods-North)
(near Oak Brook)

Brezina Woods
N La Grange Rd, south of W Cermak Rd
Cook County, IL 60526 (view web map of Brezina Woods)
(near La Grange Park)

Twenty-Sixth Street Woods-West
26th St, east of S 25th Ave
(near La Grange Park)

Brookfield Woods
31st St, west of 1st Ave
Brookfield, IL 60513 (view web map of Brookfield Woods)

Cermak Woods
7600 W Ogden Ave

Stony Ford Canoe Landing
Joliet Ave/43rd St, west of S Harlem Ave


two people walking on the Salt Creek Trail System

Recommended Hikes

Introductory

Start and end at Bemis Woods-North

  • Length: 1.7+ miles
  • Surface: Unpaved
  • Terrain: Rolling

If you’re new to the Salt Creek Trail, start your adventures at Bemis Woods, a 480-acre site offering a wide range of recreational amenities, from trails that meander along the river, to a canoe launch. The Salt Creek divides Bemis Woods into two sections, North and South.

Start at the Bemis Woods-North parking lot and take the pedestrian bridge south over Salt Creek. Head west on the Orange Unpaved Trail for 1.6 miles, until you hit the Green Unpaved Trail (near the end of the Bemis Woods-South parking lot). Then hike northeast on the Green Unpaved Trail back across the pedestrian bridge to Bemis Woods-North.

Various spurs off of the Orange Unpaved Trail allow you to extend your trip to 3 or 4 miles. Be advised that the unpaved trails can be muddy after it rains.

Bemis Woods is excellent for bird watching, thanks to the creek habitat. The best time is usually during migration, from early April to early June and from mid-August to late October.


Bemis Woods-North
Wolf Rd, south of 31st St
Cook County, IL 60523 (view web map of Bemis Woods-North)
(near Oak Brook)

Intermediate

Start and end at Brezina Woods

  • Length: 6 to 8 miles
  • Surface: Paved
  • Terrain: Rolling

If you have a bit more time to explore the Salt Creek Trail, pack a picnic lunch and head to Brezina Woods in LaGrange Park. From there you can hike or bike the Red Paved Trail from Brezina Woods east for about 3 miles to Brookfield Zoo, or 4 miles west to the border of DuPage County. It’s a scenic path in both directions, as the trail meanders along the river.


Brezina Woods
N La Grange Rd, south of W Cermak Rd
Cook County, IL 60526 (view web map of Brezina Woods)
(near La Grange Park)

Advanced

Start and end at Brookfield Woods

  • Length: 14+ miles
  • Surface: Paved
  • Terrain: Rolling

If you’re looking for more of a challenge, the Red Paved Trail starts at Brookfield Woods and heads west to the DuPage County border, just over 7 miles away. This trip will take you through some high-quality natural areas such as Salt Creek Nature Preserve and Bemis Woods.

When you reach the DuPage border you can choose to take the trail either further west or north, where you can connect to the Grand Illinois Trail, or return and spend the afternoon exploring Brookfield Zoo, which is just across 31st street from Brookfield Woods.


Brookfield Woods
31st St, west of 1st Ave
Brookfield, IL 60513 (view web map of Brookfield Woods)