Whether you live in Chicago or are just visiting, getting outside the city for some time with Mama Nature is always a good thing. When I moved here, I bought the book 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles and proceeded to work my way through nearly all of the hiking trails near Chicago. While Illinois is not known as an outdoor recreation paradise, there is some pretty good hiking near Chicago. The book includes the best Chicago hiking, although there are a few botanical centers and state park areas that do not allow dogs, so I’ve compiled this list of my favorite dog-friendly hiking trails near Chicago.
Check out my guide to Chicago neighborhoods and find dog-friendly hotels in Chicago!
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Skokie Lagoons Forest Preserve
Drive from Chicago: 20 miles / 25-30 minutes
The Chicago hiking trail closest to the city is Skokie Lagoons. I started visiting Skokie Lagoons with a local kayak club. You’ll find canoe & kayak rentals here if you want to get out on the water. Parking along Tower Road, you can join up with the North Branch Trail for a 4.5-mile loop around the lagoons. Starting on Tower Road, you will head north to Dundee Road and then go East to catch the trail south again. There are many options for loops in this area.
Find other places to kayak near Chicago!
Deer Grove Forest Preserve
Drive from Chicago: 30 miles / 45 minutes
My favorite Chicago hiking trails in the northwest suburbs are at Deer Grove in Palatine. I like to park at the Deer Grove West parking lot on Dundee Road. From here, you can access a network of crushed gravel trails, including the 5.4-mile Yellow trail. Other trails criss-cross the yellow, so you can cater your hike to any length you want. There are a few stream crossings along the way for your pup to grab a sip or cool her paws.
Deer Grove East features a 2.8 mile paved walking loop, as well as a model airplane field. This is really the jewel of Cook County Forest Preserves!
Palos Hills Forest Preserve
Drive from Chicago: 25 miles / 35 minutes
There are several interconnected forest preserves in the Willow Springs area, southwest of Chicago. I like to enter at Red Gate Woods and hook up to the trail system from there. It’s a great area with lots of hills and trails that are very popular with mountain bikes and hikers. As with many of Cook County hiking trails, there are several different loops that you can combine to design a hike of any length. Each intersection is well marked with trail maps and markers, so you can choose your route as you go. We like the 5.5-mile orange loop as it has a good balance of single-track dirt trails and crushed gravel paths.
Swallow Cliff Woods is also in this area, and you’ll find lots of people training on the steep staircase next to the toboggan area.
Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve
Drive from Chicago: 25 miles / 35-45 minutes
A bit farther than Palos Hills and just outside Cook County, Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve has the longest single loop I’ve found in the area. The main trail here is 9.5 miles, so it’s a great place to go for those training hikes where you need a lot of miles. Unlike other spots I’ve mentioned, there aren’t a lot of trail options here, so you have to commit to the 9.5 miles. The trail has several water crossings, which are great for the dogs, and even a few waterfalls, which are kind of rare around Chicago!
Nordic Trails – Kettle Moraine South Unit – Eagle, WI
Drive from Chicago: 135 miles / 2 hours
If you are looking for a challenging hike near Chicago, this is the place. It’s a bit farther from the city, but I used to come here often when I lived in the Northwest suburbs because it’s my favorite on this list. The Nordic Trails at Kettle Moraine offers some pretty cool glacial terrain that’s as close as you’ll get to mountain hiking. The Blue Loop is 9.2 miles, but there are many loops within this one and you can shorten your hike at any time. Each intersection is marked with a number corresponding to the maps. As the name suggests, these are used for XC ski in the winter. Across the road, you’ll find the very popular John Muir mountain bike trails. The Ice Age Trail also runs through this area.
This is a Wisconsin State Park, so you’ll need to get a vehicle sticker to park at any trailheads. ($11 daily pass for out of state vehicles, $38 annual pass) Now that I live in the city, I prefer to head up and camp the night before so I can get an early start on the trails.
Not sure what to bring hiking? Check out my hiking essentials for a day on the trail.
More Great Hiking Trails Near Chicago
Of course, this is just a sampling of my favorite Chicago hiking trails. There are a ton more, and the further you are willing to travel, the more hiking opportunities you will have. Here are a few more popular hiking trails near Chicago:
- Lake Michigan shoreline along the Chicago River Lakefront trail
- Des Plaines River Trail
- Starved Rock State Park
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
- Matthiessen State Park
- Kankakee River State Park
What are your favorite hiking trails near Chicago?
This is great! I took my two labs to Chicago with me once and they hated it. Next time I’ll wear them out on one of these trails.
Haha, yeah, the city is pretty crazy for dogs that aren’t used to it. So many noises and strange smells! (not to mention chicken bones everywhere…ugh!)
Ella said she’d very much like to go on all of these hikes with you guys! Road trip?
For sure! Bailey loves to bully little dogs around 🙂
I love how short and straight to the point this post is! I would love to travel extensively with my dog, but we often run into the problem of where we are going to go, etc. Thanks for listing some dog friendly hikes around Chicago – will def keep this in mind when we travel with my pup!
As a dog-owner, I loved your post. Such beautiful spots to take your furry friend. Lovely photos too!
You hit two of my favorite spots – Kettle Moraine and Waterfall Glen. I haven’t been to the others but I’m adding them to my list! I don’t have a dog, but I love them and this way I’ll get to see some anyway 🙂
Yeah! Definitely check out the Palos area, the terrain is fun! I wish the Kettles were a wee bit closer to the city, but then they’d be even more crowded!
This is such a helpful list! I love traveling with my dog, and it’s often hard to find places I can take her!
Bring Fido is a great resource I use often to find dog-friendly spots.
Your dog is adorable! I don’t have any pets, but can imagine it would be fun to hike with your dog. It’s pretty impressive that you almost made it through the 60 hikes! Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
Thanks, she’s a good hiking partner!
Your dog is the cutest! This great information to have, what an excellent post!
Thanks!
Oh yes, always need a good hike to bring along man’s best friend! I used to take all 4 of my dogs hiking with me when I lived in Montana! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!
Wow, 4 dogs would be a handful, but maybe they keep the grizzlies away? 🙂
Your dog is so cute ! I fully agree with you… getting outside the city for some time with Mother Nature is always a great moment. It’s good to see that you can navigate your way through the stunning areas of the preserve, where you can find a permanent orienteering course.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! This is perfect timing! I’m planning to go to Chicago with my little ride-or-die copilot and was researching dog friendly activities for the area. #dogmamaforlife
Excellent! Enjoy your visit, let me know if you have questions – Chicago is pretty dog-friendly – I’d hoped to put together a city guide, too, but just ran out of time this summer!
As a dog owner, I’m always interested in finding places that are dog friendly. Unfortunately, Chicago is very far from me. Thank you for joining us for #TheWeeklyPostcard
These are really amazing hikes. I have no dog, but Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve looks very appealing to me. If I ever visit Chicago I would give it a try. Thanks for sharing!