Greenbelt Forest Preserve Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Fishing · Lake · Spring · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Closest parking lots are associated with picnic shelters B, C, and D.

Tucked into Lake County's most urban area is this island of green. A surprising array of birds, wildflowers and landscapes are found here, and the amenities are clean, safe and well designed.

The site also is home to the Greenbelt Cultural Center, a versatile facility designed with help from the public. The Center hosts community events and educational programs.

The preserve offers five miles of trails for hiking, four miles of trails for bicycling and cross-country skiing, and a one-mile self-guided nature trail. Please keep dogs leashed and on trails at all times, and pick up after them.

Greenbelt sits atop the sub-continental divide, marked by Green Bay Road. Rain falling on the east side of Green Bay Road heads for the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but rain falling on the west side heads for the Gulf of Mexico.

This is a fairly open landscape of oak groves, wetlands and prairie. Like most natural areas in this region, Greenbelt has felt the effect of 150 years of settlement. We're nursing it back to health with success. Once again you can find wildflowers such as shooting stars, blue-eyed grass and mayapples here.