Hidden Pond Loop

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Geological Significance · Historical Significance · Lake · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Before modern settlement, the Barrington-area was a diverse, natural system of prairies, woods, and wetlands. This rich natural world is the ancestral homelands of the Council of Three Fires—the Ojibwa, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes—and a place of trade with many other tribes, including the Ho-Chunk, Miami, Menominee, Sauk and Meskwaki.

More recently, this hill and all of the surrounding prairie, was a combination of farm fields and weeds. The Spring Creek Stewards, a volunteer ecological restoration group, work to restore the native plants and animals of Illinois to Spring Creek Forest Preserve. Volunteers have removed species that are not originally from this area (such as the invasive buckthorn and honeysuckle), to make room for a wide variety of native wildlife - grasses, wildflowers, birds, and more.

Good footing. Watch for horses on the trail.

Start and end your run at the Penny Road Pond Parking Lot. From Penny Road, you'll head South and can follow the loop in either direction. Follow the mowed trails through woodlands, passing by open fields on either side of the trail. If you're unsure of the directions, use either the Trail Run Project mobile app or Google Maps to find the trail - both show the trail system in Spring Creek Forest Preserve.

This run will provide an introduction to the plants and animals of Illinois Woodlands. Spring will bring a number of native wildflowers, many right on the trail. Escape the heat of Summer in the shade of mighty Oaks, and enjoy quiet moments in Fall and Winter among Spring Creek Forest Preserve's wildlife.