Lyons Woods Forest Preserve Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Spring · Wildflowers · Wildlife

The only public parking lot is on Blanchard Road, just west of Sheridan Road and south of Yorkhouse Road. Several neighborhood trails provide walk-in access.

Trail surface type is gravel and the following activities are allowed: Hiking, Biking, Cross-Country Skiing.

Move from pine grove to prairie to oak woodland as you relax at this gem of a spot. This scenic 345-acre preserve in Waukegan includes a contrasting mix of terrain ideal for trail enthusiasts.

Lyons Woods has 2.5 miles of gravel trails for hiking, biking and cross-country skiing. Trails here tie into the Robert McClory Path, a regional path managed by the Lake County Department of Transportation, and also connect to local trails, parks and communities via the Lyons Woods to Waukegan Savanna Trail.

Please keep dogs leashed and on trails at all times, and pick up after them.

Prairies, savannas, woodlands and wetlands offer an impressive array of habitat for birds, wildlife and plants. In the prairie, you'll find native plants such as prairie dropseed, big bluestem, goldenrod and smooth rose. The woods, sitting atop the bluff lands of Lake Michigan, contain large stands of white, bur and black oaks.

Five state endangered species take refuge here––one is so rare its existence in the nation is threatened. Our ecologists and volunteers give special attention to these species, but also work hard to protect and restore the preserve's many other habitats. We've planted more than 1,000 native trees and shrubs here. We also use several techniques to keep non-native species at bay, such as controlled burning and selective clearing.

Lyons Woods is a birder's paradise and part of the Lake Michigan flyway. Migrants that pass through during spring and fall migration are northern goshawk, townsend's solitaire, and white-winged crossbill.

It also has one of the highest diversities of breeding warblers of any natural area in Lake County, including the common yellowthroat, the blue-winged warbler and the ovenbird. An observation deck makes it easy to view the variety of bird species and other wildlife found here.