Busse
Woods - Ned Brown Forest Preserve - Cook County, IL
Pictures & visitor information from a
trip to the Busse Woods recreational area in the Ned Brown Forest Preserve.
 |
 |
 |
| The Busse
Woods Nature Preserve is a 437 acre recreational attraction located
within the 3,700 acre Ned Brown Forest Preserve. The Ned Brown Forest Preserve encompasses a large part of northwestern Cook county in the "Chicagoland" area of Illinois. It is bordered by I-290, I-90, Golf Road, Arlington Heights Rd., and Biesterfield Road. The northern and southern halves of the preserve are bisected by Higgins Road (IL-72). The trip from downtown Chicago to Busse Woods is about 28 miles and takes approximately 40 minutes. It's well worth the trip for the variety of recreational opportunities that are available. We visited the park during Memorial Day Weekend on a Saturday afternoon. Even on a holiday weekend, there was still plenty of (free) parking. |
||
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
| Some of the fun activities that can be enjoyed at Busse Woods include bicycling, hiking, walking, kayaking, canoeing, fishing (permit required), row boating, sail boating, picnicking, bird watching, wildlife photography, kite flying and R/C (remote control) model airplane flying. | ||
 |
 Canada Geese |
 |
| A few of the winter time recreational activities that take place in the Ned Brown Forest Preserve are cross country skiing, ice skating, snowmobiling, ice fishing, snow ball fights, and snowman building. | ||
 Canada Goose Eating |
 |
 |
| One of the biggest attractions at the Busse Woods are the extensive bike trails. The main "Busse Woods Trail" is 11.2 miles long but you can ride your bicycle about twenty miles if you explore all the extra legs that branch off the principal path. Be wary of others since the trail is shared by walkers, joggers, strollers, rollerbladers and runners. | ||
 |
 |
 |
| Another popular feature of the Busse Woods is the 14 acre elk herd enclosure located at the intersection of Higgins Rd (IL-72) and Arlington Heights Road. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the elk out in the open field. They spend most of their time in the heavily forested area of their fenced in reserve. White tailed deer have often been spotted in this area as well. | ||
 Bike/Walk/Jog/Dog Trail |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Mallard Duck |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Busse Lake |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Elk Herd Enclosure |
| For more of my related photo albums, please visit the following links: Chicago Aerial Photos, John Hancock Observatory, Downtown Chicago & The Magnificent Mile, Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier Amusement Park, Westin Hotel 909 N. Michigan, Chicago Botanic Garden, Cosley Animal Farm, and Dawes Lakefront Beach Park. | ||