When there’s plenty of packed snow on the hill (usually more than 3 inches), thrill-seekers can snow tube down the 800-foot run on Mount Hoy at
Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville. Only District inner tubes are allowed.
If conditions allow, the hill is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on weekends Dec. 3 – Feb. 26 (except Dec. 25). The hill will also be open Dec. 23, Dec. 27 – 30, Jan. 3 – 6, Jan. 9, Jan. 16, and Feb. 20.
Inner tube rentals are at the base of the hill and are $10 per tube per day. The hill is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; rentals end at 3:30 p.m.
Visitors can also explore Blackwell and
Fullersburg Woods forest preserves by snowshoe. When there’s plenty of snow on the trails, snowshoe rentals are available at the Blackwell tubing hill (when open) 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Snowshoes can also be rented at the Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. All rentals are $10 per day. For Fullersburg Woods, call
630-850-8100 for snowshoe availability.
For fans of cross-country skiing, rangers groom more than 50 miles of trails at forest preserves such as
Blackwell in Warrenville,
Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook;
Danada and
Herrick Lake in Wheaton;
Greene Valley and
Springbrook Prairie in Naperville,
Mallard Lake in Hanover Park,
Meacham Grove in Bloomingdale, and
Waterfall Glen in Darien. Visitors who aren’t classic skiers should use the inside of the rails to avoid damaging the set tracks.
Ice fishing, ice skating, and sledding are allowed at most forest preserves, although never at
Spring Creek Reservoir in Bloomingdale. Additionally, sledding is not allowed at Mount Hoy at Blackwell or the closed landfill sites at Greene Valley and Mallard Lake.
The Forest Preserve District does not monitor ice conditions, so visitors go on ice at their own risk. As a guideline not a guarantee, there should be at least 4 inches of clear ice for any activity for one person and 8 inches of clear ice for a group. Anglers can find complete regulations in the
fishing guide (PDF).
Finally, when there’s adequate snow conditions, mushers can dog sled on the Thunderbird Spur Trail at Greene Valley and on the West Branch Regional Trail, Bobolink and connector trails north of Mack Road at the McKee Marsh area of Blackwell.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has been connecting people to nature for more than 100 years. More than 6.2 million people visit its 60 forest preserves, 166 miles of trails, six education centers and scores of programs each year. For information, call 630-933-7200 or visit dupageforest.org, where you can also link to the District’s e-newsletter, blog, Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram pages.
