Trails
Timber Ridge has 2 miles of trails for people on foot, bike, horseback or cross-country skis and is a trailhead for the Great Western Trail and Illinois Prairie Path. (Dogs, bikes and horses are not allowed within the Kline Creek Farm farmstead, though.)
Picnicking
An open-air picnic area is near the Timber Ridge Visitor Center, which has drinking fountains and restrooms.
Fishing
Anglers can reach Timber Lake from the Kline Creek Farm parking lot on County Farm Road. A 0.5-mile crushed limestone footpath leads to the lake, which has largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish and crappie.
Anglers 16 or older who are not legally disabled must carry valid Illinois fishing licenses. Lake maps and regulations, including creel limits and minimum lengths, are on our Fishing page.
Kline Creek Farm
Kline Creek Farm offers educational programs including harvesting, canning, planting, maple sugaring and more. These programs are seasonal in nature and are available to school, youth and community groups. In the summer, the farm offers a unique, one-week day camp called Farmhands.
Kline Creek Farm is involved in a number of agricultural activities such as grain and hay production, caring for livestock such as Percheron workhorses, Southdown sheep, Shorthorn cattle, and chickens.
Depending on the season, a variety of activities take place at the 1890s farmhouse kitchen garden, like planting, weeding and harvesting. The produce grown in the garden is processed or canned in the summer kitchen.
The house and summer kitchen are available for guided tours on the hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily when the farm is open Thursday through Monday.
History
Before settlement, the preserve consisted of prairie and scattered woodlands. Many wooded areas survived into the 20th century, while the rest of the preserve was used for agriculture. Several home sites dotted the landscape.
The District began acquiring the preserve began in the mid-1960s and continued every decade through the 2010s.
