Hickory Creek Preserve

Home
United States
Mokena, IL
Hickory Creek Preserve

Call Directions Website

Hickory Creek Preserve offers picnicking, trails, a playground and more. Open sunrise-sunset. Open 8 a.m.-sunset.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County's Hickory Creek Preserve provides multiple access points, including at LaPorte Road, Hickory Creek Junction and Hickory Creek Barrens, with access to the Hickory Creek Bikeway, ideal for bicycling, hiking/running, in-line skating, and, in the winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

11/04/2026

Calendars cost $15 each, with a $5 discount for every calendar after the first one (limit of five for discount within the same order). Free shipping is included in the cost. They are being sold through pre-orders only, and orders can be placed online through Sunday, Nov. 15. Forest Preserve staff will mail out the calendars the first week of December so they are received in time for the holidays and the start of the new year. Hint: They make great Christmas gifts as well!

Proceeds from calendar sales benefit The Nature Foundation of Will County, the Forest Preserve District's nonprofit partner.

10/28/2026

Of the 1,400 species of bats in the world, 12 live in Illinois, and eight are known to inhabit the forest preserves in Will County: the big brown bat, eastern red bat, evening bat, hoary bat, little brown bat, northern long-eared bat, silver-haired bat and tri-colored bat.

It's time bats get their due, and that's what Bat Week is designed to do.

10/21/2026

Just like people, animals need reliable sources of food, water and shelter all year long.

Want to see wildlife in your yard all winter long? The key is to make it a welcoming place for them to visit.

10/15/2026

Grab your bike and join us for a ride to experience the best of the fall color along the Hickory Creek Bikeway. We'll be riding 6.3 miles, taking in the sights of the season on this leisurely ride. Don't miss your chance to see the best fall has to offer!

Leisurely Leaf Cycle
When: 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24
Where: Hickory Creek Preserve — Hickory Creek Junction
Registration required.

10/24/2026: Take advantage of the beauty Mother Nature has to offer in the fall with a bike ride along the Hickory Creek Bikeway.

10/14/2026

Deer are crepuscular, which means they are more active at dusk and dawn. Because of this, most accidents with deer happen between 5 and 8 a.m. and 5 and 10 p.m.

During mating season, deer tend to move about more freely, causing an uptick in collisions with vehicles.

10/07/2026

In Illinois, indoor spiders generally consist of cellar spiders, cobweb spiders, sac spiders and brown spiders, including the brown recluse.

Wolf spiders tend to get a bad rap in autumn for invading our houses as the weather cools, but they are mostly being falsely accused.

09/30/2026

There are many reasons to look forward to the changing seasons, and for many people, the arrival of some of our most beloved birds is part of the seasonal anticipation each spring and fall.

Migratory birds are heading south, and here's when we can expect to see some of our favorites.

09/23/2026

One key identification feature is a "waist" or lack thereof. Yellow jackets are a type of wasp, and all wasps have a waistline where their abdomens become tapered where it meets the thorax. Bees do not have these narrow waists where the abdomen meets the thorax.

The buzz of an insect in your ear can come from many different sources, from mosquitoes and flies to bees and wasps. When it's a bee or wasp buzzing by, two common culprits — honeybees and yellow jackets — can be cause for confusion.

09/17/2026

Celebrate and support our public lands by joining Forest Preserve crews for a morning of volunteer work clearing brush at Hickory Creek Preserve. No experience is necessary, and equipment is provided.

National Public Lands Day: Volunteer Morning
When: 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, Sept. 27
Where: Hickory Creek Preserve — LaPorte Road Access
Registration is required.

9/27/2026: Get some fresh air and exercise while helping to make a difference in your community by attending one or more of the Forest Preserve’s volunteer mornings.

09/16/2026

"I decided to do my first Woods Walk hike of the season at Hickory Creek Preserve's Hickory Creek Barrens Nature Preserve. I picked this trail as my first one for a few reasons. First, it's a 3.5-mile hike, the second longest of this year's trails, and I thought it would be good to get a long trail checked off the list to start my experience. It's kind of a hilly stretch of trail, too, at least by northern Illinois standards. I also wanted to start with a trail that had a good mix of habitat types. Hickory Creek Preserve includes a little bit of everything — woodlands, grasslands, savannas, the creek and other wetlands — and the trail at Hickory Creek Barrens showcases a lot of it, so it seemed like a good place to get the full Woods Walk experience."

Woods Walk just kicked off its 24th year, and Meghan decided this is the year for her inaugural Woods Walk experience.

Address

10501 W La Porte Road
Mokena, IL
60448

Telephone

+18157278700

Website

https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/preserves-trails/preserves/hickory-creek-preserve/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Hickory Creek Preserve posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.