Black Partridge Woods Nature Preserve, Lemont, IL

Black Partridge Woods Nature Preserve covers 420 acres of glacial moraine forest in Lemont and is managed by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. The property contains 3.6 miles of marked hiking trails that wind through oak-hickory woodland, restored tallgrass prairie, and wetland areas fed by Black Partridge Creek. A 1.2-mile segment of the regional Salt Creek Greenway Trail runs along the preserve’s eastern edge, providing a paved, off-road connection to the Centennial Trail and downtown Lemont. Picnic shelters, a fishing pond stocked with bluegill and largemouth bass, and an archery range are located near the main parking area on 119th Street. The preserve is adjacent to the 18-hole Ruffled Feathers Golf Club and is less than three miles from the Metra BNSF station, offering commuters quick rail access to Chicago. Seasonal hunting is permitted for deer under controlled lottery tags, and birders regularly record warblers, woodpeckers, and waterfowl along the creek corridor.