Hannaford Woods/Nickels Farm Forest Preserve, Sugar Grove, IL

Hannaford Woods/Nickels Farm Forest Preserve covers 507 acres in Sugar Grove with 5.2 miles of trails through oak-hickory woodlands and open meadows. The preserve features two fishing ponds stocked with bass, bluegill, and channel catfish, plus a 0.8-mile interpretive trail that passes former farmstead foundations and restored prairie plantings. A 2,000-square-foot picnic shelter with restrooms and drinking water sits near the main parking lot, and three additional trailhead lots provide direct trail access. The preserve connects to the 11.5-mile Virgil L. Gilman Trail via a spur path, allowing residents to bike or walk to downtown Aurora. Seasonal hunting for deer and turkey occurs on designated sections under controlled permit programs. The site lies 3 miles south of Interstate 88 and 4 miles west of downtown Sugar Grove, placing retail centers, schools, and the Fox Valley Park District’s Vaughan Athletic Center within a ten-minute drive.

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