Friends of the Forest Preserves hosts numerous events throughout the year designed to connect people of all ages and backgrounds with the natural wonders of the forest preserves in Cook County.
Guided hikes, educational workshops, wellness programs, volunteer workdays, golf outings, fundraisers, cultural programs, and more await you.
Browse our schedule of events below to learn more.
Join us at Whistler Woods for this beginner friendly volunteer day! We will learn to remove invasive brush and utilize tools to restore our forest preserves. Meet at the end of the parking lot; registration link here.
Nature-based peace circles for people of all ages & ethnicities to connect, celebrate, and build community through art, wellness, & play. April workshops will explore self-expression using Music, Movement, and Poetry. Participants will experience and learn African diasporic drum and dance, and make connections to global dance styles, poetry, and more. Workshops will be led […]
Sand Ridge is a woodland and prairie site with a magnificent nature center attached. Join our volunteer crew for a restoration day to help restore our forest preserves. Meet outside of the Nature Center. Meet in front of the green pod off the service driveway. Register here.
Celebrate Earth Day by joining us for a hike at Deer Grove Forest Preserve. We will explore areas within both the East & West Preserves! On this hike, we will sample stops along the hikes path include: Deer Grove Lake, a sampling of the ravines within Deer Grove West, Camp Reinberg, waters of Deer Grove […]
Join the North Branch Restoration Project to restore this oak woodland to its former beauty! This 76-acre site depends on a community of volunteers to remove invasive species, spread native seed, and much more. Large pin oaks are a unique feature of this preserve, which is also home to some beautiful spring ephemerals. Visit The […]
Kickapoo Woods is a site with beautiful wet prairies in Riverdale, IL. During volunteer days, you can get up close and personal with nature performing a variety of restoration activities. Meet at the volunteer kiosk; register here.
Sand Ridge is a woodland and prairie site with a magnificent nature center attached. Join our volunteer crew for a restoration day to help restore our forest preserves. Meet at the pod northwest of the Nature Center off of the service driveway; register here.
Join us at Whistler Woods for our volunteer days! We will be performing a variety of restoration activities in this woodland and prairie-dominant site. Meet at the end of the parking lot; registration link here.
Formed by an old loop in the river’s course, lies the Oxbow Prairie. This old oxbow in the Chicago River’s North Branch is a combination of low, wet prairie soils and slightly higher mesic prairie soils. A small open savanna lies on what was once the east bank of the river. The mesic prairie had […]
Join us for a walk to welcome spring, get some fresh air outdoors and look for new signs of life in nature. We’ll likely see some deer grazing. The trees will be budding out and the group can spot a few of spring’s first wildflowers popping up. The walk will traverse the trail along the […]
Join the North Branch Restoration Project to restore this oak woodland to its former beauty! This 76-acre site depends on a community of volunteers to remove invasive species, spread native seed, and much more. Large pin oaks are a unique feature of this preserve, which is also home to some beautiful spring ephemerals. Visit The […]
Formed by an old loop in the river’s course, lies the Oxbow Prairie. This old oxbow in the Chicago River’s North Branch is a combination of low, wet prairie soils and slightly higher mesic prairie soils. A small open savanna lies on what was once the east bank of the river. The mesic prairie had […]
St. Paul Woods is an inviting oak-hickory woodland situated east of the North Branch of the Chicago River. Like many of our native woodlands, it needs management to clear invasive brush and trees to restore the original structure. With increased sunlight, the wildflowers and grasses will once again add to the beauty of the woods. Join […]
The Miami Woods Forest Preserve covers 112 acres stretching along the west side of the North Branch of the Chicago River from Oakton Street northward to Dempster Street. It is bounded on the west side by Caldwell Avenue, Waukegan Road and development at the intersection of Waukegan Road and Dempster Street. The land on the […]
Nature-based peace circles for people of all ages & ethnicities to connect, celebrate, and build community through art, wellness, & play. As part of family play, everybody plays! Participants practice active listening, respectful communication, collaboration and cooperation through playful activities for all ages. These will take place outdoors and indoors, and will focus on celebrating […]
Come hang out at Eggers Grove for a fun homeschool meet-up! Every third Thursday of the month from 10am-12pm until June 19, 2025
Nature-based peace circles for people of all ages & ethnicities to connect, celebrate, and build community through art, wellness, & play. Get ready to immerse yourself in the beauty of the natural world at Nature Block Party 2025! Join LOLK, Friends of the Forest Preserves, and other organizations and community members for a day of […]
St. Paul Woods is an inviting oak-hickory woodland situated east of the North Branch of the Chicago River. Like many of our native woodlands, it needs management to clear invasive brush and trees to restore the original structure. With increased sunlight, the wildflowers and grasses will once again add to the beauty of the woods. Join […]
The Miami Woods Forest Preserve covers 112 acres stretching along the west side of the North Branch of the Chicago River from Oakton Street northward to Dempster Street. It is bounded on the west side by Caldwell Avenue, Waukegan Road and development at the intersection of Waukegan Road and Dempster Street. The land on the […]
Join the North Branch Restoration Project to restore this oak woodland to its former beauty! This 76-acre site depends on a community of volunteers to remove invasive species, spread native […]
