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Dick Young Forest Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 270 Google reviews · Running trail in Batavia, Illinois · Dawn to dusk
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Mixed
- Loop distance
- 5 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Dawn to dusk
Confirmed from Dick Young Forest Preserve's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Peaceful, lakefront area offering wetland, woodland & prairie trails, plus varied plants & animals.
What runners say about Dick Young Forest Preserve
“It’s best place for low mood times or if you are tired or stressed to feel refresh air (with better oxygenated air) that makes life lighter and beautiful.”
“Beautiful spot with amazing views, perfect for a quiet fall sunset, plenty of birds and other wildlife to see!”
One of my favorite local parks. Nice prairie and wooded trails around wetlands. Great for bird watching and nature walks. The lake loop trail is my favorite hike, it's about 4.5 miles, and takes you along prairies, wetlands and some wooded areas.
Huge forest preserve with miles of trails. I did a 5 mile hike around Nelson Lake. Mix of grass, dirt, and paved trails.
Nice 👍🏼 place for morning or evening jogging 🏃♀️ 🏃♂️, walking and running 🏃. Pleasant peaceful place for mediation. Nice scenery of lake and bird chirping. Notices indicate that this is a quite old glacier place. Nice to go here for a fresh oxygen.
This was my first time here. Trails are wide with plenty of room to walk. The picnic shelter was clean, as were the bathrooms. There must be another entrance to this preserve to reach a second picnic shelter.
Trail conditions & character
“It’s best place for low mood times or if you are tired or stressed to feel refresh air (with better oxygenated air) that makes life lighter and beautiful.”
“Beautiful spot with amazing views, perfect for a quiet fall sunset, plenty of birds and other wildlife to see!”
“Lovely place for a low grade hike in very pleasant restored prairie with a little bit of wooded area and many path options.”
“It has a collection of smaller 1-2 mile loops/trails that you can connect together and walk between either paved/mowed/etc depending on your preference”
“The lake loop trail is my favorite hike, it's about 4.”
“I they have a public bathroom and water and a shelter with picnic tables that you can reserve.”
“5 miles, and takes you along prairies, wetlands and some wooded areas.”
“I got there Monday around 6am and there was no one in the parking lots.”
Plan your run at Dick Young Forest Preserve
The practical stuff
- AccessDawn to dusk — the gates close, so do not plan a run that finishes after dark
- SurfaceMixed — more than one surface along the route, so check the segment you plan to run
- Loop distance5 mi back to where you parked. Long enough for a real long run.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking, restrooms — reported by runners
- DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
- Stroller / wheelchairReported as smooth and step-free enough for a running stroller or a chair.
- Websitekaneforest.com
- Phone+1 630-232-5980
- Social Instagram · Facebook
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