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Van Horn Woods
4.4 ★★★★☆ 374 Google reviews · Running trail in Plainfield, Illinois · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Van Horn Woods' 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.
Natural park on a creek offering a bike & dog park, playground, soccer fields & winter ice skating.
What runners say about Van Horn Woods
“Always clean too - people actually pick up after their pets here.”
Updates have been made here with a paved walking path and a disc golf course. We frequent this park but love the updates. We love exploring the forest even though we don't play disc golf. It's beautiful with the birds chirping and tree leaves blowing.
Nice, one size fits all dog park. Also has a huge walking trail, and off-trail trails. Decent playground with swings. A pond there, with a bunch of geese, and dock. Lots of parking. Only complaint is that when they mowed, they did not bag the grass, anywhere.
Van Horn is a large Park area with multiple outlets for entertainment. The park has two parking lots, one on either side of the park. The west side of the park has a playground, fields and pavilions for kids soccer games and the like.
There's a large fenced in area for playing fetch with your dog, some trails, a playground for the kids, and a bike park. Pretty cool! Love that I dont need a permit to bring my dog out to play fetch for an hour while the kids play. Always clean too - people actually pick up after their pets here.
Trail conditions & character
“While the east side of the park has a fair sized, open to the public, double gated dog park that's all open except a single evergreen tree on the side opposite the entry gates.”
“There is also a small pond that people fish out of, a Male/Female restroom, and an off road type of bicycle course with a wooden fence enclosing it.”
Plan your run at Van Horn Woods
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadrestrooms — reported by runners
- DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
- Websiteplfdparks.org
Hours
| Monday | 7 AM–5 PM |
| Tuesday | 7 AM–5 PM |
| Wednesday | 7 AM–5 PM |
| Thursday | 7 AM–5 PM |
| Friday | 7 AM–5 PM |
| Saturday | 7 AM–5 PM |
| Sunday | 7 AM–5 PM |
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