Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve, IL

Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve is Oak Brook offers a 220-acre prime wildlife haven in an urban setting, hosting a wide variety of wildlife, nesting songbirds and spring and fall migratory birds, especially warblers. It is home to the Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center, which offers hands-on, interactive exhibits and native wildlife on display, and the historic Graue Mill and Museum, which features the only operating waterwheel gristmill in Illinois in its original spot. The nearby Ben Fuller House is made of small timber and one of the oldest balloon-frame structures in Illinois.

The oak woodlands and stretch of Salt Creek at Fullersburg Woods are home to beavers, red foxes, herons, egrets, nesting songbirds, and spring and fall migratory birds, especially warblers. The Night Heron Trail is a popular destination for fall color fans, too.

Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve in Oak Brook offers 220-acres of prime wildlife with a wide variety of wildlife. Also on the property is the Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center, which supposedly has a 13,000-year-old skeleton of a woolly mammoth, and the Graue Mill and Museum, which features an operating waterwheel gristmill. https://www.dupageforest.org/places-t…​

We start with a discussion about the great flexibility Fullersburg Woods offers its visitors with multiple well-marked paths and frequent facilities. This discussion is expanded to national infrastructure needs and desires. Dad makes points to focus infrastructure dollars on electricity, Internet and non-auto transportation. Yes, there is a conflict between public and private property when you compare roads to electricity and Internet. However, there are large sums of federal budget (tax-payer) dollars being discussed in 2021. Legislation raising minimum standards along with low-interest government loans can have a far better outcome for everyone and bridge the public vs private conflict.

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As we transition from the Riverbend Trail to the Night Heron Trail, we discuss the value of good trail markings; samples of which can be found at Fullersburg Woods.

We have walked almost all the way around the Night Heron Trail and find ourselves across the river from the Nature Center. There are some beautiful homes along this walk.

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The Fullersburg Woods hike has obviously generated a lot of discussion about improving society. Maybe that’s due to the fact that Fullersburg Woods and the DuPage Forest Preserve seem to be doing things right at the micro-level, which makes us think about doing things right at the macro-level. Maybe it’s because we don’t waste brain energy when we are not concerned about being lost and instead we can concentrate on bigger ideas such as improving the world. In any case, at this stage of the hike we share our feelings about the American Dream and ideal lifestyle.

Located in the southern corner of Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve, Graue Mill and Museum is one of the area’s remaining authenticated Underground Railroad “stations” and the only operating waterwheel gristmill in Illinois. Use your 360° video controls to spin around and see the Salt Creek.

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We get close up to the workings of the Graue Mill. Be sure and use your 360° video controls and video pause to get a better look at the river channel and water wheel. http://www.grauemill.org​

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