Pilcher Park, Joliet IL

Pilcher Park is a large and diverse forest complex recognized on the INAI for its high-quality mesic upland forest, wet-mesic upland forest, and seep communities representative of the Morainal Section of the Northeastern Morainal Natural Division of Illinois.  Other significant features include a Native American burial mound and a reburial site.  Pilcher Park is one of northeastern Illinois’ premiere woodlands with outstanding spring wildflower displays and old-growth trees.  More than 270 native plant species have been documented within Pilcher Park, and at least 11 species of birds with moderate to high sensitivity to habitat fragmentation breed on site. 

Pilcher Park Nature Center is in Joliet IL, south of Chicago. 3.3 miles is the expected distance but we get completely lost at the start. After picking up the main trail, we find our way to the Bird Sanctuary and back.

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We walked West toward the Pilcher Statue and the bridge over the stream. After that? We get seriously lost while still in sight of the Nature Center Building. The problem that we found was that there are too many trails and the map doesn’t help.

We normally don’t recommend trail blazing. We eventually walk up this hill and find primary trail. Of interest is the guy doing donuts with his car in the background. When we first arrived, he produced a lot of smoke and all we could think about was the cost of new tires.

The official trail map is located at https://jolietpark.org/upload/PPNCTra…​. And after a few starts and stops, the hike here is really nice. We are not sure why the smell and feel of this particular nature area is so ideal, but it is.

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We are still not clicking with the trail system and the map. We are at a trail crossing but don’t have a clue as to which direction to go. It turns out that the Hoberg Trail (left) was what we wanted but we were afraid about exiting the park. We eventual meet cross paths again on our way to the Bird and Horticultural Center.

We arrive at the Horticultural Center in time to see a birthday party. If you are interested in going inside the Horticultural Center, call ahead and confirm that it is open. This is a beautiful building and worth the visit.

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Hummingbird Lane Trail is a dirt path originating from the Horticultural Center’s front yard. It’s not easy to see the entry point and the path is big change compared to the manicured trails around the rest of the park. Normally, we like this part of the hike best but we second guessed ourselves about being lost the whole way.

Despite our complaints about the trail system, this is a lovely place to hike. We both really had a good time engaged with nature and that’s the best part of Pilcher Park. In total, we were under 4 miles and the weather cooperated.

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