Most of a Hike Lake County Medallion Is Already in Lake Barrington's Backyard

The Lake County Forest Preserves' 2026 Hike Lake County program closes on November 30. To earn this year's bald eagle medallion, you need seven designated trails, and a Lake Barrington walker can get six of them within a few miles of the village, starting with the trail at Grassy Lake. The trails closest to home also happen to carry some of the clearest history in a program that, for America's 250th, picked its routes for their ties to Lake County's past.

A fen, a marsh and a cattle farm each stayed open because someone decided what the land would not become. If you walk them in order this month, the travel log turns into a record of those decisions.

Six credits on four preserves near home

The official program page lists twelve trails across the county. The goal is seven. Two kinds of walks count double: the routes marked with an asterisk, and the "Wild Card," which is a 2-mile walk you choose at any Lake County Forest Preserves trail. Here's how that works for someone starting from Lake Barrington.

That leaves one credit. Grant Woods in Ingleside and Captain Daniel Wright Woods in Mettawa are both 2.5-mile routes that count as two trails, so either one finishes the log with a credit to spare. Biking and horseback riding don't count.

Dogs get their own reward. Write your dog's name on the travel log for each hike it completes with you, and it earns a commemorative dog tag, up to three dogs per participant. All three trails near Lake Barrington are marked dog-friendly. One log covers up to five people, and each household can submit two logs.

Grassy Lake, where the land keeps its own records

The program's route at Grassy Lake starts from the preserve, and the 2026 travel log lists its address as 23982 N. Kelsey Road. The designated loop is 1.8 miles, but the preserve holds 5.6 miles of gravel and mowed-grass trail, with six overlooks across the Fox River Valley and Grassy Lake itself.

The history is in the terrain and the trees. LCFPD describes kettles and kames, landforms left by the glaciers, which give the overlooks their long views. It also points to catalpa, Douglas fir and osage-orange trees, planted centuries ago, as reminders of the people who lived here before.

Then there's the fen. In 2001, the 55-acre Wagner Fen portion of Grassy Lake was dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve, joining 45 acres that had already been dedicated. LCFPD names Citizens for Conservation and Tower Lakes as co-owners of the fen complex. LCFPD also lists the Village Hall lot on Old Barrington Road as parking for the preserve, so the state-dedicated fen and Lake Barrington's village offices share a trailhead.

Cuba Marsh, saved by a group that started there

Cuba Marsh, at 24205 W. Cuba Road in Deer Park, is where Citizens for Conservation, the group that shows up again at Wagner Fen, got its start. According to LCFPD's preserve history, settlers drained the marsh and plowed the prairie, and most of the farmers had sold their land by the 1950s and 1960s. Local residents then formed Citizens for Conservation to oppose the housing development they expected to follow, and helped get the land preserved.

The township's name has an older story. LCFPD notes that Cuba Township took its name in 1850 to show support for an insurrection in Cuba.

The designated route is 1.6 miles. The preserve's main trails cover about 3 miles over gently rolling open ground with views of the marsh. A separate 0.9-mile gravel trail runs to Citizens Park across a boardwalk and a 50-foot timber bridge. Watch the water for pied-billed grebes and American coots, both on LCFPD's list of waterfowl seen here.

Ray Lake, a cattle farm with presidential stock

Ray Lake counts double, and it has the most unusual backstory of the three. Kaye and Edward Ray began buying the land in 1958 for a Black Angus cattle operation. In 1967, the family bought purebred Angus cattle from Dwight D. Eisenhower's farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The original bull statue still stands at the entrance. Of the three trails nearest Lake Barrington, Ray Lake is the only one marked for extra trailside panels in this year's America's 250 lineup.

The travel log lists 23275 W. Erhart Road. The entrance is on Erhart between Gilmer and Fremont Center roads. The preserve page describes a 2.3-mile gravel trail around wetlands and prairie, with three boardwalks and an overlook. The program route is listed at 2.6 miles, so follow the Hike Lake County logo at the trailhead rather than the general trail. The hills in the northeast corner overlook three wetlands. The preserve is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to sunset.

Where to spend the Wild Card

The Wild Card counts as two credits, so where you walk it matters. These are the options closest to home.

• Fox River Preserve, Port Barrington. More than 3 miles of trail through woods, over two boardwalks and along the river. The entrance is on Roberts Road west of River Road.
• A second visit to Cuba Marsh. With about 3 miles of main trail plus the connector toward Citizens Park, you can lay out a 2-mile walk that's different from the designated route. Check the county trail map to confirm the distance.
• Lakewood, Wauconda. The new paved loop is 1.6 miles and connects to the Millennium Trail, so you'll need an extension to reach 2 miles. Parts of the preserve are still closed for construction, and the Nature Play Area has no opening date yet.

Fox River Preserve gives you the most new ground. Cuba Marsh is the easiest to fit into a weekday.

November dates around the loop

Lake County Forest Preserves has scheduled several November walks on these same preserves, two of them at Grassy Lake. All of them require registration.

1. Saturday, November 7, 1:30 to 3 p.m.: Hike Through History, Grassy Lake. An environmental educator and a history educator lead a walk about the land and the people who have lived on it. Adults pay $5 as residents or $7 as nonresidents. Meet in the main-entrance lot off Kelsey Road, and leave pets at home. Register here.
2. Sunday, November 8, 9 to 10:15 a.m.: Sunday Stroll, Fox River Preserve. Meet at the Shelter A parking lot, 28500 W. Roberts Road, Port Barrington. Details here.
3. Saturday, November 21, 9 to 10:30 a.m.: Walk with a Naturalist, Lakewood. A paid program on the site's history and the plants and animals seen along the way. Meet at the Route 176 entrance parking lot. Details here.
4. Sunday, November 22, 3 to 4:15 p.m.: Guided Hike Lake County, Grassy Lake. Free with registration. It walks the program route, so it counts toward your log. Meet at the parking lot off Kelsey Road. Register here.

The guided series also includes walks at Independence Grove on November 9 and Fort Sheridan on November 14. Spots fill quickly, so check the guided hikes page before you plan around one.

Before you head out

• Pick the right Grassy Lake lot. The programs meet at the main entrance off Kelsey Road. The preserve page also lists a lot at Village Hall, 23860 N. Old Barrington Road.
• Check the closure map the morning you go. LCFPD posts live maps of trail closures and prescribed burns, and closures can come from weather, projects or land management. Start at the closures and alerts page.
• Deer management happens after hours. When the district does deer removal, it works at night after the preserves close, on weekday nights between November and March.
• Turn in the log by December 31. You can submit online, drop it at the General Offices or Ryerson Welcome Center, or mail it to Lake County Forest Preserves, 1899 W. Winchester Road, Libertyville, IL 60048. Processing takes 7 to 14 business days. You can choose a hiking shield or a zipper pull/dog tag, one per participant while supplies last.

The oak woods at Grassy Lake and the open marsh on Cuba Road are part of what makes this corner of Lake County feel the way it does. If those views from a Kelsey Road overlook are part of why you love your home, Tara Kelleher can help you show that to buyers whenever you're ready. Get your home valuation and staging plan.