Prairie Springs Park / Jerome Creek Preserve in Pleasant Prairie

 

Prairie Springs Park has over 900 acres of parkland, including Lake Andrea and the Jerome Creek Nature Preserve. There is a 2.3-mile asphalt walking/jogging trail around Lake Andrea.

 

Donald Hackbarth Trail: the entrance is accessible across from the Lake Andrea beach pavilion and branches into a series of naturally surfaced or wood chipped trails, starting from the Lake Andrea beach pavilion and heading northwest through the woods and wetlands. The Hackbarth Trail extends two miles including access to an observation deck overlooking the wetlands as well as a boardwalk and bridge over the Des Plaines River, looking out toward the Jerome Creek Preserve.

 

This environmentally sensitive area contains the Des Plaines River, floodplains, shorelands, wetlands, and wildlife habitat areas. The Des Plaines River open space area is comprised of roughly 750 acres of preservation lands. It offers opportunities for both passive recreational and preservation activities including walking/hiking and bird watching. This open space area is open to the public from sunrise to sunset, year-round.

 

Prairie Farms Trail: the trailhead for this crushed-stone biking path is in the northern part of Prairie Springs Park. Two miles long and bounded by farmland to the east and Des Plaines River Floodplain to the west.​

 

Amenities include two children’s tot lot playgrounds, sand volleyball pits, softball fields, archery range, a swimming beach and rentable pavilion, windsurfing, fishing (even in winter), and boating (paddleboards, canoes, and kayaks are available to rent). Also, next to Lake Andrea there is an enormous indoor municipal recreation facility, the RecPlex, reputed to be the largest in the nation.

 

For more information go to the Pleasant Prairie website.

For a trail map, click here.

 

Gallery (click to enlarge)