Heller Nature Center

One of Highland Parks hidden secrets. If you live in the area then it can be a convenient get away from civilization and people. You can bring a book and a sandwich and find a quiet bench in the forest.

Wander woods was a huge hit with my three toddlers! We’ve been on a tour of nature centers in the Chicagoland area, and this is one of the nicest. Staff was very friendly. Thanks for a fun day!

Love this gem for a quick walk in the woods, and it seems great for kids, as they have a playground, a nature center, bees, birdhouses, and a small cabin to peer into. I have seen deer here too. Its a small park with some woods, some picnic tables by an open area with birds. It’s better for a short hike or a couple of loops for a longer walk, although with young kids it would be a perfect hike.
They’re open sunrise to sunset. I was here later on a Sunday and there were just a couple of other families here, and lots of birds singing as the sun was setting. The paths are well-​maintained and there’s not any mud, so you can go in sneakers and not worry about puddles. I highly recommend stopping by here, even if you only have 30 minutes to walk. Its a great way to get out in nature without going too far off the beaten path.

I can’t believe there aren’t more reviews of Heller Nature Center.
For the record, this is honestly one of my favorite North Shore places to escape to. When you visit, it feels like time stands still. Located at the north end of Highland Park and south end of Lake Forest, it’s a bit tucked away, but as soon as you approach the entrance and start driving toward the Nature Center, your troubles will slowly melt away. That I will promise you.
The Center itself houses a small nature exhibit for the kiddos, a space where birthdays, wedding receptions, (yes…even brisses), and classes take place. There are various other buildings on the premises near the main building, and numerous walking paths in the forest so you can become one with nature.
Throughout the year they offer camps and various family friendly events worth checking out.
The last time I visited Heller, while driving to the main building, a hawk flew down from out of the sky right in front of me. It captured a live squirrel in it’s mouth and quickly carried it away for a feast. Mind you, it missed our car by a hair.
You just never know what you’ll discover here. But then again you won’t see anything unless you visit!
Please go. I strongly urge you.

We love this place. It’s located smack dab in the middle of Deerfield, Lake Forest, and Highland Park and is surprising how few people know it exists. They offer some very cool outdoor programming for families and the Wander Woods area is great for kids toddler and up. Also a wonderful place for nature hikes and just walking around on a beautiful day. If you haven’t been here yet, check it out.

Great place to bring the little ones, tons of space to explore.

Stopped by this Nature Center a few days back with my wife and daughter. My daughter (20 months), loved it. It was the early evening before they had their summer movie night. Not being able to stay for the move, we decided just to let her explore the bees, fish, bird noises and logs w/​the frog. Once there, you’ll see what I mean. Did not walk the grounds, but there were some nice trails laid out on the map. Staff was very friendly and nothing makes be more happy than seeing my daughter laugh, giggle and explore… all things possible at this nature center.

Great spot!!! I love love love love it! Check it out on a sunny day sometime.

While I agree this is a beautiful facility, I had two horrible experiences here this weekend. I took my kids to the bonfire here the friday night before father’s day. When we arrived, no one was in sight and there were no signs for where the bonfire was or how to get there.
Then for their father’s day events, I called twice to pre-​register. There was no answer either time. I just took my kids to the event. When we showed up they said there was not enough room. River Trails in Northbrook has a much more accommodating staff.

I’ve been here twice this summer for after-​school activities with some of my students. Heller is a neat little nature center tucked away in a residential neighborhood — you’d almost miss it. One day, we learned about bees and had the awesome opportunity to put on some beekeeper suits and check out the bees! The other day, our students were led on a somewhat self-​guided geocaching tour as they navigated the woods with GPS devices in search of signs and treasure. They really enjoyed themselves. Both activities were led by Marna, the program leader. She was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and yet really good with the kids — they actually listened to her! The woods themselves are gorgeous, with many trails that lead through different wooded areas and some fields. I also noticed an old log cabin on the grounds and bird habitats. Apparently, you can also go cross-​country skiing here. I’d love to give that a try. If I lived nearby, I’d be here a lot more often!

Want to hear a story? I went here to blaze a trail with a close friend. He brought along two stogies, so I figured what the heck, I’ll give one a try. Having never smoked a cigar, I had no idea what I was doing. I ended up smoking it way too fast, it hit me so hard I had to sit down and wait till everything stopped spinning. Finally, as were making our way back, I somehow got terrible diahrrea and had to GO, right there on the trail. As I was shouting at my friend to keep going and not look back, I prayed no one else would happen to walk by as I was doing my business. Luckily, no one did, and I felt a lot better after that. Despite all this, Heller is a fantastic place to spend a few hours.

Even with google maps and GPS, we had trouble finding this place, but eventually we made it there despite the crazy snow-​storm. It seems we weren’t the only ones who decided that this first snow fall, after the great big snow melt, warranted some xc-​skiing. We don’t own skis, so we specifically picked Heller because they offer ski rental at a very reasonable price.
We were in the early arrivals group so many of the paths weren’t yet clear, but we broke our own trails. The rental was super easy, the trails were well marked, and we had a great time. I highly recommend this spot for first-​time skiers who need to rent skis. The loops were rather short, so experienced skiers may want to try some of the forest preserves in the area.

First of all, use google maps or the map on their website to get here — Mapquest will get you hopelessly lost.
I came here with a group to go cross country skiing and we had a blast! First of all, it was only $ 12 for rental for the whole day or however long you wanted to be out there. We only lasted about 2.5 hours before it was time to go get some grub! We were given maps for three different trails and got to check out two of them. One of them even brought us to the border of Michael Jordan’s property. This is a beautiful location with helpful employees and great outdoor activities.