Deer Grove Forest Preserve

Has a lot of paths and routes to go on. Some paved some are not. Cool place to go bike walk or run.

We visited the Preserve and specifically Camp Reinberg this past weekend. The campground is wonderful. Everything is near brand new and well cared for. The campstore is stocked with everything you need from ice and firestarters to even sleeping bags and tents. There is staff on site at all times. And they’re very helpful with everything from making sure your fires start at night, to hauling in your gear when you first arrive.
It is also nice that you get the quiet and remoteness of the forest preserve but can head out to more urban areas easily. We visited the Palatine Farmer’s Market (and Starbucks) early Saturday and then headed back to take a hike in the Preserve – hard to do most camp sites!

Being new to the Chicagoland area I learned the hard way that the Deer Grove Forest Preserve East has no tree protection from the sun. A nice running loop that can be brutal on a hot day.
I came out to the Forest Preserve West this morning and was very pleased. It reminded me of my favorite running parks in the DC suburbs; multiple looping trails, some paved, some gravel, some dirt; a chance to escape in the woods. I will definitely be back.
A note to other impatient map readers; i was looking for the 5+ mile yellow trail but mistakenly got onto the orange trail (yellow trail starts out at Dundee and not in the parking lot)… It wasn’t a big deal, I was able to cross over to yellow and the trails are well marked.
You are (or at least feel) pretty isolated, so I am not sure I would recommend a woman come out alone.

This is my local forest preserve and I love this place. The kids can wander around and burn off energy and there is a 2.8 mile paved loop (great for walking, jogging, biking, etc.) that lets me burn off the stresses of the day. Also, for those of us that are more adventurous, there’s a non paved trail that lets you disappear away from the noise of the suburbs for a while and get a tiny sense of what it’d feel like to get away from it all :)

Came here to run a race. This forest preserve is pretty much along the lines of any forest preserve in the northwest suburbs. It is a nice area to be one with nature with paths for walking, running, or biking. They also have several picnic areas with tables and benches. These spaces are perfect for a grill out or a family party.

Being an avid runner, I’m always looking for different trails in the area to run on. I’m currently training for the Chicago Marathon, and have some pretty lengthy runs to get in, so doing the same trail over and over can get really boring. I love this trail, one because it’s conveniently close to my house, and two it’s usually pretty quiet and I know I don’t have to be scared running there by myself. I truly enjoy this trail and would say I frequent it at least 5 times a week.

Deer Grove is a forest preserve for all seasons and my little escape from the normal hustle of life — cars, cell phones, TV, etc.
On the plus side:
Beautiful trails, tons of deer, some peace & quiet, two super nice sledding hills, the lake in the middle, the leaves in Fall, decent biking trails, and fun longboarding roads!
I love to go to the the far west side where the creek is meandering, I think it is the most beautiful part of the preserve and you are left mildly secluded. Once you get far enough into the forest the sounds of the surrounding cites slowly fade away and you are left with a peaceful place you walk, run, bike or whatever it is you like to do. The name says it all, there are deer everywhere! I think after going to Deer Grove for the past 4 years, a countless number of times, there is a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance of seeing a deer especially in the morning or at dust. The two super nice sledding hills are fun and well groomed — the big one further in the preserve (almost at the end of the road) is way faster. They have hay bails at the end to stop you from going into the lake but most people stop before they get there. However, with a big-​ol-​running push you can get your friend all the way to the end with enough force to flip over them! The lake is nice year round but is very peaceful in early spring. The Spring Peepers (a small frog with a big voice) make a great background noise for your saunters through the forest. The Fall leaves are amazing here, since the forest is dense at times when the leaves change color you can see a wide variety of beauty. The roads are hilly enough to ride a longboard but since you are in the forest be ready for fallen sticks, rocks on the road, wet spots — just about anything — so wear a helmet! The biking trails are nice if you want to go for a Sunday cruise but … well I will finish that in a little bit.
On the negative side:
Closed mountain biking trails!
I understand that Deer Grove is at the bottom of the city and that water pools and is stays wet for days and that the trails would be destroyed if/​when mountain bikers ride them when it is wet. However, why not have some designated mountain biking trails or try to get people to not ride them when they are wet, maybe a sign —
«Please ONLY Ride Trials When The Ground is Bone Dry (Otherwise we will have to close the trails again and we know you don’t want that)
–DGFP»
Overall there are so many positives it has me coming back again and again, but with a few more open bike trails they were get the fifth star! It is a very great place for an escape to nature, a walk, and a great day!

Weeeeee– It’s Winter!!!
Okay– so maybe I only said ‘Weeeee’ in between a few very solid blood-​curdling screeches while struggling for a full breath of air and being simultaneously pelted in the face with ice cold, uhmmm, well: Ice!
Deer Grove is a decent sized forest preserve located off of Quentin Road in Palatine that I like to hit up for a variety of outdoor activities (NOT cruising). DGFP is ideal for hiking, jogging, running and maybe even biking (I’ll verify that when I re-​learn how to ride a bike again) in the Spring, Summer, and Fall months. And, as the name may have already led you to believe, you can peep a bunch-​a-​bucks here pretty much any time of year.
Now, prior to this past weekend, I probably would have said my fave thing to do here was to grab a thermos of hot apple cider, spy a few Bambi babes, and try to remember which trail will get me to the super neat-​o area of the FP where people have built some really rock-​star teepees out of fallen trees. But post-​this weekend, I’m singing a different song… one consisting mainly of screams. Here– I drew a video. It’s stop motion (just frame your fingers around the characters and blink real hard while panning from left to lower right). Eat your heart out, Tim Burton.
:D :D :D
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Okay, I’ll admit I was just a leetle itty bitty bit scared about the drop+speed but I still did it, is my point. And luckily, it was so cold you could barely tell I was crying after my tear ducts froze shut.
Seriously though– There’s many a good time to be had here regardless of season. They’ve also got a few ponds, bridges, and streams that aren’t quite rampant enough for a competitive game of Pooh sticks. And there’s ice skating once the pond freezes to 4 inches, along with being perfect for snow shoeing and cross country skiing or just a great place to walk your dog and bird watch. They’ve also got a few of those super cool black squirrels and of course– sledding (2 Hills!).
Defo a solid 4 stars, maybe even a 5 in progress.
Deer Grove Forest Preserve: I’ll see you the next time the powder hits the slopes!

I was looking for a good place for some nature hiking in the NW suburbs and found Deer Grove. It has a nice unpaved (gravel and dirt) track that is really long and will leave you pretty tired. My husband and I like to hike but there isn’t much terrain to speak of in the NW suburbs. Not the greatest trail ever, but for the area, it is excellent!

Deer Grove Forest Preserve is in Palatine by Quentin and Dundee. This review is for Deer Grove’s unpaved trails and singletrack from a mountain biker’s perspective.
First of all, DG is a nice change of pace from other bike paths/​trails in the NW suburbs (e.g., Busse Woods, etc.). DG has a ~4 mile paved loop on the east side. This is nice for road bikes, joggers, dog walkers, casual bikers, etc. because it’s quiet with decent scenery, mostly open meadows with some patches of trees. There’s also an unpaved loop on the east side but it’s mostly flat and somewhat boring for biking.
My favorite half of DG is the west side, where there is a ~7−10(?) mile unpaved loop (yellow loop) made up of sections of gravel and sections of dirt. It’s not 100% flat either. There are some climbs, although they are not very steep or long. At the other end of the climbs there are the downhill sections, which are pretty tame but you still need to be careful at the bottom because it’s typically loose gravel with ruts, approaching a corner. you can wipe out if you don’t control your speed/​line. What’s even better is that there are some LEGAL singletrack offshoots, which are pretty slow and twisty, over dirt, rocks, and roots. lots of fun!
Something to keep in mind is that DG tends to take awhile to dry out to the point where there are no patches of mud/​water. Even after almost a week of dry weather, be prepared to come across a few pretty muddy crossings even in the gravel/​dirt multitrack. Not really an issue for me, but others might dislike their shoes/​clothes/​bike getting somewhat muddy.
This place isn’t for you if you’re looking for big climbs and downhills, very technical singletrack, or all mountain type riding. However if you’re looking for an easy XC/​singletrack experience, Deer Grove is great.