Lisle, IL 60532
(630) 968-0074

During the summer, the mosquitos are the worst I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been in both Southern Florida and Louisiana during the warm weather. Picture walking briskly - and I’m around six and a half feet tall, so picture what "briskly" means for me - lifting up your arm, swatting and taking out ten of the little things with a blow. Really, seriously, bring your insect repellant, or failing that, stick to the northern half of the park, where the bugs are less numerous in most years. But give serious thought to bringing the deep woods off, because missing the Burr Reed Marsh would be a shame, and let’s keep this in perspective - they’re just mosquitos. It’s not like I’m reporting the presence of rabid grizzlies and telling you to bring a taser. Simple preparedness should solve this problem, or at least greatly reduce it.
The best part of the park, I think, is to be found on loops three and four, where the woods are the densest, especially along the stretch of loop three between the junctions with loop four. Get to that stretch on a bright day, and you’ll be treated to the sight of a tall coniferous forest, a "cathedral in the pines", stretching out over gently rolling hills and ravines. The Arboretum offers a nice and needed remnant of nature surviving in the middle of the suburban sprawl, probably the best that could exist in that location, and even if it isn’t the Redwoods, it will give a local visitor plenty of reasons to keep coming back. I’m just not sure that a visitor from elsewhere would see any reason to make the trip.

Yelp Rating: Four Stars

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