Half Day Forest Preserve Trail

Please keep dogs leashed and on trails at all times, and pick up after them. Half Day also offers three beautiful picnic shelters, a 3-acre pond for fishing, open playfields and a playground. A footbridge spanning the Des Plaines River links Half Day to Wright Woods Forest Preserve. Together they offer some of southern Lake County's most scenic outdoor recreation opportunities. The Des Plaines River Trail passes through both preserves. Its gravel base is perfect for hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders and cross-country skiers. In the early 1960s, these acres were some of the first we acquired. The old farm fields west of the river remained fallow for many years until Half Day was developed in the late 1980s. This preserve was named for Potowatomi chief, Aptakisic, whose name means "sun at its meridian" or "half day."