exterior of the Sand Ridge Nature Center building

Sand Ridge Nature Center features interactive exhibits, programs and knowledgeable staff to guide you through the natural and cultural history of the Calumet Region. Visitors will find native wildlife ambassadors—including birds of prey, snakes, turtles and fish—as well equally hands-on activities and self-guided nature fun. Watch birds at the feeders from the flight room, explore the nature play surface area, stroll through demonstration gardens, learn from the past at the replica log cabins, or walk iv miles of nature trails through woodlands, prairies and wetlands.

On this page:

  • Location, Hours & Things to Do
  • Sand Ridge Campus
  • Walking Trails
  • Events & Programs
  • Field Trips & Hybrid Learning
  • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Rules

Sand Ridge Principal Phone Number Not Working

Sand Ridge Nature Center's chief phone is non working. Please contact sandridge.naturecenter@cookcountyil.gov or 224-501-6634 to attain Nature Center staff.

COVID-19 Visitor Information

All visitors over 2 years of age must wear a mask indoors at all times. Unvaccinated visitors should likewise wear a mask outdoors when physical distancing (half dozen feet from other people) is not possible.

inside the Sand Ridge Nature Center exhibit room showing educational exhibits and turtles
Photo by Sebasthian Picasso.

Location, Hours & Things to Exercise

Sand Ridge Nature Heart

Archway

15891 Paxton Ave

South Holland, IL 60473

Hours

Mar - Oct: 9am - 5pm, closed Fridays November - Feb: 9am - 4pm, airtight Fridays Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New year's day

Closures & Alerts

directions sign for Sand Ridge Campus next to a paved trail
Photo by Sebasthian Picasso.

Sand Ridge Campus

Sand Ridge Nature Centre is the centerpiece of the Sand Ridge Campus.

Explore everything that makes the Calumet Region special at Sand Ridge Campus—a 585-acre nature-based teaching and recreation expanse that invites visitors to learn about and enjoy the natural and cultural history of the area while hiking, biking, line-fishing, camping and more than.

Through interactive exhibits and programs, Sand Ridge Nature Heart tells the story of the area's rare dune-and-swale landscape and its relationship to native plants and animals—and thousands of years of human history. You lot can wait for birds and colorful wildflowers on the Nature Center'southward walking trails, run across a hawk or turtle wildlife administrator, or only immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the woodlands, prairies and wetlands.

Ready to go active? Bike, walk or run the three miles of paved trails effectually the Sand Ridge Campus or stretch your exercise session on an expanding network of local and regional trails.

Go fishing at Green Lake, where you lot can take hold of largemouth bass, bluegill or the rainbow trout we stock each leap and fall. Or savor a different kind of water-based fun on the water playground, slides or lazy river at Green Lake Family Aquatic Center.

From April to October, Military camp Shabbona Woods lets you extend your mean solar day trip to an evening under the stars in a tent or cabin, consummate with group campfires and programs on weekends.

Whichever adventure you choose at Sand Ridge Campus, you'll leave inspired by this wild and wonderful place in the Woods Preserves of Cook County.

Sand Ridge Campus Maps

the boardwalk on the Lost Beach Trail at Sand Ridge Nature Center
The Lost Embankment and Dogwood Trails feature boardwalks over wetlands.

Walking Trails

Sand Ridge Nature Middle offers iv walking trails that pass through a number of habitats including prairies, oak savannas and woodlands on ancient beaches and sand dunes, marshes and ponds.

Estimated Full Length

3.9 miles

Hours

Mar - Oct: 8 am - five pm Nov - February: 8 am - 4 pm Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New year's Day

Closures & Alerts

Events & Programs

Field Trips & Hybrid Learning

Teachers, parents and youth leaders: You tin can apply Sand Ridge Campus equally an outdoor (or virtual) classroom! Our hybrid learning programs serve kindergarten through 12thursday course students and encounter Side by side Generation Scientific discipline Standards (NGSS), while our field trips serve everyone from pre-K to adult learners.

Contact u.s. at 708-868-0606 or sandridge.naturecenter@cookcountyil.gov to discuss programs tailored to your learning objectives.

Sand Ridge Nature Center

15891 Paxton Ave

708-868-0606

Volunteer Opportunities

Help take care of Sand Ridge Nature Center with removal of invasive plants. Come out to this spectacular identify and exercise some good work for nature and friends.

Rules

  • Pets are non permitted on Nature Eye grounds, including the parking lots.
  • Nature Centers are unable to have injured, orphaned or abandoned wildlife.
  • For your safety and for the protection of natural areas, please stay on marked trails. Trails are for hiking only.
  • Bicycles are only allowed in Nature Center parking lots, or at provided bike racks.
  • For the benefit of other visitors and wildlife, please maintain respectful noise levels at all times.
  • Picnicking is not permitted on Nature Center grounds. An adjacent picnic grove can exist opened for pre-registered groups on weekdays.
  • Food or drink is not permitted in Nature Heart buildings.
  • With the exception of h2o or sports bottles, nutrient and drink are not permitted on Nature Middle trails. Delight dispose of litter in proper receptacles.
  • Collecting of whatever kind is prohibited, every bit is the apply of metallic detectors. The fine for picking wildflowers is $500.
  • For the protection of animals and visitors alike, please do non feed the wild animals.
  • Be mindful of endmost times for trails, the Nature Middle building and parking lot.
  • Please report safety hazards or suspicious activities to the Nature Center staff.
  • Cantankerous-state skiing is not permitted on Nature Center trails.