Ahh. My favorite place to hike. I can spend all day here on the trails. It's nice and clean and every now and then you get to see some deer or a wild turkey. I can't wait to get out and enjoy some sun again.

Review Date: September 29th, 2013 I remember coming here a few times as a kid on field trips. It was awesome as kid. They taught us about animals, bugs, nature and everything else outdoorsy. Then we got to hike a smaller trail as a group. Maybe this is what caused me to be such an avid outdoors person. Coming back here after about 2 decades was a huge nostalgic trip. Nothing had changed from what I remember as a kid. I’m sure things have been changed and updated since the early 90’s, but it still retained that feel and look I remember as kid. The main building has set hours, but I do believe you can hike there before they open, as long as you follow the rule of ‘no hiking before sunrise and after sunset’. Don’t quote me on that. Inside the building is a small gift shop. There are quite a few learning activity areas to enrich yourself on local foliage and fauna. They hold a lot of events here, so you are surely able to drop in once a week and encounter some fun activity going on. There are plenty of trails to hike. If you want a quick hike, they have short trails. If you desire something challenging, you can hike some tough trails. Just be careful, I know a few people who have wandered off the path and ended up in a business area of Peoria Heights. The last time I was there, they had a 100-mile hike challenge. It was $10-15 to sign up and you record your hiking distances in a book there. Once you reach 100 miles, you get an award of some sort. I think it was a t-shirt and a certificate. Ive been wanting to sign up for it since I learned about it. But life gets busy. :/ Parking is plentiful but be warned; its a popular place, so there is usually a good amount of cars there at all time. But you shouldn’t have a problem most of the time finding a parking spot. If you are native to the area and haven’t been here, do yourself a favor and check it out. If yo are from out of town, also do yourself a favor and stop by for a quick hike. You won’t regret it.

I took my daycare kiddos to the Forest Park Nature Center for a free nature hike for young children which was organized by Susie (from the library). There we meet another Susie and Carrie. Carrie took us around the trail were we saw much wildlife and beautiful plants, she was also very knowledgeable about her plants too with was nice! During our hike we were in the shade alot so we didn't have to worry too much about getting overheated. Afterwards we went back to the center and Carrie pulled out a turtle so the kiddos have some one on one interaction. Found out that the beautiful tree (that is inside the building) was actually created by the same company that created the "Tree of life" at Disneyland which is beyond cool! There were also some very cool pictures and things to learn from inside! Thank you everyone for all the hard work you do and for providing this free activity for my littles!

Loved it. My favorite hiking spot in Peoria

Amazing hiking trails. On the strenuous side, hill-wise, with lots of rest areas. So much wildlife late June around dusk. Turkeys, deer, squirrels, many birds calling. Wonderful tree variety. Trails are well marked. Robin's Wake is the farthest in but well worth it if you have the time! It was remarkably uncrowded when I went, saw maybe a handful of other hikers in the two hours I was there.

Went for a nice walk in this trail. Got to see some deer, squirrels, and a few different birds. Very nice to walk it during this time of the year. Nice shade provided by the tall trees and the cool air of fall made the walk super enjoyable. Would definetely recommend it to others. Is like a 3 mile loop and I had forgotten my walking tennis shoes wh3n we flew in so only had flip flops for the walk. So that's what I used for it and was pretty good. Besides getting my feet a little dusty from the dirt in the trail lol Is a very easy trail in my opinion. I would suggest it to others, espcially family with kids since the trail is pretty begginer type.

Went hiking, it was so beautiful. The trails are very well maintained and clearly marked. Would highly recommend for anyone who enjoys nature!

Beautiful nature preserve with open welcoming visitors center with gifts, exhibits, community info, loaner hiking sticks and clean indoor restrooms. Even when the visitors center is closed. We visited Mother's day and while it was steady it did not seem busy. Dog free is important to note. Wonderful place to observe birds and more natural growth forest area. We crossed a few little bridges but everything was currently dry. I would like to visit again after some rain. Medium trails were a challenge for my knees but the park had a really nice easy trail loop that goes across the street and is accessed by a public way through a private companies parking lot. The visitors center is attended and the staff lady I met was very helpful and kind. Park is particularly beautiful with Autumn leaves right now. Well placed benches for breaks at the top of most steep pathways.

This is a fantastic place to visit if you love trails! As a trail runner, I found the outer loop trail a fantastic workout with plenty of elevation changes and variety of terrain. It was almost exactly a 5K run around the park, and the route included some very challenging hills, but the trails are in terrific shape. Very well-maintained, with lots of signage and lines of travel (stairs vs inclines, for example). I wasn’t able to see everything on my run, so I’ll definitely be coming back again as a visitor from the Quad Cities.

Absolutely beautiful. I heard turkeys. I saw squirrels and deer. I went on the small 1 mile trail but I'll be heading back to walk the longer tails.

We did the luminary walk this weekend and it was really beautiful and fun. Lots of fun items for sale in the shop and we got to hear some really great live music.

Beautiful park with easy hiking trails in Peoria. Great views - a little bit of an incline on some trails. Small gift store/nature center. Parking lot at the base of the trails. No pets allowed on trails, understandable. Very peaceful escape.

Trails are exceptionally well marked and maintained. A beautiful place to enjoy nature and get some exercise. I saw several deer and many other small critters on my hike.

We've done a few of the trails there, and have seen deer, wild turkey, squirrels, chipmunks, various butterflies, and plenty of different birds. Some of the trails can be challenging for new hikers, but there's plenty of variety of difficulty levels.

Incredible hiking trails. The paths were nice, there was a variety of level paths and inclined paths. I was pleasantly surprised, and would suggest it for anyone who enjoys a nature walk, very peaceful. I went on a weekend and the trails were not too crowded.

This is my favorite place to hike in the Peoria area and holds a special place in my heart. My fiancé and I went here on some of our first dates, and we got engaged here. I also recently had my bridal shower in the nature center building. Love it! The only sad thing is that dogs are not allowed.

Well groomed and marked trails. There are some very steep hills, but there are also some flat spots. I always see deer. Very pretty and quiet.

Nice nature center with interesting and informative educational material about local flora and fauna. I think they have kid's programs at times. The trail around it is fairly easy but does have a few hundred feet incline.

Went hiking there a few weeks ago during peak fall colors, it was very beautiful. Planning to return soon

Trails are well maintained and marked. The outside loop is about 3 miles and offers well balanced easy to hard trail. Though we didn't see deer or turkey on this particular hike we did find a turkey feather.

Attended spooky hike last evening & had a great time! Cassie was our guide & really made it a fun experience. We learned some habits of nocturnal animals that I'd never known .she made it a fun experience with some interactive games with our group.