Busse Lake
Busse Forest Nature Preserve
E Higgins Rd/Route 72
East of I-290/Hwy 53
Cook County, IL 60007
(708) 366-9420
The Ned Brown Preserve is a 3700 acre holding located in northwestern Cook County near Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, and Rolling Meadows. It’s one of the largest and most diverse preserves in the Forest Preserves of Cook County system. This preserve, also known as Busse Woods, surrounds Busse Lake, a 590 acre lake that serves as the focal point of the area. The forest preserve is one of the most popular outdoor spaces in the Chicago suburbs.
Busse Woods features nearly 13 miles of paved trails, including a 7.3-mile loop and additional spurs, ideal for biking, walking, jogging, and rollerblading . The Busse Woods Bicycle Trail is located throughout the Ned Brown Preserve and is a Class I bicycle trail currently 11.2 miles long. It winds through the meadows and forests around Busse Lake. Hikers can also use the trail but should yield to cyclists. Trails are flat and shaded, great for families and casual users. On our walk, we were able to get in about a mile on the scenic trail before the sunset and it got dark on us.
- click for a trip report from this hike in the Ned Brown Forest Preserve: May 4, 1993
- click for a Daytimer report from this hike to Busse Lake: May 4, 1993 (password required)
- click for a park map of the Ned Brown Forest Preserve
- click for a trailhead map of the biking trail in this county park
- clock for a topographical and profile map of a loop hike around Busse Lake (password required)
- click for a hike we did later this week in the Linville Gorge Wilderness
- click for a hike we did later this month in the Kettle Moraine State Park
- click for more hikes in the State of Illinois