Busse Lake

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.