Changes Underway at Hogback Ridge Park
We’re making updates to enhance the park experience and support your growing Park District. These improvements will increase accessibility and convenience for everyone who visits, as well as provide much needed office space. As part of these changes, the indoor bird viewing room and restroom are now closed.
A new family-style accessible restroom is now open! Separate from the District Office and nature display, this restroom will be open during all park hours, including weekends.
The Braille Trail – A welcoming way for everyone to experience nature. Click here to learn more about the Braille Trail.
A refreshed nature display – Updates are on the way.
Hummingbird feeders in the native garden – Happening this spring and summer and here for you (and the birds!) to enjoy.
We appreciate your patience as we make these improvements and look forward to your enjoyment of the new amenities. Visit soon to check out what’s new!
…
This beautiful wooded park includes trails that wind through a ravine system with hardwood and pine trees, and a bridge spanning a scenic ravine. White tail deer, wild turkeys and many other species of birds – including pileated woodpeckers – make their home in the park.
Glaciation, which occurred during the last Ice Age, helped shape the park by creating ridges, and melt water from the glaciers helped carve the stream beds.
Many species of woodland wildflowers fill the forest floor in the spring. Look for trillium, Dutchman’s breeches, mayapples, and more in April and May.
The park houses the Mary Barber McCoy Nature Center, where park visitors can watch birds at a viewing area, learn about how osprey were brought back to adjacent Alum Creek Reservoir, and see numerous taxidermied wildlife.
The initial 32 acres in Hogback Ridge Preserve were left to Preservation Parks in the estate of Mary Barber McCoy in 1998. The Park District later purchased an adjoining nine acres, bringing the total to 41 acres. The park opened to the public in 2002.
Leashed pets are allowed on the trails, and owners must clean up after them.
Hogback Ridge Park History
