Outside
Chicago
Style
With over 70,000 acres of forest preserves, parks, shorelines, ziplines, hiking trails, biking trails, kayaking, camping, and more, Cook County is designed with the outside in mind. Come explore all of the adventure you didn’t know existed right Outside Chicago.
Want to spend your weekend camping without spending your weekend stuck on the highway? Come pitch a tent and build a bonfire on one of the many Forest Preserves campsites Outside Chicago. We’ll bring the moonlight. You bring the marshmallows.
Why weave around traffic when you can weave around the lakes, meadows, and forests Outside Chicago instead? With magnificent miles and miles of paved trails, your ride could be a lot more scenic (and safer).
Spending too much time in front of a screen like the rest of us? Well, grab some binoculars and come binge-watch 283 species of birds instead. First time birding? Join one of the free guided tours put on by the Forest Preserves of Cook County.
Getting outside is all about having fun, and you can literally horse around out here. Come saddle up and explore our woodlands and grasslands while trotting along one of our many unpaved trails.
You don’t have to travel far to reel one in around here. Grab your tackle and cast your line into the Forest Preserves’ lakes and lagoons Outside Chicago. There’s plenty to catch, from bluegill to bass, but it’s not really the fish you’re after, is it?
Of course we’re close to one pretty well-known lake, but there are many more ways to enjoy the water around here. From Tampier Lake to the Skokie Lagoons, Cook County is full of wonderful water activities. Come rent a boat or bring your own.
Whether you’re looking to walk, run, ride, or hike, our unpaved trails are the perfect natural setting for a rejuvenating stroll or a sweaty workout. And with over 200 miles of Forest Preserves trails to choose from, you can gain a new perspective each and every time.
Come climb out of your comfort zone. With adventure courses for all ages, the ziplines, rope ladders, and treetop obstacles Outside Chicago offer the most exhilarating views this side of the Sears Tower—we’re all still calling it that, right?
Come discover the natural diversity of Cook County. Each of our six Nature Centers offers programs and displays about our plant and animal neighbors, which includes a small herd of Elk occupying a 17-acre pasture in Busse Woods. Who knew!?
Follow Us Outside
About
Activities
Activities
Explore
Cook
County's
Great
Outdoors
Outside Chicago is part of the Cook County Tourism Alive program, under the direction of the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development. Outside Chicago promotes outstanding outdoor experiences throughout suburban Cook County. Look for more ways to “get outside” in the days ahead.
Other elements of Cook County Tourism Alive include supporting hospitality jobs and career paths, seasonal regional marketing campaigns and targeted programs produced by five area convention and visitors bureaus. Funding is made possible by Cook County utilizing its distribution of federal American Recovery Plan Act dollars.
