Romeoville Part Of Preserve's 2020 Hiking Challenge

ROMEOVILLE, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County kicked off its Woods Walk hiking challenge on Tuesday. The preserve said this popular hiking challenge is self-paced, so you can go through the list of trails however you want. 2020 trail segments included in the challenge are located in: Crete Township, Custer Township, Homer Glen, Joliet, Naperville and Romeoville.

The 2020 program begins Sept. 1 and runs through Nov. 30.

According to the preserve, Woods Walk hiking guides will be available at the Forest Preserve District's visitor centers. This year an enhanced digital version of the hiking guide has been posted online as well.

This year's "Woods Walk" challenge trails are:

• Centennial Trail – Schneider's Passage, 3.02 miles
• DuPage River Trail, Whalon Lake, 2.06 miles
• I&M Canal State Trail, Lower Rock Run Preserve – I&M Canal Access, 2.96 miles
• I&M Canal Trail, Joliet Iron Works Historic Site, 3.04 miles
• Kankakee Sands Trail, Kankakee Sands Preserve, 2.97 miles
• Old Plank Road Trail, Hickory Creek Preserve – Hickory Creek Junction, 3 miles
• Plum Creek Greenway Trail, Plum Valley Preserve – Burville Road Access, 2.04 miles.
• Spring Creek Greenway Trail, Hadley Valley Preserve – Bruce Road Access, 3.02 miles.
• Spring Creek Greenway Trail, Messenger Marsh, 2.47 miles.
• Wauponsee Glacial Trail, Sugar Creek Preserve, 3.04 miles

Hike seven of this year's designated trails and record the trips in your hiking guide to receive a collector's medal for your hat, backpack or walking stick, the preserve said. This year's medal design honors the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

"People love Woods Walk because it takes them out of their normal routines and gets them to locations and sites they may not have ever considered visiting," Ben Hecke, the Forest Preserve's community partnerships and outreach coordinator, said in a release. "Participants are constantly amazed by the varied biological ecosystems that can be found in different parts of the county, including the savannas, prairies, forests, barrens and wetlands."

Look for "Woods Walk" signs along designated trails and bring your camera along to snap photos that could be entered in the District's Preserve the Moment photo contest.

Hiking guides can be picked up at five Forest Preserve visitor centers: Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon, Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville, Monee Reservoir in Monee Township, Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township, and Sugar Creek Administration Center in Joliet.