Churchill Woods Forest Preserve
The East Branch of the DuPage River provides more than two miles of scenic riverway frontage as it winds its way through Churchill Woods Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn. The Forest Preserve District has worked to halt erosion along the shoreline, and improvement work has included the addition of emergent native vegetation to shallow portions of the river and the installation of a 10-foot-wide pedestrian bridge connecting the west and central picnic areas to an island.
Location
A shelter is located on the south side of St. Charles Road (first parking lot west of Route 53). The central and west picnic areas are located on the south side of St. Charles Road. The youth campground is located on the south side of the St. Charles Road gravel parking lot, west of the guard residence.
Preserve Maps
- Churchill Woods Forest Preserve map (494.7 KB PDF)
- Churchill Woods Youth Campground map (188.4 KB PDF)
Outdoor Recreation
Boating
The East Branch of the DuPage River slows and widens through Churchill Woods Forest Preserve and provides an excellent location for canoeing or using non-gasoline-powered watercraft, except sailboats, that can be transported on or in a vehicle (no trailers) and that can be carried to the river. Please note that all watercraft must be registered with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Federal and state regulations require that watercraft contain one well-fitting personal flotation device for each member on board and that children under 13 wear PFDs when underway in recreational vessels. In addition, District regulations require that all individuals, regardless of age, must wear PFDs when in private canoes and kayaks.
Fishing
Anglers can make use of the flagstone terraces at Churchill Woods to improve fishing access and will find a variety of species in the East Branch of the DuPage River, including bluegill, carp, crappie, sunfish and largemouth bass.
All persons 16 and older (except legally disabled persons) are required to have in their possession a valid Illinois sport fishing license. All anglers must follow District and state regulations.
Picnicking
Churchill Woods has long been a favorite DuPage County picnic spot with sites all along the river. Ground fires are not allowed, but visitors are welcome to bring grills and to use the preserve's hot-coal disposal containers. A shelter (with provided grill) and two of the open picnic areas on the north side of the river are reservable. Permits are available through Visitor Services at (630) 933-7248 and must be obtained at least three business days in advance.
Trails
Over two miles of trails meander through the woods and prairie at Churchill Woods. While hiking and other trail-related activities are quite popular throughout the year, wintertime brings out cross-country skiers, who discover a new side of nature on the trails. Birdwatching and wildflower hikes are also popular in this picturesque preserve.
Special-Use Areas
Youth-Group Camping
Churchill Woods is one of six DuPage forest preserves that offer camping facilities to youth groups. Churchill Woods provides two wooded sites for tent campers. Both have fire rings, and water, latrines and firewood are located nearby.
Open year-round, these camping areas are set aside for use by youth groups. Youth groups are defined as recognized, nonprofit organizations. Only members of these groups, with their accompanying leaders, may camp in these areas. Camping permits and adult supervision of one leader over 21 years of age for every 10 children are mandatory for campsite use. For permit and other information, call Visitor Services at (630) 933-7248.
Preserve History
In 1833, the United States acquired northeastern Illinois from the American Indians, including the land where a tribe of 500 Potawatomi still lived in a village south of present-day St. Charles Road. That same year, the Babcock brothers, Ralph and Morgan, became the first European men to claim the area known today as Lombard.
In 1834, Winslow and Mercy Churchill of Syracuse, N.Y., headed to Chicago in search of rich farmland after part of their own farm was purchased for the Erie Canal. After their arrival, the Churchills continued west to settle in the DuPage County region on the western limits of Babcock Grove.
The Churchills became prosperous farmers and earned a prominent reputation among the citizens of Milton Township, which they helped to establish, and the neighboring developments of Glen Ellyn and Lombard. Their combined claims would eventually stretch from what is now Route 53 on the east, North Avenue to the north, Main Street in Glen Ellyn on the west and Crescent Boulevard just south of the DuPage River - all bought for the price of just $1.25 an acre.
The Forest Preserve District first acquired a portion of the Churchill property from Eliza Churchill in 1936, with the final purchase of the prairie in 1968.
Natural History
An area just north and south of St. Charles Road is known as Babcock Grove. Named after the area's first European settlers, Babcock Grove is a savanna - an open woodland interspersed with prairie. Hikers exploring the area today are surrounded by bur oaks, black maples and a few scattered white oaks that have stood for 150 years. Many of these oaks date back to 1830 when settlers cut many of the mature white oaks to use in the construction of plank roads. (Sometime around 1860, Winslow Churchill is said to have once complained about all of the traffic noise from the horse-drawn vehicles that clattered over the plank road on St. Charles Road and that kept him awake nights.)
Wildflower enthusiasts can find many species of plants in Churchill Woods, including Dutchman's breeches, wild strawberry, yellow touch-me-not (with its long-seeded pods that spring open when touched) and hairy hog peanut, a legume with peanut-like nodules that grows in an area formerly a grazing ground for hogs.
The Prairie
One of the few remaining native prairies in the county thrives on the north side of St. Charles Road. Home to several state-endangered and threatened species, the 60-acre Churchill Woods Prairie was purchased by the Forest Preserve District in 1968 and named an Illinois Nature Preserve in 1992. The prairie is located in a sand and gravel outwash plain swale of the DuPage River Valley that is embedded in the surrounding Valparaiso moraine. It is the second largest native prairie in the county, with West Chicago Prairie Forest Preserve being the largest. The Sundrop Trail leads visitors on a 0.75-mile trek through a native grassland, a combination of sedge meadow and wet prairie where surface water is usually present during the early part of the year. Colorful prairie wildflowers such as New England aster, bottle gentian, wild mint, prairie sundrops and marsh phlox can be seen in full bloom from spring through fall.
District staff and Natural Resource Management volunteers spend countless hours each year restoring this mesic prairie. Using prescription fires, brush clearing, seed planting and other restoration techniques, workers encourage the growth of native species and preserve one of the county's last remaining natural prairies.
Accessibility
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is committed to making its facilities accessible to all visitors. Churchill Woods Forest Preserve contains a combination of easily accessible features such the parking lot, picnic shelter and latrines.
For special accessibility needs or concerns, please contact the District's ADA coordinator at (630) 933-7683 or TTY (800) 526-0857 at least three business days in advance of your visit.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5000, Wheaton, IL 60189-5000
email: forest@dupageforest.com (630) 933-7200 Fax: (630) 933-7204 TTY: (800) 526-0857