Science & Nature
Hike Through the Birthplace of the Atom Bomb, Celebrate Fall, Help Reforest the ‘Big Woods’: 6 Picks for Outdoor Weekend Fun
This weekend’s picks of outdoor adventures will take you on a time-traveling tour of the region’s natural history — from 400-million-year-old rock to an Ice Age “mountain” to more recent remnants of the Atomic Age.
COOK COUNTY: Go Nuclear
This marker sits on the site of buried nuclear waste in Red Gate Woods. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Hands down, the strangest point of interest in all of northeast Illinois is the buried nuclear reactor at Red Gate Woods. Hands. Down.
Basically, a section of this forest preserve served as Chicago’s equivalent of Los Alamos in the 1940s during the development of the nuclear bomb, a bit of history that was given short shrift in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film “Oppenheimer.” But on Saturday this relic of the Atomic Age will receive its due in a presentation by former Argonne scientist Dave Dolak, followed by a guided walk to the site.
The event runs Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; ages 16 and up. Meet at the Sagawau Environmental Learning Center in Lemont.
While you’re at Red Gate Woods, be sure to check out the ambitious habitat restoration project underway.
DuPAGE COUNTY: Cantigny Fall Festival
Mums are the star of the show in Cantigny’s fall garden displays. (Cantigny / Facebook)
It wouldn’t be a Midwestern weekend in October without a fall festival, so round up the family and head to Wheaton for Cantigny’s three-day celebration of all things autumn.
The fest runs Friday through Sunday, with something for everyone to enjoy. There’s a petting zoo and inflatables for the kiddos; live music and a beer garden for adults; and a plant sale and horticulture tours of the grounds for nature lovers.
Click here for more information.
KANE COUNTY: Picturesque Rock
The Les Arends Forest Preserve in Batavia is a sweet little spot along the Fox River. Swing by Saturday to pitch in on a volunteer work day, 9 a.m. to noon, and then stick around to stroll or bike the trails.
Among the natural features to view from the water’s edge: Look for outcroppings of dolostone — Illinois’ 400-million-year-old bedrock, which is usually buried under glacial deposits but is visible here.
LAKE COUNTY: Take a Gander
We love how practically any topography that isn’t pancake-flat in these parts gets dubbed a mountain. That’s the case with Gander Mountain in Antioch, the highest natural elevation in Lake County at just a smidge under 1,000 above sea level.
Hike to the top of the 125-foot hill via an unpaved path and take in the view, and while you’re there, try to picture everything in sight covered 10,000 years ago in quarter-mile-thick ice. What you’re standing on is glacial debris.
McHENRY COUNTY: Big Woods Planting Party
The McHenry County Conservation District has been working to reforest parts of the county once covered by the “Big Woods.”
Join Saturday’s planting party, 1 to 3 p.m., at Coral Woods Conservation Area in Marengo, and help establish oak seedlings.
WILL COUNTY: Scavenger Hunt
(PhotosByMSA / iStock)
The family-friendly scavenger hunt will send you on a mission to help Squirrel find his missing friend Acorn.
Pick up your first clue at the Plum Creek Nature Center in Beecher and away you go. Once you’ve solved the mystery, head back to the nature center to collect a prize.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
