Pine Dunes Forest Preserve

Pine Dunes is one of five preserves and one state natural area that comprise a 5,300-acre regional trail and greenway in northern Lake County near the Wisconsin border.

Described by our natural resource experts as “some of the finest rolling topography found in Lake County,” Pine Dunes features a pristine mix of prairie, savanna and oak-hickory woodlands, as well as scenic streams, marshes, sedge meadows, vernal ponds and other wetland communities.

Approximately 70 percent of the land is upland habitat, while the remaining 30 percent is wetland communities. The Illinois Wildlife Action Plan and Chicago Wilderness have identified these habitats as critical nesting and foraging areas for a variety of birds and other wildlife species.