Visit Chicago Area Morton Arboretum for Year-Round Outdoor Fun

The Chicago area Morton Arboretum is an incredible 1700 acres of conservation woods, trails, lakes, prairies, and gardens. I've been a regular visitor to the Morton Arboretum for about 25 years and still haven't seen all it has to offer. Open all year, the Morton Arboretum's beauty changes with the seasons. Observe a range of floral colors in the spring and summer, a riot of red, yellow, and orange foliage in the fall, and the stark cool beauty of dark trees against snow during a cold Chicago winter.

The Arboretum gives all visitors a chance to appreciate nature and its beauty according to their preference and exercise limits. Visitors to the Chicago area Morton Arboretum can walk along short paved trails, longer wood chip covered forest trails, or some more challenging dirt trails that go even deeper into the woods. The 16 miles of hiking trails can take you past thousands of species of trees, shrubs, and plants. Some trails circle around lakes or wind through a natural prairie. Be sure to consult your Arboretum map as you wander along the trails, and look for the special markers. A friend and I once lost our trail and ended up on the outskirts of the Arboretum, and it took awhile to find our way back.

One of my favorite parts of the Arboretum has always been the paved road trails that allow you to drive a car, ride a bicycle, or jog along beautiful wooded trails. Driving along the winding paths is a relaxing way to enjoy the Morton Arboretum, to take a break out of the busy Chicago lifestyle and slowly cruise through the woods. Taking the car along the nine miles of road also allows the less physically fit of us, including small children and senior citizens, to see a large part of the natural Arboretum beauty that would otherwise be too far to walk to. Nothing compares to driving through natural archways of golden, orange, and flame red leaves during the fall season.