Lake Katherine Walking Trail in Palos Heights
This is one of my favorite walking trails. The surroundings are beautiful and the actual trail winds around Lake Katherine in Palos Heights. There is a waterfall to the east which allows a view from the top (I’ve used a few photos of this on my photo slideshow on my Cook County Real Estate website).
You can start at the waterfall and catch up with the main trail, but if you have strollers there is a steep incline going up. The trail is mulched and no bikes are allowed, no picnics nor can you fish. I prefer a pure walking trail over a bike/walking path any day. However, be prepared to empty your shoes of mulch.
If you want to bypass the waterfall you can cross over the bridge which leads you to the circular trail. On the trail is an Herb Garden and a Butterfly Garden. There is also an offshoot going past The Children’s Garden (which seemed a bit overgrown this year) which takes you on a dead-end, one-way path that you have to backtrack on.
There are plenty of waterfowl including ducks, geese and even swans. In Spring it’s fun to see the babies. This is great for the kids. Other animals you might see are dogs taken for a walk by their owners as they are allowed on the trail.
A full circle is a bit under a mile so we always try to go around three times. I don’t think that’s happened in a while though. The last time we walked it Chad forgot Brett’s stroller so we used Elle’s and of course she then wanted it. She hates being in it any other time. Brett was sleeping the entire walk & Elle was crying the whole time so we cut the last walk short.
This is one of the trails we walk the most and it’s located off of Route 83 just west of Harlem Ave. You will turn north when you see the Lake Katherine signs. There is parking to the east of the trail entry.
