Hiking Fel-Pro RRR Preserve

Fel-Pro Corporation was an auto parts manufacturer. The family that owned the company bought this property in 1983 as a private park for its 2800 employees and their families to provide RRR -- Rest, Relaxation, and Recreation -- in the form of picnic areas, volleyball, fishing, summer camp for the kids, and day excursions. In 1998, Fortune Magazine ranked the company as the fourth-best place to work in the country! When they sold the company in 1998, they donated this 7.5 million dollar property to the McHenry County Conservation District, The Nature Conservancy, and Metropolitan Family Services. The MCCD now operates the entire preserve.

The preserve sits just west of the Fox River in Cary, Illinois, and encompasses 277 acres of prairie, savanna, sedge meadow, spring-fed lakes, wetlands, a fen, rolling hills, nature trails, and tall kames. The two entrances and parking areas are located on the north side of Crystal Lake Road, west of South Rawson Bridge Road and east of Silver Lake Road. (The address for your GPS is 1520 Crystal Lake Road in Cary.)

Picnic tables are scattered about and two rentable pavilions are available, along with a 9 hole disc golf course, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, a baseball diamond, horseshoes, a swimming pool, hiking, and fishing.

There are two paved loops, one starting at each of the park entrances, leading to mown grass paths that will take you to much of the rest of the preserve. All the trails are groomed in the winter for cross country skiing.

The next two photos show two of the lovely lakes...

...and a cascading waterfall falling from one lake to another...

Trails meander through the preserve and take you to all the various habitats. We hiked 3.5 miles and didn't hike every available trail, most of which are loops, allowing you to create a hike of whatever length you desire. Here's a map of the preserve and a link to the map (click to enlarge.)

140 of the acres are dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve. Here we pass over the wetlands area on a bridge...

... and here we climb one of the kames...

...as we passed through lovely oak savannas...

...and came upon a relic from the past...