Outdoor Activities
The vast open space at Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve allows visitors the chance to enjoy several outdoor experiences at one location. Hikers, bikers and horseback riders can explore more than 12 miles of trails. In addition, close to a mile of the Elgin branch of the Illinois Prairie Path runs through the western portion of the preserve, making this an ideal location to start or conclude a day's outing. Hikers and bikers can park in the lot off Powis Road and take the west loop trail west of Pickerel Lake to access the Prairie Path.
Picnicking - Picnicking opportunities are abundant at Pratt's Wayne Woods and include a picnic area and 100-person-capacity reserveable shelter with a large grill. When utilizing picnic areas other than the shelter, be sure to bring your own grill and dispose of the coals in the coal bins located by the parking lot. Ground fires are not allowed. Picnic permits can be purchased at least 72 business hours in advance at the District headquarters. Call (630) 933-7200 for more information
Horseback Riding - Horseback riders are welcome to enjoy the many miles of trails available at Pratt's Wayne Woods. Because these are multi-use trails, riders should restrain their horses when riding around corners to avoid colliding with other trail users. Pratt's Wayne Woods is host to the Wayne-DuPage Hunt Club, which has been riding in the area for more than 100 years and organizes equestrian events at the preserve. Many horse jumps are located throughout the preserve, but these should not be attempted by novice riders. Horseback riding in developed picnic areas and campgrounds is prohibited. Horse trailers must be parked in the gravel parking area off the special use road across from the main entrance on the east side of Powis Road.
Fishing - Anglers will find Pratt's Wayne's four lakes offer 38 acres of the finest fishing in the county. Pickerel Lake, Catfish Pond, Horsetail Pond and Beaver Slough are all former gravel pits that are stocked periodically with channel catfish and largemouth bass. Bluegill, crappie, flathead catfish and sunfish can also be found in these waters. Anglers will enjoy limestone fishing stations that provide easy access to the shoreline, or they can take advantage of the two floating piers on Pickerel Lake. No boating or swimming is allowed in the lakes. All fishermen are required to follow all District and state fishing regulations, which are detailed in the "Fishing in DuPage" booklet available at District offices or by phone at (630) 871-6401.
Special Use Areas
Model Airplane Fields - Model airplane owners can fly their crafts in the designated special use area located on the east side of Powis Road. This oval-shaped field provides an excellent flying area for hobbyists. All model aircraft flyers are required to have a District permit, which is available at the District offices. Call (630) 933-7200 for more information.
Youth Group Camping Facilities - Pratt's Wayne Woods is one of five preserves that offer camping facilities to organized youth groups. Pratt's Wayne provides two camping sites that hold up to 25 campers each with a fire ring. Youth groups must be supervised by a responsible adult leader at the campsite. Firewood is provided at each area and latrines are located adjacent to the campground. Water is available across the road. Camping permits are required and can be purchased at least 72 business hours in advance at the District headquarters. Call (630) 933-7200 for more information.
Dog Training Field - More than 23 acres south of the model aircraft area have been designated for dog-exercise purposes. Here, pet owners may exercise their dogs without a leash and train them for object retrieval. Dogs must be leashed in all other preserve areas.
Natural History
Pratt's Wayne Woods is located on the outwash plain of the West Chicago Moraine. Made up largely of wetlands, this landscape combines calcium-rich water with wet sandy soil to support unique varieties of plant life more commonly seen near Lake Michigan. The savanna, with its widely spaced black, bur and white oaks, is dotted with spreading dogbane, pale-leafed sunflower and smooth yellow violet wildflowers.
Pratt's Wayne's numerous wetlands provide a lush environment for waterfowl including Canada geese, egrets, great blue heron, wood ducks and the state-endangered sandhill crane. Beaver, coyote, fox, white-tailed deer, red-tailed hawks, screech owls and numerous other mammals and birds also inhabit the preserve's wild acres. In the marsh areas of Brewster Creek, Norton Creek and Fern Meadows, explorers can view great Angelica, marsh marigolds, shooting star and dune ladies' tresses among the more common spotted Joe Pye weed, wild strawberry, black-eyed Susan and tussock sedge.
Preserve History
The area now known as Pratt's Wayne Woods first took form in 1965 with a donation of 160 acres by the State of Illinois. Thanks to the efforts of George Pratt, a township supervisor and a preserve commissioner during the 1960s and 1970s, the Forest Preserve District began to purchase additional lands that comprise Pratt's Wayne Woods today.
The first private land owner of this area was Mark Wentworth Fletcher, a surveyor who made his living in Geneva, Dundee, Elgin, St. Charles and Wayne. Fletcher purchased 320 acres from the federal government on February 18, 1846 and built a farm house along Dunham Road.
After Fletcher's death in 1900, the land changed ownership a few times before Mark Morton purchased it in 1926. One of the founders of the Morton Salt Company, Morton excavated the farm's southwest corner for sand and gravel. Land that was not used in the mineral operations was farmed for grain and corn up until a few years before Morton's death in 1951.
The land was later purchased by a man named Palm, who transformed the area into a sportsman's hunting and fishing lodge. The Palm family had originally intended their park to be their retirement place; however, the State of Illinois had other plans. The State purchased the original 320 acres with the intention of creating a state park. Once this idea was abandoned, George Pratt convinced the County to purchase the quarry area for a forest preserve. In 1974, Pratt expanded the preserve by selling his adjacent 250-acre Maple Spring Farm to the District.
Since the early 1900s, the complex of wetlands in Pratt's Wayne's Brewster Creek area have been artificially drained by a system of buried clay pipes. The Forest Preserve District is now removing these drain tiles to restore this vital habitat, which over the years has become home to several threatened and endangered plant and animal species.
In 1990, plans to form DuPage County's only state park were revived as the State and the Forest Preserve District purchased more than 300 acres in the area of Pratt's Wayne Woods for that purpose. The Tri-County State Park will be located just north of Pratt's Wayne's northern boundary. A 24,000-square-foot visitors center that will also house the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Region 2 headquarters is planned for the site.
![Great Western Trail [DuPage]](_derived/great-western-trail.html_cmp_csi-green-leaf010_vbtn.gif){kind=small}
