No shortage of winter activities at DuPage County forest preserves

Embrace winter with a flurry of outdoor fun in the DuPage County forest preserves, which offer residents plenty of reasons to get outside and play this season.

When there’s plenty of packed snow on the hill (usually more than 3 inches), thrill-seekers can snow tube down the 800-foot run on Mount Hoy at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville. If conditions allow, the hill is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends Dec. 2 to Feb. 25.

Only district inner tubes are allowed. Rentals, which are at the base of the hill, are $10 per tube per day and end at 3:30 p.m.The hill will not open if there are inadequate snow conditions, sustained temperatures below zero, active weather warning, or when wind chill is 10 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

Visitors can also explore Blackwell and Fullersburg Woods forest preserves by snowshoe. When there’s plenty of snow on the trails, snowshoe rentals are available at the Blackwell tubing hill (when open) from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Snowshoes can also be rented at the Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center Monday – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturdays. All rentals are $10 per day. For Fullersburg Woods, call 630-850-8110 for snowshoe availability.

For fans of cross-country skiing, rangers groom more than 50 miles of trails at forest preserves including Blackwell in Warrenville, Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook, Danada and Herrick Lake in Wheaton, Greene Valley and Springbrook Prairie in Naperville, Mallard Lake in Hanover Park, Meacham Grove in Bloomingdale, and Waterfall Glen in Darien. Visitors who aren’t classic skiers should use the inside of the trails to avoid damaging the set tracks.

Ice fishing, ice skating and sledding are allowed at most forest preserves except

Spring Creek Reservoir in Bloomingdale and Herrick Lake in Wheaton. Additionally, sledding is not allowed at Mount Hoy at Blackwell or the closed landfill sites at Greene Valley and Mallard Lake.

The Forest Preserve District does not monitor ice conditions, so visitors go on ice at their own risk. As a guideline not a guarantee, there should be at least 4 inches of clear ice for any activity for one person and 8 inches of clear ice for a group. Anglers can find complete regulations at dupageforest.org/things-to-do/recreational-activities/fishing.

Finally, when there’s adequate snow conditions, mushers can dog sled on the Thunderbird Spur Trail at Greene Valley and on the West Branch Regional Trail, Bobolink, and connector trails north of Mack Road at the McKee Marsh area of Blackwell.