DuPage Forest Preserve plans new trail celebration in Wheaton

Speakers and special events will be part of a celebration of the completion of a limestone trail, with the gathering set at Danada Forest Preserve at 10 a.m. Saturday in Wheaton.

The event commemorates the completion of a 0.4-mile multipurpose limestone trail connection that allows for safer travel between regional forest preserve trails and Wheaton’s bicycle network, according to a news release from the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

The gathering will be held at district headquarters in Danada Forest Preserve, 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton. Attending will be Forest Preserve District of DuPage County officials, including President Daniel Hebreard and commissioners; other local elected officials; representatives from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, preserve neighbors and other guests.

After light refreshments and remarks, people are invited to hike or bike 0.9 miles on the nationally designated Danada-Herrick Regional Trail to the new connection and back. Forest Preserve District police will be on hand for bike safety checks.

Considerable public support for this connection helped the Forest Preserve District obtain a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Recreational Trails Program to fund $200,000 of the project, according to the release. Improvements at the intersection of Butterfield Road and Cromwell Drive include pedestrian signals, crosswalk striping and detectable warnings at roadway intersections.

For information, call 630-933-7200 or visit dupageforest.org.