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A new paved path connecting the Lake Chaminwood Preserve in Channahon to the I&M Canal State Trail is now open for public use.
Construction work was completed, and barricades were removed this week, according to the Forest Preserve District of Will County. This new trail section connects to the 61.5-mile I&M Canal State Trail via a 90-foot bridge over the canal.
”It also opens up that area along the canal so users who may have just been using the I&M Canal for recreation or exercise can now easily hop over to see what we offer at Lake Chaminwood,” John Stecyk, the Forest Preserve’s project manager, said in a news release.
The project also included installation of two accessible fishing piers, one on the eastern section of the lake and another on the western section of the lake, according to the forest preserve district.
The new trail connection to the state-owned I&M Canal State Trail also links to two other Forest Preserve properties - Lower Rock Run Preserve and McKinley Woods area and the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center.
Connecting to the state-owned I&M Canal Trail opens the possibility to travel west to LaSalle County. The trail connection and the additional fishing piers make the preserve a recreational hub, Stecyk said.
”I would encourage anyone who hasn’t visited Chaminwood for a while or has never visited Chaminwood to come on down and see all the variety of activities that you can do here,” Stecyk said.
This is the second phase of forest preserve district improvements at Lake Chaminwood Preserve, which was a former quarry site and opened as a preserve in 2012.
Phase one, which was completed in June 2023, more than tripled the parking lot from 21 spaces to 74, created a new entrance, and included an accessible kayak launch and a welcome plaza.
The plan is also for the DuPage River Trail, which is being built by multiple entities over many years, to connect to Lake Chaminwood, according to the forest preserve district. It will be the southern terminus for this multi-jurisdictional trail.
The improvements at Lake Chaminwood were made possible with support from The Nature Foundation of Will County. For information on Lake Chaminwood and the Forest Preserve District of Will County, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.