Lake Chaminwood Preserve near Channahon to close temporarily for improvements

The Forest Preserve District of Will County will triple the number of parking spaces at Lake Chaminwood Preserve near Channahon and add other amenities.

For that reason, Lake Chaminwood Preserve will be closed to the public for several months starting Thursday, according to a news release from the Forest Preserve District of Will County. The forest preserve expects to complete the project in June, the release said.

As part of this improvement project, the forest preserve will relocate the vehicle entrance approximately 300 feet west along Shepley Road and provide 74 parking spaces (up from 21), the forest preserve said.

Lake Chaminwood Preserve, which opened in 2012 and features a 35-acre lake and a 0.7-mile paved trail, is popular a site, the forest preserve said. But the lack of parking often forces preserves’ patrons to park on Shepley Road, the forest preserve said.

The forest preserve will also install “a new accessible kayak launch, a floating dock, a pedestrian welcome plaza and new pathways to connect the new parking lot to the lake and existing trail,” the forest preserve said.

The second improvement phase is scheduled to bid in June or July. The goal is to complete the work by the end of 2022, the forest preserve said.

Phase two improvements include “two new accessible fishing piers and a 0.25-mile extension of the Lake Chaminwood Trail,” the forest preserve said.

“This short path addition will provide a crucial connection to the 61.5-mile I&M Canal State Trail via a 90-foot bridge over the canal,” the forest preserve said, adding that I&M Canal State Trail travels from Rockdale to LaSalle.

Lake Chaminwood is the planned southern terminus of the DuPage River Trail. Connecting Lake Chaminwood to the I&M Canal State Trail makes it possible for the regional DuPage and I&M Canal trails to be connected in the future.

Lake Chaminwood project funding is coming from three sources: a $750,000 donation (paid in two installments) from the Dollinger family, an $80,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Boat Grant program for the accessible kayak launch and the Forest Preserve’s Capital Improvement Program.

For more information, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.