Greene Valley
Naperville
Maps
The main entrance is on the west side of Greene Road 0.25 mile south of 79th Street.
The Greene Farm Oak Cottage & Barn entrance is on the east side of Greene Road just south of Hobson Road.
The off-leash dog area parking lot is on the east side of Greene Road 0.25 mile south of Hobson Road.
The Thunderbird Youth-Group Campground entrance is on the south side of 79th Street 0.5 mile west of Greene Road.
Hours
The preserve is open one hour after sunrise to one hour after sunset.
General Info
Dogs are allowed at the forest preserve but must be on leashes under 10 feet long. Alcohol is prohibited. Read our complete rules and regulations.
Things To Do
More than three-quarters of Greene Valley’s 13.8 miles of marked trails are open to hikers, bicyclers, horseback riders and cross-country skiers.
Horseback riders should park their trailers on the west side of Greene Road south of 79th Street and do not ride on the Hawk or Caruso trails or in or around developed recreational areas, such as picnic areas, the youth-group campground and the scenic overlook.
Enjoy off-leash fun with your four-legged friends at Greene Valley's 16-acre fully fenced off-leash dog area, which has separate areas for small and large dogs, but you need to carry proof of a valid Forest Preserve District permit for each dog you bring. The area is open during regular preserve hours; it is closed Wednesdays until 10 a.m. for routine maintenance. Visit Dogs in the Preserves for rules and permit info.
Fly nonpowered model gliders and sailplanes at the designated area on the scenic overlook, when open. Operators must have a valid Forest Preserve District permit in their possession.
Greene Valley has dozens of picnic tables and grassy areas where you can spread a blanket. Ground fires are not allowed, but you can bring grills. (The preserve has hot-coal containers for charcoal.)
Groups can reserve the east or west picnic shelters, too. Details are on our Picnicking page.
The 190-foot-tall scenic overlook offers a bird’s-eye view of DuPage County and the Chicago skyline and is a great place to picnic, look for migrating birds or participate in District programs. A road leads from the base of the hill to a parking lot at the top. In addition to great views, this retired landfill provides energy for thousands of area homes from the methane gas it produces.
The scenic overlook is open May 4 – Oct. 27 in 2024. The overlook is normally open to the public on Saturday and Sunday May through October from one hour after sunrise until 6 p.m., weather permitting. However, due to Illinois Environmental Protection Agency maintenance and construction activities, the overlook may be closed during these times without advanced notice.
Natural Features
The 1,388-acre Greene Valley Forest Preserve in Naperville is home to more than 540 native plant species, making it one of the county's most botanically diverse sites. On weekends May through October, its 190-foot-tall scenic overlook provides a bird's-eye view of the landscape and the Chicago skyline. It's a great spot to picnic or look for migratory birds. Greene Valley also offers 12 miles of marked trails, picnic shelters, an off-leash dog area, a model craft area, a youth-group campground and more.
Greene Valley boasts a high-quality oak woodland north of 79th Street, an area one former owner set aside for plant and animal conservation more than 50 years ago. Native wildflowers provide spectacular spring displays.
The savanna between Greene Road and the East Branch DuPage River and the aged oak woodland in the youth-group campground are excellent examples of how plant communities looked in DuPage County more than a century ago.
Greene Valley is also home to more than 370 different kinds of native animals. In its wetlands, waterfowl, herons, egrets and other aquatic life flourish, and choruses of toads and frogs call during the spring breeding season. In its meadows, you may catch a glimpse of a passing coyote or hear the songs of meadowlarks and bobolinks. Walk into the forest, and you just might flush a great horned owl from its roost or startle a white-tailed deer and fawn.
History
In 1843, William Briggs Greene acquired 200 acres of present-day Greene Valley Forest Preserve from neighbor Thankful S. Goodrich. When surveyors mapped the land in 1840, they reported how they "left Brill's wheat field and entered hazel and red oak brush and scattering timber." This and other descriptions of stunted oak trees mixed with thorn thickets and wooded ravines offer an idea of how the area once looked.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County first purchased land at the site in 1926. An acquisition in 1969 — the same year that the District officially named the property — added the historic Oak Cottage, the 1850 farmhouse that William Greene had built. By the mid-1970s, the District had completed its acquisitions at Greene Valley Forest Preserve.
The historical Oak Cottage and Greene Farm Barn at the north end of the preserve stand testament to the land’s early American colonists. William Briggs Greene built the central portion of the Oak Cottage in 1850. It grew wing by wing through the years, sheltering six generations. Simple lines define the exterior. The fireplace and mantel are slightly carved Vermont marble. At one time 16 people lived under its roof.
Buildings were added as the farm grew and prospered. The 14,000 square foot Greene Farm Barn began rising in the 1870s. It was built from locally quarried limestone, and hand-hewn timbers sheltered animals, hay, grain and tools.
William Bertram Greene, grandson of William Briggs Greene, encouraged the preservation of Oak Cottage, the barn and 10-acre homestead for future generations by placing its sale proceeds of $70,000 in The Greene Family Forest Preserve Endowment Fund with the Aurora Foundation, now the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.
