Hidden Oaks Purchase Finalized, Will Reopen This Summer

BOLINGBROOK, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County now owns the 33-acre Hidden Oaks Nature Center and Hidden Lakes Trout Farm in Bolingbrook after the purchase was finalized on Feb. 10, according to a release from the preserve.

The Hidden Oaks, Hidden Lakes site is located immediately south of the Forest Preserve’s 249-acre Whalon Lake preserve. A DuPage River Trail boardwalk, completed in 2015, connects the two sites, the preserve said.

The acquisition will have a tremendous impact on what the Forest Preserve District can offer residents in northern Will County, and it creates a unique opportunity to serve a more populated area, said Ralph Schultz, the Forest Preserve District's executive director.

“When combined, the Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Hidden Lakes Trout Farm, Whalon Lake preserve and the DuPage River Trail will provide dozens of program opportunities,” Schultz said in a release. “Almost all our programs and events are free to the public, and we’re thrilled at the chance to bring additional programming closer to home for the residents of Bolingbrook and surrounding communities.”

The Forest Preserve bought the site from the Bolingbrook Park District, which was looking for ways to reduce its long-term bond and interest debt, according to the preserve. The sale of the site guarantees that it will be preserved and kept open for public use by a larger organization that has more resources and is expert in environmental education and conservation, said Park District Executive Director Ron Oestreich.

The purchase price was $2.7 million, payable in three installments, the preserve said. The money is coming from the Forest Preserve’s reserve fund.

Hidden Oaks Nature Center, located at 419 Trout Farm Road, is around 7,000 square feet. It features a large pavilion with a fireplace, an outdoor amphitheater, a green roof and historical and nature exhibits.

Hidden Lakes Trout Farm consists of four fishing ponds, which are adjacent to the east branch of the DuPage River, and a portion of the DuPage River Trail. The existing bait shop was demolished by the Park District and a larger bait shop/concessions stand is being built by the Forest Preserve, the preserve said.

In addition to bait shop construction, the Forest Preserve will reconfigure the interior space at Hidden Oaks in the coming months and years to include a larger exhibit gallery, a new reception area and a larger rental space upstairs. The site also will get additional parking, new signage, an expanded trail system and new campus exhibits.

This is the first time the Forest Preserve is acquiring an existing nature center. Even with some planned short-term and long-term improvements to come, reopening this facility will be easier and quicker than others in the past, Schultz said.

“We’re really good at reusing things,” he said in a release. “But this is the first time we don’t have to kind of strip everything down and build it back up. So, this is a great opportunity for us, one in which we can walk right in and start to do what we do.”

The nature center will reopen this summer; hours will be Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4 p.m.

The four fishing ponds will also reopen this summer, the preserve said. Going forward, the preserve will be open seasonally, 8 a.m. to sunset, April 1 through Oct. 31.

The new bait shop, which will include a public bathroom, overhang and a storage room, is expected to be completed by summer, according to the preserve.