McDonald Woods Forest Preserve

Fourth Lake–McDonald Woods Lake, 3 lakes

7.6 mi · ▲ 108 ft · 2 hr 35 min

Fourth Lake–McDonald Woods Lake, 3 lakes is a 7.6-mile out-and-back in McDonald Woods Forest Preserve near Millburn, IL. The route passes McDonald Woods Lake before reaching Fourth Lake at the turnaround, 3.8 miles in. It is mostly level, with 108 ft of elevation gain. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi738 – 801 ft8.2 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 42.42659, -88.01855
Nearest town Millburn, IL

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Fourth Lake–McDonald Woods Lake, 3 lakes

7.6 mi · ▲ 108 ft · 2 hr 35 min

Elevation 737–799 ft

Out & Back · McDonald Woods Forest Preserve

Trailhead: 42.42659, -88.01855

Weather Sep 20: Rain, high 65°F / low 61° · precip 84% · wind 12 mph · sunrise 6:38 AM · sunset 6:55 PM

Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading E.
  2. 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
  3. 50 ftTurn left, heading NE.
  4. 0.1 miSharp right, heading SE.
  5. 200 ftBear right, heading S.
  6. 50 ftBear left, heading S.
  7. 0.2 miBear left onto McDonald Woods Lake Trail, heading SW.
  8. 50 ftSharp right onto McDonald Lake Trail, heading SW.
  9. 50 ftTurn left onto McDonald Woods Lake Trail, heading S.
  10. 0.4 miPass McDonald Woods Lake.
  11. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Millennium Trail, heading S.
  12. 1 miBear right, heading E.
  13. 1.7 miBear right, heading W.
  14. 0.1 miReach Fourth Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  15. 1.8 miTurn left, heading E.
  16. 1.7 miTurn right onto McDonald Lake Trail, heading W.
  17. 50 ftSharp left onto McDonald Woods Lake Trail, heading W.
  18. 50 ftBear right, heading W.
  19. 0.2 miBear right, heading NE.
  20. 50 ftBear left, heading NE.
  21. 250 ftSharp left, heading E.
  22. 0.1 miTurn right, heading NE.
  23. 50 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  24. 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

57% gravel4% dirt39% unspecified

Weather

RainTemperature 65°F61°
Precip84%Wind12 mphUV0Humidity88%
Rained 0.7″ yesterday (1.8″ over the last week) · trails may be muddy
Hourly temperatureRain chance
70°55° 12 AM: 14% rain1 AM: 16% rain2 AM: 30% rain3 AM: 49% rain4 AM: 68% rain5 AM: 80% rain6 AM: 83% rain7 AM: 84% rain8 AM: 72% rain9 AM: 83% rain10 AM: 61% rain11 AM: 65% rain12 PM: 65% rain1 PM: 54% rain2 PM: 54% rain3 PM: 50% rain4 PM: 26% rain5 PM: 10% rain6 PM: 13% rain7 PM: 23% rain8 PM: 27% rain9 PM: 24% rain10 PM: 19% rain11 PM: 16% rain
Sunrise 6:38 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM9 PMSunset 6:55 PM
Mon 62°55°
Tue 59°53°
Wed 64°52°
Thu 63°57°
Fri 66°54°
Sat 61°56°

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 2.7 mi in (~67 min). Leave by 5:28 PM for the 6:55 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:17 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Toilets at the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

More from this trailhead