^{|  Story by Meghan McMahon |}

^3/18/2025

Editor’s note: We want you to Be a Trailblazer this year, so we will be hiking at various preserves throughout the year and documenting it for you. Journey along with us as we blaze a trail through the preserves and hopefully encourage you to do the same.

Some days in March simply can’t be spent indoors. In lucky years, the month is filled with these warm, sunshiny days. Many years, though, it feels like they are few and far between.

Lucky for us, our Be a Trailblazer hike at Whalon Lake was on one of those days when it is easy to believe in the promise of spring and all it will deliver. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the people everywhere all had the same idea: Don’t miss out on the chance to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather because another bout of winter may be lurking in the days ahead.

On our visit, it still mostly looked like winter despite the decidedly springlike weather. We could see some hints of green in the grass and some buds on the plants and trees, but the landscape was still mostly barren.

As we walked, we enjoyed the warmth of the sun in our faces and the sounds of nature all around. We also felt the wind carrying all that warm air northward. And that brings us to our first pro tip: Wind is almost always a factor at Whalon Lake. No matter the season or the forecast, it’s bound to be windy as you walk around the lake. In the winter, you’ll want to make sure to have your hands and head covered. In the warmer months, it’s less of an issue, but if you have long hair you may want something to tie it back with.

If wind bothers you as you walk, consider the direction it is blowing from as you start. For our hike, it was blowing out of the southwest. We chose to start by heading south — into the wind — but then had a nice break when it was at our back on the northward portion before heading back into the final stretch.

The preserve was busy on our visit, probably owing to the unseasonably warm weather. It was the kind of day when people make time to get outside to feel the warmth of the sun on their faces and hear sounds of nature all around. Even turtles were taking advantage of the warmth. We spotted a few basking on logs near the shoreline — the first turtle sighting of the year for us.

SIGN UP FOR BE A TRAILBLAZER AND WIN COOL PRIZES

But Whalon Lake is often a busy place, and the DuPage River Trail is a popular spot for outdoor fitness enthusiasts. On our trip around the lake, we passed cyclists, joggers, dog walkers, hikers and people pulling wagons and pushing strollers. It’s definitely the type of place where it’s a good idea to stay to the right, and if you need to stop for a moment, step off the trail.

We chose to walk the loop circling the lake and also hop over to Hidden Lakes Trout Farm on the short trail spur that connects Whalon Lake to Hidden Oaks Preserve. You can easily extend your hike even more by exploring more of the DuPage River Trail at either end of the preserve. The trail travels 3.71 miles through Whalon Lake, and it is part of a regional trail system maintained by several other government agencies.

You can also extend your visit by taking some time to sit for a spell, either before, after or during your walk. You’ll find benches around the lake and also near the fishing area by the parking lot. Whalon Lake also has two picnic shelters filled with picnic tables, one next to the lake and one near the parking area by the dog park. Picnic shelters are available for use only when not reserved by a permit.

Birds are a big draw at Whalon Lake, waterfowl in particular, as you might expect at a preserve where a lake is the main attraction. You’d be hard pressed to not see at least a few Canada geese no matter when you visit (watch your step for goose poop on the trail), but that likely won’t be all. We saw plenty of gulls and ducks too, bobbing up and down on the water and diving below to forage for food.

Pro tip: If you want to get a good look at the birds on the water, bring binoculars. The path is about 20 yards from the shore, and many of the birds congregate toward the middle of the lake, making it difficult to get a good look with an unaided eye.

On a busy day, you’ll likely see other people with binoculars, spotting scopes and cameras scoping out the birds on the lake. In our experience, people are generally happy to let you know what they have been seeing and even give you a few pointers on where to look.

We saw and heard much more than just ducks and geese. Red-winged blackbirds were making their usual contribution to the seasonal soundtrack, and we also heard many cardinals, robins, house finches, black-capped chickadees and one very noisy killdeer flying around the lake’s shoreline.

While our sightings didn’t include anything out of the ordinary, Whalon Lake is a bit of a rare bird hotspot. Over the past few years, several rare bird sightings have been reported there, including American avocets, a yellow-crowned night heron, a red-throated loon and a black-legged kittiwake. Just another reason a pair of binoculars might come in handy.

As you walk, it won’t just be birds that you will hear. A quarry sits directly east of Whalon Lake, and you’ll hear sounds of the activity there intermixing with nature’s soundtrack.

Don’t let that be a deterrent to your enjoyment. The very existence of the lake and the trail circling it is because of quarrying. Prior to the Forest Preserve acquiring the property, the lake and surrounding area were part of a quarrying operation. You can even learn more about the geology of the area and local quarrying activities from the School of Rock signs stationed along the trail. The signs include a QR code you can use to learn more.