Be a Trailblazer
Event information
Fee: Free!
Age: All ages.
Contact: 815-727-8700
Event details
This ongoing program runs from Thursday, Jan. 16, to Saturday, March 1.
Join our Be a Trailblazer digital scavenger hunt that will have you adventuring to and through the Will County preserves at your own pace and on your own schedule throughout 2025. The sights and sounds of winter will be present everywhere you visit. Will you see an eagle or an owl soaring overhead? A groundhog emerging from its winter slumber? Can you snap a pic of the earliest emerging wildflowers poking up from the forest floor? Whether you enjoy a quiet stroll in the woods or get your heart pumping on a vigorous walk, the preserves are your playground this winter.
Get started by downloading the Goosechase app to your smartphone and joining our Be a Trailblazer experience. Once you’re in, visit the preserves to complete the dozens of challenges that will have you snapping pics in nature and checking in at various spots in the preserves.
Future Be a Trailblazer missions will be released for spring, summer and fall, with dates as follows:
- Spring: April 10-May 24
- Summer: June 5 - August 9
- Fall: Sept. 25 - Nov. 8
All missions for the winter challenge will be released when the experience begins Jan. 16. Complete as many as you would like before the challenge ends Saturday, March 1.
The Be a Trailblazer experience is sponsored by The Nature Foundation of Will County and throughout the year, more than $10,000 in prizes will be up for grabs.
Prizes funded by the Nature Foundation include kayaks, sleds, Fitbits, Yeti coolers, tent and sleeping bag packs, fishing equipment, hiking poles and picnic packs and more. Prizes will be connected to specific missions and those who successfully complete the mission will be entered in a random drawing for that prize.
And these generous local businesses also have provided items for the 2025 campaign:
Arrowhead Ales, New Lenox; Aurelio's Pizza, Joliet; Big Apple Café, Joliet; Channahon Lanes, Channahon; Country Charm, New Lenox; Craft’d, Plainfield; Delta Sonic Car Wash; Hamburgerseria, Joliet; Heroes West Sports Grill, Joliet/Lemont; Home Cut Donuts, Joliet; Jack’s Car Wash, Joliet; Joliet Area Historical Museum, Joliet; KidsWork Children’s Museum, New Lenox; and Ken Woody Sports & More, Joliet.
Also, Labas, Latte & Vino, Monee; Mr. Submarine, Joliet; Old Fashioned Pancake House, Joliet; Pet Supplies Plus in Plainfield; Possibility Place Nursery, Monee; Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill; Ruby’s Burritos, Romeoville; Gina's Teardrop Café, New Lenox; The Forge: Lemont Quarries, Lemont; Town and Country Lanes, Joliet; Waffles Kafé, New Lenox; and Wild Birds Unlimited Joliet.
Event requirements
To get started, download the Goosechase app to your phone and then search for Be a Trailblazer or enter the search code PQNL75.