Night Hike at Old School Preserve in Lake County, 4.3 miles

Lake County Forest Preserve offers a solar lit trail for us to explore at night!
I called to make sure parking is available after dusk and they said gates would remain open until 9PM.
You may want to bring a flash light if you want additional light.

The first part of the hike is 3 miles on an outer loop. The trail is easy, flat crushed limestone and very wide, no mud, no bushwhacking. Its a nice woodland preserve, well maintained with controlled burns. Part of the trail is the Des Plaines River Trail and there are miles and miles of other options to explore another time.

After we complete the outer loop it will be pretty dark. Sunset is at 4:21 and we will enter the solar lit trail at about 4:45 - 4:55pm. This part of the trail is 1.3 miles long and also goes in a circle. There is no chance
of getting lost in the woods at night.

There are clean well maintained washroom facilities here.

How to find us
When you turn in to Old School you will arrive at a tiny parking lot.
Do not park there. Instead keep going straight and make a right turn.
You can only go right.
You'll see a sign for shelter A B C D E
We are meeting at shelter B

Go less than two tenths of a mile and make an immediate right turn at
the first place you can. This is where we are meeting, Shelter B.
Park closest to the washroom facilities and meet in the parking lot at 3:30.

We'll start walking by 3:40. My cell is 847 757-1230

This hike is cross posted with https://4142298.xyz/chicagohos and my guest RSVP includes members of that group.

MORE IMPORTANT PARKING INFORMATION, PLEASE READ
The road thru the forest preserve is one big 1.2 mile loop.

It only goes one way - counter clock wise.

You will not get lost if you think of this preserve road
like a big clock on the wall.

When you first drive into the preserve, pretend that your
car is sitting at 6:00.

You can only turn right. That means you would be going
counter clock wise. Pretend that you are coming up to the
5:00 position on the clock.

The parking lot where we meet, shelter B, is at about 5:00 or 4:00 on the clock.

If you pass it up you have to go all the way around again
and just keep following the forest preserve road.
Keep staying left, You will end up going in a big 1.2 mile circle and eventually come back to where you first came in.

PLEASE FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS TO EXIT BACK OUT.
I was a little confused because the place seemed big and overwhelming.
But I got the layout figured out. I know how to get back
out of the preserve in the dark :)
You have to make a right turn to get out of this preserve
once the hike is over. Its a one way road and keep following it as it circles around for about a mile.

This hike is cross posted with Trailblazers Hiking Group
https://4142298.xyz/chicagoland-trailblazers-hiking-group/events/302949548
and my guest RSVP will include members of that group.

From the website
Solar Lit
https://www.lcfpd.org/lighted-trails-for-evening-hikes/