The Prairie Path and Warrenville Grove: A Neighbor's Guide to the Trail That Runs Through Town
You cross it every time you drive Batavia Road south of Butterfield: a strip of crushed limestone with a little trail sign and, most afternoons, somebody on a bike. That is the Illinois Prairie Path, and Warrenville is one of the towns it was practically built for. Add Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve, which hangs off the Path along the river, and you have a free afternoon that starts and ends inside city limits. Here is how to make the most of it, with the facts checked against the Illinois Prairie Path and Forest Preserve District of DuPage County sites.
The trail in one paragraph
The Illinois Prairie Path runs about 61 miles through Cook, DuPage, and Kane counties on the old right-of-way of the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin electric railroad. The CA&E stopped carrying commuters in 1957, quit freight in 1959, and gave up the line in 1961. A group of volunteers turned it into a trail starting in 1963, which makes it the first rail-to-trail conversion in the country. The piece that runs through Warrenville is the Aurora Branch. The surface is mostly crushed limestone, which is kind to feet and tires and drains fast after rain.
Where to get on it in Warrenville
The Path's own parking list names two Warrenville spots. The first is the lot south of the trail on the east side of Batavia Road. The second is the pair of large lots by City Hall and the library: turn west off Batavia Road one block south of the Path, go one block, and turn north into the lots. Both put you on the trail in under a minute. If you would rather start in the woods, park at Warrenville Grove (details below) and walk north to the Path.
Once you are on it, the geography is simple. Ride or walk east and you reach Winfield Road and, beyond it, Wheaton. Head west and the trail carries you toward Batavia and Aurora, with the Batavia Spur peeling off along the way. The Forest Preserve District notes that the Aurora Branch connects Warrenville Grove to Blackwell, St. James Farm, Herrick Lake, and Danada, so a longer ride can string together most of the big preserves in this corner of the county without touching a major road. If you want a preview of two of those stops, we have a guide to Blackwell and a walker's guide to St. James Farm.
Warrenville Grove: the preserve most people drive past
Warrenville Grove is 127 acres of woods, fen, and riverbank on the West Branch of the DuPage River. The main entrance is on the east side of Batavia Road, half a mile south of Butterfield Road. It is open from one hour after sunrise to one hour after sunset. Dogs are welcome on leashes under 10 feet. There are picnic tables and open grass for a blanket, and a canoe launch onto the river. Two things to know before you go: there are no restrooms, and alcohol is not allowed.
The trail here is short and worth it. A 0.7-mile section of the West Branch DuPage River Trail runs north from the parking lot through upland woods and natural fens and ties into the Prairie Path. Walk it once in October when the oaks and maples turn and you will understand why the District has held this ground since 1923. If you fish, the river is open to you; anyone 16 or older needs an Illinois fishing license, and the District's fishing page has the limits.
The mill under the parking lot
This is the part that makes the place more than a pretty walk. The Batavia Road lot sits where a mill once stood. In 1847 a dam went in across the West Branch to power a gristmill, and by one account the mill turned out 3,000 bushels of feed and 1,200 bushels of rye flour in a single January. Farmers came from miles around and brought their kids, who swam in the millpond while the line moved. The pond doubled as a swimming beach, a baptismal pool, and, at least once, a sheep bath.
Over the years the site held two gristmills and a sawmill. Floods and ice took their toll, and fires in 1879 and 1897 (started by heat from gears that never stopped turning) finished the job. The 1897 fire was the last. The Forest Preserve District bought its first 42 acres here in 1923, making Warrenville Grove one of its oldest preserves, and added land in 1960, the 1980s, and the 2000s. The dam itself came out in 2012 as part of a river restoration, but you can still see the limestone abutments from the 1930s and walk across the old millrace while the water runs over the new riffles. Stand there for a minute. That sound is the same sound farmers heard while they waited their turn.
Trail manners that keep it pleasant
The Path is shared by walkers, runners, cyclists, and horses, and the volunteer group that looks after it posts a short set of rules. Keep to the right. If you are on a bike and coming up on someone, call out "passing on the left" before you pass. The speed limit is 15 mph for everyone. Slow way down around horses. Leash your dog and clean up after it. No motorized vehicles, with one exception: Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes (750 watts max) are allowed on DuPage County trails, and nothing else electric is. Stay on the surfaced trail so the prairie plantings along the edges have a chance. The full list is on the trail etiquette page.
A good first outing
Park at Warrenville Grove on a Saturday morning. Walk down to the river first and find the old abutments and the millrace. Then take the 0.7-mile trail north to the Prairie Path and turn east or west for as long as your legs feel like it. Turn around, walk back through the woods, and eat lunch at one of the picnic tables. Total cost: nothing. If you get hooked, the Illinois Prairie Path group sells memberships that fund trail improvements and posts construction updates for anyone planning a longer ride.
And if you want the deeper history of the neighboring farm before your next walk, the library hosts The History of St. James Farm on Wednesday, October 7. More free ways to enjoy town are on our things to do page. As always, check the preserve and trail pages before you head out, since hours and conditions change.