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Wolf's Crossing Community Park in Naperville 'substantially complete'

The Naperville Park District's first challenge obstacle course, a nature play area, fitness stations and various athletic courts will be operational this weekend at the city's newest park on the far southwest side of town.

Wolf's Crossing Community Park has been under construction since last fall and is "substantially complete," park district officials said, allowing most amenities to open for public use Saturday. Available features also include a 1.4-mile trail, a pavilion, a playground, a parking area, and courts for tennis, basketball, sand volleyball and pickleball.

"We are excited to provide this park for the community at a time when healthy, outdoor activities are especially needed," Executive Director Ray McGury said in a statement.

The park also includes a splash pad, athletic fields and a multipurpose hill, all of which are slated for completion next spring or summer.

The park district owned the 33-acre property at 3252 Wolf's Crossing Road years before park plans came to fruition. Nearby development eventually warranted transforming the former farmland into a recreation area where families could play, exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

The park amenities were chosen based on "extensive community input" collected during meetings, online surveys and email communication, park district officials said. They also sought ideas for what to name the space before settling on Wolf's Crossing, a suggestion from Naperville resident Ginny Wolf Chivas, whose great-great-grandfather Amos Wolf, along with his brothers, farmed the land in the 1840s.

The $11 million park is partially funded by a grant through the state's Open Space Land Acquisition and Development program.

Near the obstacle course and fitness area is a set of pullup bars that doubles as a memorial, installed by Naperville-based Pull-Up Bars for Patriots. The nonprofit's second fitness-focused remembrance honors the nine military members from Naperville killed in action since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

This winter, an ice rink is expected to open at the park's sand volleyball courts as conditions allow, replacing the rink usually installed at Commissioners Park a few miles south, officials said.

Park patrons are asked to stay off the seeded areas - including the athletic fields and sled hill - until the turf is established next summer. The splash pad is expected to open in late spring, and a grand opening event is planned for May.

  The Naperville Park District's first challenge obstacle course has been installed at the new Wolf's Crossing Community Park on the southwest side of town. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Most amenities in the new Wolf's Crossing Community Park are slated to open this weekend in south Naperville. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Paths connect nearby neighborhoods to the new Wolf's Crossing Community Park in southwest Naperville. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
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