Photo Gallery: Daily Herald’s best drone photos of 2025
Posted December 31, 2025 5:00 am
People walk along the new Eagle Street Gateway Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Naperville. The roughly $2 million project has been funded to date by the city and a federal grant. A retaining wall has been replaced with a series of broad steps and terraces, diagonally bisected by a spacious, gently sloping path connecting river and street-level walkways.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Police and firefighters set up flags at Grafelman Park Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 in West Dundee. True Patriots Care present three memorials across the suburbs, each displaying 403 American flags in solemn tribute to the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 11, 2001.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Andy Yarc harvests soybeans in one of his fields near North Chicago on Thurday, Oct. 2, 2025.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
The Copart auto auction storage yard on Bluff City Blvd. in Elgin is one of 270 storage yards operated by Copart around the world. Copart has more than 175,000 vehicles in their online auction every day, according to their website. This huge storage yard sits between a natural fen and Bartlett Park District’s Villa Olivia golf and ski venue. All the cars have been involved in wrecks and drag marks show where vehicles have been sold and taken away.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Crews clean up the contents of a truck that rolled over on the westbound Lake Cook exit from Route 53 Friday, April 25, 2025 near Long Grove.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Cars leave trails on the snow-covered parking lot in Lake Zurich on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.
A walker stops on the pedestrian bridge and uses their cellphone to photograph the sunset reflected on the icy water of Little Bear Lake in Century Park Arboretum in Vernon HIlls. The park offers two lakes and 2.7 miles of paved walking trails.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
A southbound Canadian National freight train passes the Lake Zurich train depot, which was built in 1899 by the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern, which was merged into the CN. The depot is privately owned.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Ed Graham of Mount Prospect is trailed by his shadow as he skates toward the net at West Park in Des Plaines Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Cracks in the ice make patterns around a small island on Cary Lake in Rotary Park in Cary.This island is about 200 feet long. Rotary Park has more than three miles of walking trails and a pavilion with a fireplace. There is also a pier for fishing and kayak launching.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
A view from an altitude of just over 200 feet provides a unique perspective of an idle construction crane looming over the site of a 301-unit, eight-story apartment building being built at southeast corner of Algonquin Road and Arlington Heights Road on Sunday, April 6, 2025 in Arlington Heights.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Giant kites nearly 100-feet long are flown by the “Kite Guy,” a Wisconsin-based business run by Jake Peters, during the “Go Fly a Kite” event at Graf Park on Saturday, May 3, 2025 in Wheaton.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Fireworks light up a large crowd at the Hometown Fest in Community Park in Palatine Thursday night, July 3, 2025.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
People gather for a ribbon cutting ceremony for the $4.7 million Oak Spring Road Bridge Thursday, July 3, 2025 in Libertyville Township.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
A Metra train leaves the Metra station Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in Cary. There is a provision in transit reform legislation that would give the new RTA board power over land within a half mile of train stations.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Nearly two years after the Graue Mill dam was removed from Salt Creek, it's showing signs of new life with improved habitat and the return of native fish species, officials say. Restoration efforts continued this year with the planting of some 50,000 native wetland plugs.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Fall colors often reach their peak around Columbus Day in the suburbs, and if that’s a general benchmark they seemingly arrived later than usual this season, just before Halloween. A dry September and a warmer than usual October are among the reasons given for their late arrival this year. On Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, there were dozens of people walking, running and biking through Deer Grove Forest Preserve near Palatine, though some, as in the case of the driver of the black car at lower right, simply cruised the roadways of the preserves to view nature’s fireworks.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
The northern lights stretched across the suburbs Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025 giving residents a chance to photograph the vibrant colors of the aurora borealis. A drone photo captures the lights over Route 176 in McHenry County.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
A mobile crane is used to lift the steel assembly of a pedestrian bridge spanning Arlington Heights Road on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025 in Elk Grove Village. When completed next year, the pedestrian bridge will connect Busse Woods with the new The Vue development across the road.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
The shadow of a dog and his master stretch across the Lake Zurich promende on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025 in Lake Zurich, Ill. Boardwalk improvements along Main Street near downtown include new brickwork and landscaping. It’s a popular spot for walking and fishing.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
A walker gets in his steps on Friday, Apr. 11, 2025 along the trails at Courtland Commons in Mundelein, Ill.. The park sits at East Courtland Street at Seymour Avenue and features trails, a nature area, benches and planters and will be home to community festivals and events.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
A Metra commuter makes her way to the station before catching a train in downtown Itasca on March 27. It’s been two years since U.S. Surface Transportation Board members approved Canadian Pacific’s acquisition of the Kansas City Southern, creating a railway that spans North America. As freight traffic increases, first responders are focused on troubleshooting possible blocked crossings to prevent 911 call delays.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
Following a cold and windy day, pockets of snow collected on Lake Zurich leaving a striking pattern on the frozen water in Lake Zurich, Ill. on Jan, 9, 2025. The lake was originally named Cedar Lake but was renamed to Lake Zurich by Seth Paine, an early 1800s settler. The lake is private, but there a few spaces for people to enjoy the water.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
A dog walker strolls among fall-colored trees in Riverfront Park along the Fox River in Algonquin, Ill. on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. A warm and dry fall caused a late start to the foliage color change in the northern Illinois town.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
A handful of soccer players hit the turf on a sunny morning at the Wheaton Warrenville South’s Red Grange Field on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. in Wheaton, Ill. Harold “Red” Grange (1903-1991) played football for Wheaton High School and scored 75 touchdowns. He went on to play for the University of Illinois’ Illini football team.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com