Pitch your tent at Greene Valley Forest Preserve
Residents can enjoy a night under the stars on June 15 during the Great American Campout at Greene Valley Forest Preserve in Naperville.
The campout runs from 1 p.m. Saturday, June 15, to 11 a.m. Sunday, June 16, and costs $20 per person; kids younger than 2 are free. Sponsored by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, it's an all-ages program, but children younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants can register online or by calling (630) 850-8110 and should bring their own tents and camping gear.
In addition to the rare opportunity to camp at the popular preserve, families will enjoy picnic games, archery, nature activities, a guided night hike and an egg-drop contest as well as dinner and s'mores by the campfire and a continental breakfast.
Families will camp in the forest preserve's Thunderbird youth-group campground, which includes drinking water, latrines and trash and recycling containers.
The event is being held in conjunction with the National Wildlife Federation's Great American Campout, when thousands across the country gather in backyards, neighborhoods and parks for overnight programs that connect all generations to nature.
Greene Valley Forest Preserve is one of the county's most botanically diverse sites, with more than 540 native plant species. It features 12 miles of marked trails and a 190-foot-tall scenic overlook that offers a birds-eye view of DuPage County and the Chicago skyline.
For details, visit dupageforest.org.