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Location

Creek Bend Nature Center
LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve
37W700 Dean St.
St. Charles, IL 60175

Hours

Monday - Thursday: 10am - 4pm
Saturday & Sunday: Noon - 4pm

Creek Bend Nature Center reopened to the public on 1/19. Please follow social-distancing protocols. Gatherings of 10 or more people will not be permitted. You may be asked to wait to enter a facility, until less than 10 people are present. Masks are required.

Nature Programs: Nature programs also will resume with 10-person maximums indoors and 25-person maximums outdoors. See The TreeLine Newsletter for program offerings.

Nature Virtually Everywhere: For those who choose not to come out to the preserves at this time, we'll bring the Kane County Forest Preserves to you! See our new "Nature Virtually Everywhere" series of nature programs. More information is available here.

Social-distancing: Governor Pritzker's Executive Orders underscore the need for people to exercise and recreate in public open spaces. We ask everyone to please follow all Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines:

* Wear a mask
* Follow social-distancing guidelines
* Avoid close contact
* Keep a minimum distance of six feet from those who live outside your home
* Stay home if you are sick, cover coughs and sneezes, and frequently clean your hands.
* For more information on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), visit the Kane County Health Department or the CDC.
Creek Bend Nature Center is the hub of the Forest Preserve District's Environmental Education program. Permanent, interactive exhibits include a woodland exhibit featuring Illinois' State Tree, the White Oak; a wetland exhibit that provides an underwater look at the Fox River; and a prairie biodiversity exhibit with bison dating back to the late 1800s. There is plenty to see and do. Ask a naturalist about upcoming nature programs, go on a self-guided hike or scavenger hunt, or simply enjoy learning about Kane County ecology.

Creek Bend Nature Center is open Monday - Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday - Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is always free.

For information on nature programs or to reach our Environmental Education staff, call 630-444-3190 or email programs@kaneforest.com.

For information on renting this facility for a special event, see the Rental Facilities section of this site.