Hike Lake County's largest forest preserve Lakewood, 3, 6, 7, 8.8 mile options

Optional post hike lunch
TBD

Summary
In a nearly 3000 acre preserve, how do you find that gorgeous section that you wandered into 7 years earlier? It took several attempts but I finally found it this past week! In Winter the trails are very pretty, in Fall breathtaking.
Beginner hikers, there is a three mile hike option for you. It has level, easy asphalt and crushed limestone trails some of which were built just this past year.
The three hike options will feature multiple lakes including Banana Lake, Taylor Lake, Schreiber Lake, and two more unnamed lakes.

All trails are either crushed limestone or asphalt with minimum width fitting 2 people walking side by side. They are all flat with some having very minor elevation changes. Dog friendly in all areas and multiple clean free standing portable bathrooms.

This hike is cross posted with Chicagoland Trailblazers Hiking group
https://www.meetup.com/chicagoland-trailblazers-hiking-group/events/312219727
and my guest rsvp includes members of the group.

Parking
There are multiple parking lots! We are meeting at
Lakewood Forest Preserve Winter Sports Area
24069 W Ivanhoe rd. Wauconda IL

Hike 1: 3 miles
Blue Loop and newly built trails (Go left)
Flat asphalt trail passes thru scenic woodlands with many views of lakes. It goes by Banana Lake and Taylor lakes with views of lake on one side and woodland on the other. A large pier offers opportunity to take great pictures of the lake and surrounding terrain. The trail I took around the lake did not even appear on Alltrails and a fellow hiker told me that what we were on was a newly built trail this past year.
Sections of pine trees add to the delight of this trail. A few elevation changes occur and if you look down, it looks like 30 to 40 feet. This trail itself did not have elevation changes except minor gradual ones.
This hike is partial there and back and also has a loop. From the parking lot the trail will go to the left on Millennium trail
for .6 mile. A 1.8 mile loop then begins and circles in and around Banana and Taylor Lakes. Return trip back to parking lot is
.6 miles. There is a bathroom at 1.83 miles into this hike. Its a clean, newly built, fresh bathroom with hand sanitizer.

Hike 2: 3 or 4 more miles (7 cumulative, option for 6 cumulative)
Fort Hill East Trail (middle trail)
Its easy to make this part shorter on your own by choosing one of the paths that cut across the loop. This makes a smaller loop and estimating it can cut a mile off making cumulative miles 6 instead of 7.

This hike is partial there and back and also has a loop. From the parking lot the trail will go under route 176 and parallel it for a short time before it twists away toward the dog park. Initially its all open prairie but then we'll take the loop trail which will be 2.5 miles.
There are woods on both sides of this trail and I was pleasantly surprised. Very scenic areas on this hike feature bridges
crossing bodies of water with tall dried vegetation along the water.

Hike 3: 1.8 more miles (8.8 cumulative)
Rightmost trail, take Millennium trail toward Schreiber Lake loop
The scenery was nice, just not as good as the first two sections. Trails are fine crushed gravel and small sections asphalt.