Hike Saw Wee Kee in Yorkville before peak Mountain bike season, 4, 5.8, 8 miles

Optional post hike lunch:
TBD

We last hiked this one in October 2022, time to go back! The 1:30 end time is assuming you hike the full distance.

Located just 1/2 hour from Naperville, 45 minutes from Bloomingdale, 52 from Schaumburg, and 35 minutes from St Charles, its not as far as it looks. This hike is in Yorkville located in eastern Kendall County and well worth the drive!

This hike is cross posted with Chicagoland Trailblazers Hiking Group
https://www.meetup.com/chicagoland-trailblazers-hiking-group/events/313076508
and my guest rsvp includes members of the group.

Distances:

• Hike 1 is 4 miles and end up back at the lot
• Hike 2 adds another 1.8 miles and end up back at the lot (5.8)
• Hike 3 adds 2.5 more miles and end up back at lot (8.3).

They are all moderate hikes. I consider myself an intermediate hiker and needed poles. I walked down sideways on steep inclines using poles. The ground is especially slippery when wet. There is loose gravel/dirt on some of the steep inclines. Shoes with great traction highly recommended.

Hike Summary:
Expect twisting narrow hard-packed dirt/rocky trails that go up and down 20 feet on 45 degree incline/decline in some areas. Then they go down 15 feet on a curve with steep ravine on the side. They are narrow but very well maintained and well marked. No overgrowth here at all. Its not all constant up and down but pretty frequent. Also expect lots of rocky, rooty trails. These are a big help navigating steep inclines and declines.

The view is spectacular. Steep ravines drop off in many areas. There are views of not only the Fox river but also several smaller adjacent lakes. The trails are mostly single file but can widen in a few areas. Mountain bikers also use this area. Last time we hiked I was first in line with a whistle because there are some blind spots.

This hike has numerous split offs, twists and turns. Its impossible to use a paper map on this hike. We had a lot of difficulty navigating it even using Alltrails. I'd say this is this the toughest one I've ever had to navigate due to numerous splits.

Since its Spring there may be a stream crossing in one area. It was 4 feet wide and had about 3 inches of water flowing thru. No way to cross it except jump over or step in. We may encounter this if there's been a lot of rain. There was no mud last time we hiked here.

Location
7350 Sundown lane Yorkville IL

Google maps pin:
https://goo.gl/maps/TV1DsmA5pb2e8v718

Manual directions:
The map should take you there. Once you cross over the railroad tracks to get onto Sundown lane, its less than a mile. At .9 miles you'll see a parking lot. Its easy once your on Sundown Lane. You will pass some gorgeous homes nestled along the Fox. One has an address of 6950. Once you see that address you will be about a quarter mile away. Stop at the first parking lot.

Where to meet:
By the information sign, there will be a parking lot with room to park on the side if the spaces are taken. Please call or text me 847 757 1230 if you have trouble finding it. There is a single porta potty where we meet.