This is the first leaf season on the newly repaved stretch of the Old Plank Road Trail. In New Lenox, the place where that new surface begins also explains how the rest of the local trail map fits together. The new asphalt starts at Schoolhouse Road. Hickory Creek Barrens sits half a mile up that same road. The one paved trail link from the Old Plank Road Trail into the Hickory Creek woods is several turns east, at Hickory Creek Junction on Route 30.
Once you know those three points, a fall weekend outside comes down to a choice between two routes. You can head west on smooth, flat pavement toward Joliet. Or you can head into the hilly woodland of Hickory Creek Preserve, where most of this season's free programs take place.
Where the New Asphalt Starts
The Forest Preserve District of Will County finished a $1.3 million resurfacing project in late 2025. Work began in August and wrapped up just before the first snow. The new pavement runs 7 miles, from Schoolhouse Road in New Lenox west to Washington Street in Joliet. When the District announced the reopening on Dec. 5, 2025, the new surface was already under snow. Since the work wrapped up in late 2025, this October is the first fall the new surface has gone through.
The project went beyond fresh blacktop. It added Americans with Disabilities Act improvements at 18 street crossings, removed dead trees, and fixed spots damaged by roots and pooling water. Root barriers went in along parts of the route. Jason Buss, the Forest Preserve's director of operations, told the District's own news service that the crossing upgrades include early-warning devices and rumble strips that alert trail users to upcoming crosswalks. "We're trying to mitigate future issues with the trail, future damages caused by the environment," he said in that report.
A rider leaving from New Lenox will feel those rumble strips most. Eighteen alerted crossings over 7 miles works out to about one every 680 yards on average, and they arrive in the same rhythm every time you ride.
The project also resurfaced a smaller piece of trail east of town: the connector from the Old Plank Road Trail to the Hickory Creek Bikeway at Hickory Creek Junction. That connector is the only paved trail link between the Old Plank Road Trail and the Hickory Creek woods.
Half a Mile North, by Street
Of the three ways into Hickory Creek Preserve, Hickory Creek Barrens is the one most clearly in New Lenox. According to the Forest Preserve District's preserve page, it sits on Schoolhouse Road north of Route 30 in New Lenox Township. The Old Plank Road Trail Association's map puts the Barrens within half a mile north of the trail on Schoolhouse Road. It notes a 2.8-mile trail there and the nearby Schmuhl School, which it calls the last one-room schoolhouse in the area.
The catch is that you get there by street. The District's Old Plank Road Trail page lists the Barrens as reachable from the trail "via street routes." By contrast, it lists Hickory Creek Junction as connected by a 0.65-mile trail. The access point closest to New Lenox homes has no paved trail link to the Old Plank Road Trail. The access point that does have one is farther east.
| Access point | Where it is | How it connects to the Old Plank Road Trail |
|---|---|---|
| Hickory Creek Barrens | Schoolhouse Road, north of Route 30, New Lenox Township | Street route, about half a mile north of the trail |
| Hickory Creek Junction | Route 30, west of Wolf Road | 0.65-mile paved trail connection, resurfaced in 2025 |
| LaPorte Road Access | LaPorte Road, east of Wolf Road, Mokena | Starting point for the eastern bikeway segment |
The Paved Door Into the Woods Is on Route 30
Hickory Creek Junction is where the two trail systems actually meet. The OPRT Association describes the site as having ample parking, picnic areas, and a pedestrian bridge over Route 30, along with an asphalt trail to the Old Plank Road Trail and an accessible playground. From there, the Hickory Creek Bikeway runs north into the preserve.
The bikeway itself is a different kind of ride from the flat Old Plank Road Trail. The western segment is hilly, paved, and linear, and runs 3.75 miles through woodland that is mostly nature preserve. The eastern segment, which starts at the LaPorte Road Access, covers another 2.25 miles of hilly woods. With a connecting path outside the preserve, the bikeway totals 8.27 miles. It is open sunrise to sunset, which in mid-October cuts into after-work rides.
Since the western segment can be reached from both the Barrens and the Junction, a New Lenox rider can turn the three points into one circuit:
- Start at Hickory Creek Barrens on Schoolhouse Road.
- Ride the western segment of the Hickory Creek Bikeway through the woods to Hickory Creek Junction on Route 30.
- Take the 0.65-mile paved connection south to the Old Plank Road Trail.
- Ride the Old Plank Road Trail back toward Schoolhouse Road, then take the street route about half a mile north to the Barrens.
The District confirms both ends of this loop. Its trail page says a street route in New Lenox and a trail connection at the Junction both link the Old Plank Road Trail to the western segment of the bikeway. If you'd rather stay on fresh pavement the whole way, skip the loop and go the other direction from Schoolhouse Road: 7 miles west to Washington Street in Joliet, all of it new surface.
This Fall's Calendar Runs Through Hickory Creek
The District's three free fall programs listed below all take place at Hickory Creek Preserve. The last row is the Woods Walk paperwork deadline.
| Date | Program | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Now through Mon., Nov. 30 | Woods Walk challenge | Hickory Creek Barrens is one of 10 routes | Free, all ages, 3.5-mile route |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 10 to 11 a.m. | Leisurely Leaf Cycle | Hickory Creek Junction Shelter | Free, 6.3 miles, ages 16 and older, register by Oct. 23 |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 9 a.m. to noon | Volunteer Morning | LaPorte Road Access | Free, brush control, ages 10 and older, registration required |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | Woods Walk travel log deadline | Mail or visitor center pickup | Medallion for completing 7 of 10 routes |
Woods Walk. The Woods Walk challenge is in its 24th year and is the District's longest-running program. Anyone who hikes seven of the 10 selected trails earns a medallion. This year's medallion shows a white-tailed deer, the Illinois state animal. The 2026 routes range from 0.5 to 4.25 miles. At 3.5 miles, the Barrens route is the second longest, behind only the 4.25-mile Forked Creek Preserve route in Wesley Township. It is also the only one of the 10 in New Lenox. The closest of the others are Hidden Oaks Preserve in Bolingbrook and Plum Valley Preserve in Crete Township.
You track hikes in the free Goosechase app or on a paper travel log. Paper logs are available at the District's visitor centers, including the Sugar Creek Administration Center in Joliet. Sugar Creek is closed Monday, Oct. 12.
Leisurely Leaf Cycle. The Leisurely Leaf Cycle on Oct. 24 starts at the Hickory Creek Junction Shelter, the same site where the paved connector meets the Old Plank Road Trail. The District describes it as a 6.3-mile ride on paved trail with hilly terrain. Riders under 18 need a registered adult with them, and registration closes Friday, Oct. 23. Call 815-727-8700 or sign up online.
Volunteer Morning. The Nov. 28 volunteer morning at the LaPorte Road Access is set for the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the District pitches it as a way to "work off the turkey." Space is limited. Volunteers complete a waiver online beforehand and should wear long pants and sturdy shoes, since the work is on uneven ground near a fire.
Before You Head Out
The District is in the middle of a sealcoating season, so the closure list is worth checking before you go. The schedule posted for Oct. 8 through Oct. 17 covers Riverview Farmstead Preserve, part of the DuPage River Trail, Isle a la Cache Preserve, Sauk Trail Reservoir, and the District's operations facility. It does not include the Old Plank Road Trail or Hickory Creek Preserve. The District notes that weather can change the schedule and posts updates on its closures page.
How close a home is to Schoolhouse Road or Hickory Creek Junction is a selling point buyers understand once they see it on a map. At The Randi Lynn Group, we build that kind of local detail into how a New Lenox home is presented. If you want to know what your home is worth with its trail access included, request a free home valuation and we'll prepare one for you.
