Park No. 538

Park #538, located in the West Ridge community offers over 3-miles of Rustic Hiking Trails through uncultivated woodland-grassland and riverbank habitats, all neatly fitting into an accessible one-mile stretch of parkland situated on the east bank of the North Shore Channel, running along Kedzie Avenue between Touhy and Devon Avenues.  Overall, it encompasses 29.67 acres of land – of this, about 30 acres (including a renovated junior-league baseball stadium) is leased from the MWRDGC which retained about 5-acres along the Channel banks.

The park is home to the Stadium at Devon and Kedzie. The stadium is owned by the Chicago Park District and managed by ASM Global. Visit www.thebsdk.com to learn more about the stadium. For rental information please contact the ASM Global Sr. Facility Manager at shilby@mcfetridgesportscenter.net or call (773)478-2609 ext. 232.

Flora & Fauna

Essentially four zones of a surprising variety of terrain, flora, and fauna are sandwiched between Kedzie and the Channel including [1] a Mowed grass strip along Kedzie; [2] a “Tall-grass” buffer; [3] the Woodlands and [4] the Riverbank.

Along the “Tallgrass” Trail, hikers often see wildflowers attracting bees, butterflies, and birds including robins and starlings.

On the “Woodlands” and “Riverbank” Trails, a variety of mammals has been seen, including beaver, coyote, deer, opossum, rabbits, raccoons, red fox, river otters, skunks, squirrels, and voles.  A variety of Birds seen from the river banks including Canadian geese, mallard ducks blue herons, cormorants, egrets, hawks, owls, starlets, and seagulls.  Reptiles sunning themselves on the river banks include large box turtles and snapping turtles.

ACTIVITIES
The informal character of the park permits a wide range of uses for our patrons. The park is used predominantly for nature walks and dog walking, as well as a place for responsible outdoor enthusiast activities such as xc-skiing, trail running, and mountain biking.  Park volunteers also conduct environmental service projects in conjunction with local schools and the Friends of the Chicago River.

Restrooms | Visit nearby Chippewa Park, located two blocks east, 6748 N. Sacramento Ave during normal hours.