Plum Valley Preserve access area, dog park opens

The Plum Valley Preserve’s Burville Road Access, which includes the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s sixth off-leash dog park, opened Friday in Crete Township.

The access area, located at the southeast corner of Burville Road and Route 394, includes a picnic pavilion that can accommodate up to 50 people, a 9-acre dog park and a latrine, according to a news release from the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

The site, which will be open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset, provides the first access area for the 455-acre Plum Valley Preserve on the eastern end of Will County.

“We’re excited to finally be able to open this new access point at Plum Valley Preserve,” said Ralph Schultz, the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s chief operating officer.

“The amenities included in the access area should bring a lot of enjoyment to the residents of eastern Will County,” Schultz said.

The Burville Road Access area opening was delayed after a state grant was suspended in 2015 and pavement failures in the original parking lot and entrance road were detected in 2017.

The access area also will eventually include a 1-mile section of the Plum Creek Greenway Trail.

A bid was awarded for the work in September.

The first segment of the trail opened in 2012 at Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve in Crete Township.

In the future, the Forest Preserve District of Will County would like to extend the trail section at Plum Valley and connect the path segments, perhaps via a street route.

Plum Valley Dog Park features three enclosures.

One enclosure is for small dogs weighing 35 pounds or less.

A second enclosure is for larger dogs.

The third enclosure is rotated into the mix with the enclosure for small dogs and the enclosure for larger dogs as turf conditions require.

Small dogs are permitted inside the large-dog enclosure, but larger dogs are prohibited from the small-dog enclosure for safety reasons.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s dog parks are open year-round except for Christmas Day.

Permits are required for dogs to play in all of the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s dog parks.

Permits can be used at any of the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s dog parks.

The forest preserve district’s dog parks are located in Homer Glen, Joliet, Naperville, Shorewood and Wesley Township.

For information on obtaining a dog park permit, visit the Dog Exercising page on the Forest Preserve District of Will County's website at ReconnectWithNature.org.