Post-COVID High Traffic Continues At Lake County Forest Preserves

LAKE COUNTY, IL — It should come as no big surprise that Lake County forest preserves saw a spike in interest last year as local residents looked for new ways to get out of the house amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, that interest has not waned, forest district officials told Patch.

The forest preserve district has car counters at eight of its forest preserves and in 2020, those sites saw a 70 percent increase in car traffic. Those numbers do not include people who come into the preserves by bike or walking.

And so far this year - through the end of May - forest preserve use is tracking more than 30 percent higher than pre-COVID years, John Nelson, director of operations and infrastructure for the forest preserve district, told Patch in an email.

Last May, as the weather began to warm and many restrictions remained in place regarding social gatherings, the forest preserve district recorded its highest traffic month ever, with 1,451 cars per day visiting sites where the data is tracked. Those sites are: Singing Hills, Grant Woods, Hastings Lake, Ray Lake, Buffalo Creek, McDonald Woods, Grassy Lake and Pine Dunes.

This past May, forest preserve sites saw an average of 981 carloads per day, which is still a 31 percent increase over the two years prior to 2020, Nelson said.

The forest preserve districts golf courses were especially popular last year.

"There wasn't a lot to do. Indoor activities all went away and some of the outdoor activities also went away and golf was one of the few activities, though we had restrictions, that went on like normal," said Alex Eichman, superintendent of golf course management operations for the forest preserve district. "The entire golf industry had a surge last year."

In a typical year, the forest preserves' four golf courses bring in $150,000 in revenue. In 2021, the courses brought in $1 million, Eichman said.

"We've been very thankful for that and very interested to see what in 2021," he said.

So far, forest preserve district golf courses have been drawing more people out compared to pre-COVID years. In 2021, there's been about 10 percent more rounds of golf played so far compared to this time of year in 2019, Eichman said.