Heller Nature Center 
2821 Ridge Road
Highland Park, Illinois 60035
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Phone: 847.433.6901 Fax: 847.433.8856
Hours of Operation
- Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm
- Saturday, 9:00am-3:00pm
Grounds open dawn to dusk daily.
Cross-Country Ski Rentals
Rentals are currently closed. Click here for more information.
Heller Nature Center
Welcome to Heller Nature Center, where oak-hickory forests, tall grass prairie, oak savanna and natural wetlands are an oasis for native plants and animals. Heller Nature Center, a 97-acre preserve of the Park District of Highland Park, has been under public stewardship since 1977. Heller’s careful resource management, including restoration and controlled burns, provides a taste of an authentic native landscape. Visitors to Heller can also enjoy a picnic in our woodlands, visit our Design in Nature exhibit in the Goodman Log Cabin, or rent cross-country skis and explore our three miles of trails. At Heller, every season is suitable to enjoy the outdoors. Three miles of marked trails (view our trail map) offer close contact with nature and a little bit of solitude amidst the hustle and bustle of Chicago’s northern suburbs.
Facelift Coming Soon!
The interior public restrooms will be renovated this winter. The project is to include new partitions, fixtures, flooring and wall treatments. The restrooms will be ADA compliant and kid friendly!
Help Preserve Heller Nature Center
- Respect our plants and animals, leave them for all to enjoy.
- Hike the trails. Leave bicycles and motorized vehicles in the parking lot.
- Do not release animals into Heller's eco-system.
- Keep your pets leashed, and remove any waste.
- Enjoy Heller's picnic areas, but do not bring alcohol on site.
Features
Oak-hickory forests, tall grass prairie, oak savanna and natural wetlands, native plants and animals, 97-acre preserve, nature exhibits, cross-country skiing, three miles of trails, public programs, nature classes and summer camps.
Be sure to stop by the Interpretive Center during business hours to check out the Nature Exhibit! Through interactive displays, you'll learn about the three main biological communities found at Heller Nature Center (Oak-Hickory Woodlands, Northern Flatwoods and Prairie). Featured in the exhibit is a bird watching station where visitors are able to observe, identify and even draw the birds they see, and a 450-gallon aquarium that showcases native fish and aquatic plants.
Contacts
Leah Holloway, Naturalist
Phone: 847.579.4184
lholloway@pdhp.org
Jeff Smith, Manager
Phone: 847.579.4182
jsmith@pdhp.org
Jessica Soto, Naturalist
Phone: 847.579.4183
jsoto@pdhp.org
Aude Wilkins, Office Coordinator
Phone: 847.579.4181
awilkins@pdhp.org