Julius J Knobeloch Woods Nature Preserve - Belleville, Illinois

Kelsey S.

Beautiful little nature preserve just outside of town. Really it's in between towns- Belleville and Freeburg. It's great for a brief stroll through the woods. It's a loop trail and only around a mile in length. It only took us 30 minutes to complete going at a leisurely pace. The preserve is on the edge of a few locals' properties, but it is nice and quiet. We really enjoyed the many markers with QR codes, linking to the Wikipedia page of that plant. What a great way to learn in nature.

There's literally no designated parking for the preserve. I parked on the side of the street right in front of the entrance. It's a little dangerous too as the only place to park is on the bend of a country road, where cars zoom past. I completely missed the entrance when I first drove by, the sign is tucked in a little bit and easy to miss.

Marty R.

Honestly a little disappointing. No parking anywhere near the address listed, and the trailhead is pretty easy to miss. Parked some ways off and eventually found it on foot. Nice trail but pretty short … saw a deer in the woods and a very noisy hawk who apparently didn’t like me being in his woods. The informational plaquards for some of the trees and plants are a nice touch.

Clint J.

Total length: somewhere around 1 mile.
Nice easy loop trail! Good for a light stroll.
Park on the side of the road, the trailhead is on the road where you park!

There is a small creek to cross, it has logs for crossing!
So, not recommended for those who use wheel chairs-too narrow, and there’s steps, plus the stream crossing.

Aimee W.

A great walk with kids. To and from the car is .75 miles per the Map My Run app. The kids enjoyed it. There is a bit of a decline and incline but the kids did well with it.

LifeThroughEm'sEyes

We had a beautiful hike here! Even as a very not fit person, I was able to do this without pain and agony. It’s very beginner level for those wanting to start hiking more often and get fit. It’s absolutely beautiful and the scenery and creeks and variety of obstacles are wonderful. They have several wooden circles to step on to get over creeks, hand made wooden bridges, lots of logs in the ground to step over. I had a blast with my little brother here today, and I highly recommend it. There isn’t any designated parking spaces, you just have to pull to the side of the trail and park. I would go left at the fork for a bit more of a challenge and right for a more leisurely hike. We went left today and it wasn’t that difficult for us (and I’m very out of shape).

NOTE: this is not a wheel chair accessible trail as there are points in the journey it would be very hard to get wheels over the different obstacles on the trail.

Vibhu D.

Wonderful short hike just off the town. No parking facility, and I am not sure if that is a good thing or bad. It’s definitely worth the extra effort to reach on foot. I saw a snake🐍. I encourage everyone to go.

Janice H.

This is a peaceful hike that did help us work up a little sweat! It's a good path for kids, whether walking or carried. Parking is not obvious; there is simply a rocky spot off the side of the road just before the trailhead. A neat little local preserve! The deer were abundant on this particular summer morning!

Michelle K.

Short, easy nature trail with beautiful trees! Watch out for poison ivy. Park on side of road.