Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Busey Woods in Urbana

Everything you need to know about Urbana Park District’s Busey Woods in Urbana, IL

You may be familiar with this wooded area tucked away in Urbana, but if you’ve never explored on foot, you may not know just how much Busey Woods has to offer the Champaign-Urbana community. When you’re looking to venture out on a nature hike with your children without venturing out of town, you don’t want to overlook Busey Woods.

Located at the north end of Crystal Lake Park with an entrance just west of the Anita Purves Nature Center and Friendship Grove Nature Playscape, this 59 acre forest can be your go-to option for a nature walk with kids and adults of all ages and abilities, thanks to its wide, elevated boardwalk path.

Busey Woods, owned and operated by the Urbana Park District, is Champaign-Urbana’s most accessible naturally wooded space in town. Some of the reasons people visit Busey Woods:

walking, running or biking on paved trails
getting dirty in the playscape and surrounding area
hunting for wildflowers in the spring
meandering through the (free) Anita Purves Nature Center before or after your outdoor exploration

Tips For Your Trip From Other Parents

Feel free to bring babies in strollers or family members that utilize wheelchairs or mobility aids. These are some of the safest trails you’ll find to navigate with wheels. The trails are divided into sub-trails.
Take the time to stop and read the informational signs located at scenic points along the trail. Your kids will enjoy looking for the birds in that particular area or learning about how different that area can look in the different seasons of the year.
Not looking to spend very long outside? No problem. The elevated boardwalk path is 1/3-mile long.
Want to take your time and venture off the beaten path, so to speak? You can do that here, too! Simply hop off the boardwalk and let your kids climb logs or comb through leaves.
Please do not collect items, walk pets or cycle through the path on your visit.

FAQs

Is this park good for toddlers?

Yes! Thanks to the elevated boardwalk, toddlers will enjoy everything they can see on foot or from their stroller. Be careful if they’re on foot though, as the boardwalk is a few feet off the ground and often does not have sides.

What amenities are offered?

Busey Woods offers 1/3-mile elevated boardwalk walking trails and is located among 59 acres of woodland.
You will find restrooms inside the Anita Purves Nature Center during regular operating hours (M-F 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.).
Pavilions and grills are available for rental and use at nearby Crystal Lake Park.

How are the bathrooms?

We recommend you hit the bathroom before heading out to the trail just in case you need to go while walking. Remember, the trail is short at just 1/3-mile long so if you need to finish up quickly and head into the Nature Center for a bathroom break, you’re not too far away.

Are there picnic tables and grills?

You’ll find grills over at nearby Crystal Lake Park. There are several picnic tables and spots to rest just outside the entrance to the Busey Woods walking path, and you’ll find benches along the boardwalk path to take breaks along the way.

Is there any shade?

Yes! You’ll love how shaded your walk through the woods will be.

When is Busey Woods open?

Visit anytime between dawn and dusk.

What is parking like?

You can park in the parking lot where they are ample parking spots, including handicapped parking spots. Enter from Broadway Ave. where you will see a sign for Anita Purves Nature Center and Crystal Lake Park Family Aquatic Center.