Crabtree Nature Center

3 Stover Rd | Palatine

About

Crabtree Nature Center is a Forest Preserves of Cook County site in Barrington Hills featuring an exhibit building with local wildlife displays, a nature play area, and unpaved trails through glacier-formed woodlands, wetlands, and prairie. More than 50 years after opening, the center completed a $2 million renovation in 2023 that redesigned exhibits and improved the building’s energy efficiency. A popular birding hotspot and family-friendly destination in the northwest suburbs, it offers a quiet, nature-focused experience away from downtown hubs.

Getting there

Parking

On-site parking lot at the nature center; enter from Palatine Road (one mile west of Barrington Rd or one-half mile east of Algonquin Rd) and follow the drive to the lots.

Public transit

Closest rail access is Barrington station on Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest Line; from there, plan a short drive or rideshare to 3 Stover Rd. There is no direct CTA rail service to the site.