About
Sagawau Environmental Learning Center Outdoor Education Programs include educational programs, interpretive hikes, guided walks, and activities such as hiking and walking, birding, and cross-country skiing. Offerings include beginner cross-country ski lessons, ski rentals for use on-site, and programs like making bracelets while learning about birds. The center also hosts restoration workdays where participants help remove invasive species.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Visitor center open year-round 9am–4pm; trails open year-round 8am–4pm; Sagawau Nordic open daily from mid-December to early March, 9am–4pm, weather permitting
• Price: $20–$30 for Beginner Cross-Country Ski Lessons; other listed events such as Birds and Bracelets, Winter Trees, Winter Insects, Restoration Workday, and Black History Month Exhibit are free
The visitor center and classroom include exhibits on geology, human and natural history, and habitat management, and the grounds have four unpaved walking trails with an estimated total length of 2.6 miles. Amenities include parking, a nature center, nature play, an accessible indoor bathroom, trail access, hiking and walking, cross-country skiing, a birding hotspot, and volunteer opportunities. In winter with adequate snow, the site operates as Sagawau Nordic, a full-service cross-country ski center that provides ski rentals, groomed trails, and beginner lessons from a PSIA Gold Medal Ski School, and during this time the trails are groomed for cross-country skiing and do not allow walkers.
Beginner cross-country ski lessons are taught by a certified Professional Ski Instructor of America, and beginner lessons are provided by a PSIA Gold Medal Ski School. Cross-country ski rentals are available from 9am to 2pm, must be used at Sagawau, and must be returned by 3:45pm; each rental package includes skis, bindings, boots, and poles, with classic and skate skis available in youth and adult sizes, and all skiers renting equipment must reserve a rental time online. Volunteer opportunities include restoration workdays to help restore ecosystems by removing invasive species.
Sagawau Canyon Nature Preserve, connected to these programs, supports rare and unique plant and animal habitat and features the only natural exposure of bedrock in Cook County, and individual access to the canyon is restricted so guided walks are required. The programs also include a Black History Month Exhibit about African Americans who ski and the challenges they face in winter.
Last updated January 12, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Visitor center open year-round 9am–4pm; trails open year-round 8am–4pm; Sagawau Nordic open daily from mid-December to early March, 9am–4pm, weather permitting
• Price: $20–$30 for Beginner Cross-Country Ski Lessons; other listed events such as Birds and Bracelets, Winter Trees, Winter Insects, Restoration Workday, and Black History Month Exhibit are free
The visitor center and classroom include exhibits on geology, human and natural history, and habitat management, and the grounds have four unpaved walking trails with an estimated total length of 2.6 miles. Amenities include parking, a nature center, nature play, an accessible indoor bathroom, trail access, hiking and walking, cross-country skiing, a birding hotspot, and volunteer opportunities. In winter with adequate snow, the site operates as Sagawau Nordic, a full-service cross-country ski center that provides ski rentals, groomed trails, and beginner lessons from a PSIA Gold Medal Ski School, and during this time the trails are groomed for cross-country skiing and do not allow walkers.
Beginner cross-country ski lessons are taught by a certified Professional Ski Instructor of America, and beginner lessons are provided by a PSIA Gold Medal Ski School. Cross-country ski rentals are available from 9am to 2pm, must be used at Sagawau, and must be returned by 3:45pm; each rental package includes skis, bindings, boots, and poles, with classic and skate skis available in youth and adult sizes, and all skiers renting equipment must reserve a rental time online. Volunteer opportunities include restoration workdays to help restore ecosystems by removing invasive species.
Sagawau Canyon Nature Preserve, connected to these programs, supports rare and unique plant and animal habitat and features the only natural exposure of bedrock in Cook County, and individual access to the canyon is restricted so guided walks are required. The programs also include a Black History Month Exhibit about African Americans who ski and the challenges they face in winter.
Last updated January 12, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.