Collins Pond Trail

Collins Pond and its trails form one of the Champaign County Forest Preserves' hidden gems, well worth exploring especially in the spring. It encapsules several habitats in one place; wetland, prairie, forest & floodplain. There's an easy trail to ramble along, and the promise of wildflowers to those that watch as they walk. Woodpeckers and other birds can also be seen and enjoyed.

As a quick little trail it’s great. 10-20 minutes for an adult or you can take kids, dawdle & examine details like birds/plants/flowers/creatures. The trail’s like a big square with a 2-way leg ( parking lot & back) that attaches to it. First as you hike from the parking lot a real short way on the leg, you can view/stop at the pond, the near side. ( We’ll get to the far side later). Bear left & hike into the square, go through some woods. The far back side borders a farmers field, separated by a slim wall of trees & brush, to your right is woods. On the return part of the square you start to spot a valley & the Salt Fork River, keep looking left. It gets prettier. Hike & look left & you’ll find at least one SIDE trail that is hikeable down to the river itself, can be steep/wild. Hike more, now you’re seeing the far side of the pond, so .....maybe you’re almost done, you could keep hiking past the pond, to the same trail leg you came in on, just a short hike to your car. Or stop and do something cool, kids will like it. Notice a trail that takes you to a Peninsula that juts INTO the middle of the pond, kinda like you’re on a little island, sweet! Now back to the car.

I then like to think about the big picture, the Salt Fork is coming from St. Joseph (a branch even comes from the U of I campus & east Urbana, then south of Brownfield Woods) past you here, on into the park, then on its way south of Oakwood, goes north of Catlin & south of Batestown, to end(?) at the confluence with the Middle Fork River, just west of the Shangri-La Road bridge. Then on & on... joins North Fork River near Danville becoming the (Big) Vermilion River, on to Indiana & the Wabash River ... to join the Ohio River ...to the Mississippi River ... then the Gulf of Mexico!

Nice spot to take a little stroll around the pond.

A nice place to enjoy a small part of nature and is a very beautiful place to be when the sun is setting. Nice place to hike, bike, and run.

Wish there was more parking places!

Peaceful place to visit nature.

Best hiding spot ever

Take puppy to run around

I love this place.