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 Hampshire Forest Preserve has been a natural playground and picnic spot for area children and adults throughout the years. Trails for hiking and learning to recognize a wide variety of birds and wildflowers make this an ideal playground for youngsters.
An Oak-Hickory forest adorns the crest of this glacial moraine. This ridge top of oaks, once stood as an island in a sea of prairie and prairie wetlands. The original vegetation would have been the Oak-Hickory forest, open woods blending into a tall grass prairie on the gentle slopes and a prairie wetland below. As the land was drained and plowed, settlement occurred along the ridge. Today, the Village of Hampshire and numerous rural subdivisions occupy most of the high ground.
There are parking areas, shelters, and restrooms located in different areas of the preserve. This forest preserve features two equestrian trails and one snowmobile trail.
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