*Above Photo...The Old Information Sign.
Saw Wee Kee Park was once a strip mine.Piles or rows of mined
earth were deposited around the property which accounts for the
lumpy,rock strewn terrain.Years of disuse have allowed the forest
to reclaim it.During that time nearly 20 years,equestrians built
trails through the park,though there was no formal group tasked
with trail upkeep.It was only recently that mountain bikers were
able to put substantial time into clearing out the overgrowth and
making these trails useable by all trail users.
*Above Photo...On the way to Saw Wee Kee
CAMBR or "Chicago Area Mountain Bikers" approached the
Oswegoland Park District in November 2005 about cleaning up the
trails at Saw Wee Kee Park.Since then,CAMBR has helped clean
up,maintain, and make the trails there accessible to all of us.So,
many equestrians,hikers,joggers,cyclists and naturalists have
thanked CAMBR for their efforts. The CAMBR West Chapter is
committed to keeping Saw Wee Kee Park open to off-road cyclists as
well as the rest of us who enjoy the trails for hiking,jogging or
nature exploration. The chapter was formed in 2006 and has already
done a lot of work to re-open miles of overgrown trails.If you want
to help,you can join CAMBR at one of their many "Ride-N-Grooms."
All riders are welcome!
Above Photo...Elevated View*
The fact that Saw Wee Kee Park is an old strip mine gives this
8+ mile trail system a unique feel for Illinois.Most of the terrain
is packed down,rocky and dry.There are MANY quick,steep climbs and
drops.This 8 miles will feel like 20 after a good ride or hike
*Above Photo...Lolligagger*
Saw Wee Kee is like a "wild child!" The terrain is untamed and
it throws a lot at you per mile! You'll find yourself working a lot
harder to cover distance here than on most other trails! Local
mountain bikers compare Saw Wee Kee to an "amusement park," and
have named many trails there after rollercoasters like;Vertical
Velocity,Wilcat,Anaconda and Colossus and smaller coasters like
Cotton Candy and Lolligagger.
These trails offer short but sometimes very steep climbs,lots of
low rollers,quick turns and winding decents.Overall elevation
change here is minor,but the frequent climbs over the mounds give
your legs an awesome workout!
*Above Photo...Another Elevated View*SWK is Scattered with
Bodies of Backwater*
So while you're here at Saw Wee Kee you may encounter mountain
bikers whizzing up and down the hilly trails.PLEASE be careful and
keep your eyes and ears open as they sometimes come out of nowhere
and they come out FAST.Some parts of the trails are really
thin,only wide enough for one!
*Above Photo...A Serene Saw Wee Kee Path*
We cleaned up/oiled the can,had some welding done and stuffed
the cache with the following:3 Pack Bungee Cords,Winnie the Pooh
Stamp Set,SpongeBob Jump Rope,2 Pack of Hot Ridez,4 Pack of Memo
Pads,Tape Measure,Pouch of Glow Bracelets,Set of screwdrivers and a
new logbook.PLEASE trade fair.
*Above Photo...Saw Wee Kee Serpent*
Also in the cache is a camera.We would really like it if you
would take a photo of yourself so we can post them later. We would
really enjoy seeing you enjoying Saw Wee Kee.
Thank you to all who've hunted this old cache in the past and
good luck to all who come in the future.