Explosives Road Trailhead

Facility · Illinois ·

Managed by the USDA Forest Service

Midewin Other (NF) · Open Access

602 ft
Elevation

The Explosives Road Trailhead provides access to the 1.6 mile Newton Loop trail. This is a great bird watching area for Henslow sparrows, loggerhead shrikes, bobolinks, eastern meadowlarks, and dickcissels.

Getting there

From the Welcome Center

  • Turn right/north onto Route 53
  • Travel north for 1.7 miles to Explosives Road.
  • Turn left onto Explosives Road, weave through the barricades.
  • Continue on Explosives Road to the trailhead parking at the end of the road, located on the left.

GPS Coordinates

41°22'02.9"N 88°08'37.1"W

41.36769, -88.13434 · 41°22'3.7"N 88°8'3.6"W

Directions (Google Maps) · Directions (Apple Maps)

Typical weather

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High °F————————————
Low °F————————————
Precip in2.21.82.63.85.14.84.64.03.63.22.82.0

1991–2020 averages from the nearest NOAA station, 5.6 mi away — not measured at the facility itself, and elevation can make a real difference over that distance.

Map

Member photos

Common questions about Explosives Road Trailhead

Can you reserve a site at Explosives Road Trailhead?
No. Explosives Road Trailhead is not reservable through Recreation.gov, so sites are first-come, first-served or booked elsewhere.

Camping near Explosives Road Trailhead

Comments

Contact

Recreation.gov last updated this record on 2026-02-25.

Facility information and photographs from Recreation.gov (RIDB). SpotOpened is not affiliated with Recreation.gov or any federal agency.