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| Amenities |
| Drinking Water |
| Picnic Tables |
| Public Parking |
| Restrooms |
| Trails |
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| Cuba Marsh |
It would be hard to find a prettier blend of marsh, woods and grassland in Lake County than that found here. Escape for an hour or so to this quiet, 782-acre oasis to re-energize your mind and body. Enjoy this clean and safe preserve, and travel three miles of crushed-gravel trail through open areas of gently rolling hills that feature views of the marsh and scattered groves of trees.
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Keith Pederson Bridge
Thanks to an anonymous donor for generously contributing $100,000 toward the cost of the 50-foot timber bridge for the trail connection as a memorial to Keith Pederson, a former Forest Preserve Board member (District 5; 1972-76) and devoted naturalist and outdoorsman. In recognition of the donation and to honor Pederson’s love of nature and wildlife, the bridge is officially named as the Keith Pederson Bridge.
Visitors can enjoy a 0.9-mile gravel trail that winds from existing trails at Cuba Marsh through the southwest corner of the preserve to Citizens Park where it will connect to the park’s existing pathways.
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| Location |
| Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve is located in southwest Lake County near Barrington. |
| The entrance and parking area are located on Cuba Road, west of Ela Road and east of Route 59. |
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| History |
When settlers first came to this land, it was prairie and marsh with a grove of oaks. They drained the marsh, plowed the prairie and planted crops. In the 1950s and 60s, most of the farmers sold their land to investors who planned to develop homes. Local residents wanted the area preserved as open space. They banded together to form “Citizens for Conservation” and helped the Lake County Forest Preserves preserve the property. Most of the land at Cuba Marsh was acquired in 1976, though additions were made as late as 2006.
A mansion overlooking a mosaic of canals and forested islands once stood on the northwest side of the preserve. Cuba Marsh received its name from its location on Cuba Road, which traverses Cuba and Ela Townships. Cuba Township was originally Troy Township, but a name change in 1850 showed American support for an insurrection at that time on the island nation of Cuba. |
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| The Natural Scene |
One of the best things about Cuba Marsh is its diversity, combining marsh and prairie with woodland and savanna. As a result, a wide range of plants and animals make their homes here. The prize wetland supports many endangered species such as least bitterns, pied-billed grebes and yellow-headed blackbirds. It also supports the county's only population of endangered marsh pennywort. It also provides flood relief to nearby homes and cleanses the water that flows into Flint Creek and eventually the Fox River.
A unique dry-hill prairie on the preserve’s southeast side is home to rare plants such as prairie smoke and Seneca snakeroot. Though the rest of Cuba Marsh was farmed at one time, plows luckily never reached this prairie. Much work has gone into restoring this Preserve, including the removal of drainage tiles and non-native weedy species, and replanting of more than 80,000 oaks and pines. |
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