Century Park Arboretum stands as Vernon Hills’ largest public green space, encompassing 113 acres that wrap around the scenic Big Bear and Little Bear Lakes in Lake County, Illinois. Located north of Route 60 between Butterfield Road and Lakeview Parkway, this expansive park offers residents and visitors a blend of natural beauty, recreational opportunities, and ecological significance through its official arboretum designation.

Development and History

The lakes and surrounding parkland were constructed in the 1970s along the Seavey Ditch, a natural waterway that flows through the region. Big Bear Lake spans 24.9 acres with depths reaching 20 feet in the channel, while Little Bear Lake provides additional aquatic habitat and recreational space. The entire park was established through the New Century Town Annexation Agreement, which designated 113 acres for public use, including 54 acres of water.

Development of the park’s amenities took place throughout the early 1980s with significant community involvement. In 1980, a contractor donated 60,000 cubic yards of non-organic fill to create the foundation for the popular sled hill at Big Bear Lake. Two years later, Urban Investment contributed time, materials, and labor to complete the sled hill, finish grading and seeding of the land, and construct the bicycle path system that remains a centerpiece of the park today. The District supplemented these private contributions with public funds to develop the original playground facilities.

Arboretum Features and Natural Landscape

Century Park achieved official arboretum status, earning recognition from ArbNet, the international registry for arboreta. The park’s arboretum designation reflects its diverse collection of tree species and commitment to botanical education. Visitors can explore the grounds through a self-guided tree tour that educates the public about various species throughout the walking paths. The carefully curated landscape includes native and ornamental trees that provide year-round visual interest, particularly during spring blooms and autumn foliage displays.

Recreational Amenities

The park offers 2.7 miles of lighted, paved walking and biking paths that loop around both Big Bear and Little Bear Lakes, making it accessible for exercise and leisure activities during daylight and evening hours. Fishing is a popular pastime at both lakes, with anglers catching largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, panfish, pike, and musky from shore, the fishing pier, or boats. The park maintains a public boat launch for residents, allowing non-motorized boats and those with electric motors onto the water.

Additional recreational features include 10 picnic gazebos, two restroom buildings, two baseball fields suitable for baseball and cricket, basketball courts, and two Baggo courts. A playground designed for children ages 2-5 includes an ADA-accessible inclusion swing, while open field areas provide space for unstructured play. The park also features outdoor exercise equipment positioned along the paths, an outdoor gym near the fishing bridge, and a small zipline for adventurous visitors.

The sled hill remains one of the park’s signature attractions during winter months, drawing families for sledding when snow conditions permit. The hill gained local fame when Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte reportedly trained by running its steeper back section during one season.

Environmental Management

Big Bear and Little Bear Lakes are man-made bodies of water with flat silt and mud bottoms. Unlike natural lakes, they lack naturally occurring logs, rocks, or gravel beds that typically provide fish habitat. To address this, the Vernon Hills Park District has implemented fish habitat management programs, installing artificial structures to support healthy fish populations and improve the aquatic ecosystem.

The park district maintains comprehensive management plans for both lakes to ensure water quality, habitat health, and sustainable recreational use. These efforts balance community enjoyment with environmental stewardship, preserving the natural character of the arboretum while supporting diverse wildlife.

Community Access and Engagement

Century Park Arboretum provides multiple access points for visitors arriving by vehicle, bicycle, or foot. Primary vehicular access is available off Lakeview Parkway, with three parking lots serving different areas of the park. Two main entrances connect from Lakeview Parkway, accessible from Gregg’s Parkway to the north or Route 60 and Hawthorn Parkway from the south.

A third parking area serves the north end at Indianwood Drive, accessed via Hawthorn Parkway. Pedestrian and bicycle access points surround the lakes from all directions, integrating the park into the surrounding New Century Town residential neighborhoods. The well-maintained grounds and facilities reflect the Vernon Hills Park District’s mission to provide diverse community-based recreational opportunities that enhance quality of life for residents.

Multiple benches, picnic tables, bridges offering scenic viewpoints, and waterfront docks with chairs allow visitors to relax and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of water, woodland, and wildlife. Whether seeking active recreation through walking, cycling, fishing, or sports, or simply looking for a tranquil setting to appreciate nature’s seasonal changes among the arboretum’s tree collection, Century Park Arboretum and its twin lakes serve as a vital community resource that brings people together with the natural world.