jerry e. clegg botanic gardens

The only free spot of its kind near town. The overlook gives a fresh air view of the large creek below. The wildflowers are nice in the spring. Usually quiet and rather private feeling. Unimpressive at the entrance, and some shabby areas, but very convenient. Good for a 30 to 90 minute break. Provides several paths that are somewhat hilly, in contrast to the surrounding prairies.

We visited in the fall and the views are spectacular. Easy hike and free. Excellent way to spend a day.

This is a wonderful place to walk with your children or for some solitary time. The trails easily meander around to give you various charming views of Wildcat Creek. More often than not only a handful of other guests are there at the same time so you feel like you found a secret special place to enjoy. Great any time of the year and we have made many trips here in the past. Bring your camera. Parking is across the street.

Trails were okay but the garden... The garden was over grown weeds with broken down benches. Not sure what was going on here. It looked abandoned. Just a mess.

What a great place to visit when the wildflowers are just peaking out at the start of spring. There are only a few trails right along the Wildcat, so it's not large, but the vegetation is classic woodland.

Took advantage of a warm late fall afternoon and visited the Clegg Botanical Gardens. Several different trails, some looped provided great views of the Wildcat Creek, ravines and forest filled with oak, maple, ash and dogwood. Trails are very well marked and well maintained. Trails include wooden steps for the steep ravines, gentle steps, dirt and gravel. Easy walking for about 2.5 miles of trails. Take advantage of a beautiful area that is not crowded.

Clegg Gardens was established as a memorial to a young man many years ago. It has still a feeling of the late '40s, early '50s in the trail markings and native tree identification placards. Trails sprawl over the backyard and woodland nearby, down a steep hill (wooden steps and hill grading) to Wildcat Creek and beyond with picnic tables. Fields of wildflowers, shady areas with old tall elm, rough bark oak and tulip trees intermingle with the poetic creek setting. Most of the trails are meant for those with a certain amount of spryness. That being said, there are benches near the beginning and along the trails, and in a small yard, a spring flowering garden on the level. Wooden planking form some trails, as so is the construction of the bridge, and might be slippery at wet times of the year, but the area is open year-round to witness nature. It's a good place to bring a leashed dog with spring fever, and cool in the heat of summer.

These paths are not like the paved walk at Happy Hollow, but nowhere near the trails at Turkey Run or Shades. While not very difficult, the trails here do have quite few spots where you'd have to watch your kids and your own footing because of the pebbles and the narrowness of the path. We took our dog and had to keep her leash short. The park was not crowded at all, only passed 3 other people. The most dangerous part is crossing the road to get from the parking lot to the park.

Clegg Gardens is a small park located on a hill overlooking the Wildcat Creek. Parking is in a gravel lot across the road. The park has several trails and a small garden area. The trails travel through a ravine and up hills, with extension along the banks of the Wildcat. All trails can easily be walked in under 2 hours. This a nice, relaxing place to spend a few hours in the woods.

I wouldn't call this a tourist attraction, by any means. However, it is a very nice and serene hike through the short trails and along the creek.

You must visit at different times of the year to get the full effect. You can take your students here to learn more about different plants. Or you can take a nice stroll to relax your spirit. We take pictures here also.

I live about 2 minutes from Clegg and have visited many times. The hiking is nice a few ups and downs but not strenuous by any means (although i did trip over a root once which resulted in much laughter but no injuries - thankfully!) very quiet area and the easy hike is rewarded with a nice view of the Wildcat Creek.Don't expect to spend all day discovering any sort of wilderness. This is just basic paths mostly kept cleared and a few places to sit. I'd allow 2-3 hours max.

Clegg Botanical Gardens is a quiet, restful park on the banks of the Wildcat Creek. Nestled in a ravine in the Wildcat Valley, the garden features a wide array of plant life, all labeled. There is a nice lookout point over the Wildcat. If you need to get away from it all, this is the place. Parking is located across the road.

Pretty good trails along the river. Garden needed some work.

A very quiet place with nice paths and maps. Would like a little more signage identifying trees and plants. Beautiful scenery especially in the fall.