Atwood Lodge Zone
New Milford School Road Entrance
This is one of two entrances into Atwood Park! Use this entrance if you are headed to the Atwood Center, the Birds of Prey Deck, or planning to use the foot traffic trails! Just east of the New Milford Cemetery, on the sloped part of the road, you will see a large Atwood Center sign before you enter.
Atwood Center
While the first of Atwood Park’s programs were originally held out of the old lodge on the northeast side of the park (now Point of Interest 14), this building has been home of outdoor recreation and education programs since it was built in 1960. Many of the same programs as in the early days, such as archery and team building, still run today for school groups and clubs to experience. Atwood Center is open to the public every Saturday from 10am to 2pm where guests can view a Camp Grant exhibit, check out our animal room and meet live reptiles, or simply stop by to get more information about the park! From field trips and public programs to facility rentals and volunteer opportunities, Atwood Center has something for everyone!
Teams Course (1)
For years, kids and adults from around the region have been coming to Atwood for our Teams Course and team building activities! Whether you are interested in improving your teamwork or just want to try out the low ropes course with your group, Atwood has something for you! Please do not attempt to use or climb on any of the Teams Course features without an Atwood staff member present.
Birds of Prey Deck (2)
Built in 2012, the Birds of Prey Deck is one of the only ADA accessible tree houses in the state and houses up to seven injured birds of prey year-round for everyone to enjoy. The birds housed in these enclosures can no longer survive in the wild on their own due to their injures. Take a walk around the deck and check out the educational signage along the way. Or even just enjoy a seat among the trees in this astonishingly accessible arboreal avian abode! Every Saturday at 1PM, Atwood Center puts on a free bird feeding. Open to the public, you can learn more about the birds from a knowledgeable staff member or volunteer!
Pump House (3)
Built with limestone sourced from the nearby quarry (Point of Interest 18), the original foundation of this Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Pump House still stands almost a hundred years later, from the mid-1930's when it was first constructed! While it no longer has its roof or the water pump, walk along the maintenance road to check out the remnants! Can you find the stone that was purposely added to the structure due to it being shaped like the state of Illinois?
Mill Race (4)
A great viewing spot of the Kishwaukee River, Mill Race is a hidden gem of the park! Not accessible when the river is high, use caution when hiking out to this location. The village of New Milford in part got its name from there historically being several mills in the area. The shallow bank of the river in this area has been used in the past to make buttons and McCormick reapers with the use of a water mill. Today, it is used for outdoor education programs, such as river study and field science for school groups.
Stairs (5)
Get ready for a change in elevation – this set of 26 stairs is often called the “ABC” stairs. If you say one letter of the alphabet per stair, you’ll have recited the entire alphabet by the time you get to the bottom! These stairs provide the most straight shot from the Atwood Center and the Birds of Prey deck to the Kishwaukee River.
Rock Wall (6)
Sitting just below the Hilltop Prairie (Point of Interest 8), the Rock Wall is a staple of the park in many ways. Now used as a backdrop for s’mores and campfire songs to end many school programs, this location was previously referred to as “Lone Oak Canyon” as a nod to the large Bur Oak tree on the left side of the limestone wall. Previously used as a climbing wall in the early days of outdoor recreation in Atwood Park, this is no longer available due to the wall’s porous limestone composition.
Hilltop Prairie (7)
Atwood Park’s Hilltop Prairie is one of the best views in the park and is a rare “remnant prairie”. These prairies are quite uncommon, with over 99.9% of the original prairie ecosystem in the state destroyed as Americans moved west throughout the 1800’s. A great location to watch the sunset or sunrise, this scenic spot offers views of the Kishwaukee River and treetops beyond! It is believed that this was a stop for Black Hawk, Sauk leader during the Black Hawk War of 1832, to camp while traveling due to the sightlines of the river.
Hilltop Bench (8)
Another CCC structure built in the mid-1930's – this bench is sometimes called the “kissing bench” in reference to the large red mark on the front that looks like a lipstick stain. You’ll find that the trail from the Hilltop Prairie to the Hilltop Bench has a bit elevation gain. Take a breather on the bench after the trek up the hill or get a group photo at this spot!
Target Pit (9)
The Target Pit is a remnant structure of the rifle range from Camp Grant, which was established in 1917 and used to train nearly 60,000 soldiers during World War I. Soldiers would aim at targets that were displayed above the pit using a pulley system and shoot from across the river. Many of the trees you see today were not here then, making it more of an open range. A series of connected metal shutters run along the interior of the south wall and is thought to be used for communication.