Oak Savannah Bike Trail

Oak Savannah Bike Trail is a 4-mile round-trip on a paved, well-marked out-and-back from Robinson Lake Park to Wisconsin Street and back. It follows a nearly level former railroad corridor through Hobart Prairie Grove, with lake and ravine scenery instead of a summit or rugged climb. Allow about two hours. This row covers only the park’s Robinson Lake–Wisconsin Street hike; the longer Oak Savannah corridor continues beyond both ends.

A separate 2.2-mile Hobart Woodland Trail branches south from Oak Savannah less than half a mile east of the Robinson Lake lot. That is a packed-dirt loop, not part of this paved rail-trail walk.

Use the paved Robinson Lake Park lot at 5227 South Liverpool Road in Hobart. Follow the trail east and turn around at Wisconsin Street; street parking is also listed near 851 South Wisconsin Street if you start at the east end. The Robinson Lake access has no restrooms or potable water, and parking capacity is not listed.

Leashed dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet, and bicycles are permitted. The park’s hiking page says an entrance pass is required, while its Oak Savannah page says there is no entrance or parking fee; confirm the pass requirement with the park before setting out.

The paved path crosses several ravines and Lake George, part of the Deep River. At the bridge, small platforms look over a lily-pad-covered narrow channel between wider parts of the lake. For a photo, frame the bridge rails with the water beyond them. The lake crossing is the route’s signature view; Wisconsin Street is the turnaround, not a separate destination.

The straight corridor follows the former Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway’s Porter Branch. The Griffith-to-Hobart section opened in 1888, the line was later extended to Porter, and freight service ended in 1984. The rail trail keeps that long, level corridor open to walkers and cyclists.

The surrounding Hobart Prairie Grove section covers about 300 acres of wetlands, prairie remnants, white-oak flatlands and rare bur-oak savanna. The park lists 343 native plant species there and describes its unusual soil as at least 70 percent silt and clay, one reason the preserve supports such varied plant life. Those figures describe the broader preserve, not a promise of particular plants beside the pavement.