I took a ride down to Willow Springs to get exact directions on how to get to Columbia Woods. Turns out, it’s very easy.
It all starts on Willow Springs Road. Take Plainfield or Joliet or 47th Street or 55th Street west until you reach Willow Springs Road. Head south on Willow Springs Roads. You’ll go over I-294, then will reach a stoplight at 79th street (near the UPS distribution center.) Continue south, and there will be another light at German Church Road. Keep heading south (Willow Springs Road jogs to the left a little bit here.) Soon after this, you will see Gas City on the right hand side. Immediately after Gas City, there is a street: Corcoran. Turn right here, then turn left immediately onto the frontage road to continue south. The frontage road basically dead ends into the entrance for Columbia Woods. The signage looks like this:
Turn Right here, to enter Columbia Woods. Picnic Grove #2 is about 6/10 of a mile in, on the left side. It’s the first pavilion you come to and there is a marker there with a #2 on it. The Cub Scouts banner will be there as well. Here’s what the pavilion looks like as you’re driving up on it:
If you have any questions, please call Chris Hajer at (708) 214-7119 or Joan Janopoulos at (708) 443-5151. Otherwise, just turn right after the Gas City which is at 8424 S. Willow Springs Road, and you can’t miss it from there. Just follow the frontage road until you run into the Columbia Woods sign.