Big Marsh: Bigger than a Park Kickoff

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR UPCOMING FUNDRAISING HOLIDAY PARTY ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13TH - TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE HERE: Tickets and Sponsorships

Big Marsh: Bigger than a park.

The South Side’s home for eco-recreation is building excitement everyday. Friends of Big Marsh is requesting support to grow our programming and services to meet the rapidly increasing demand.

Chicago has a history of turning bold ideas into civic assets. Just as the 1893 World’s Fair transformed Jackson Park, Big Marsh is transforming the Far South and Southeast Side into the city’s home for eco‑recreation.

Big Marsh was part of the industrial heritage which built Chicago as we know it, but it was a danger to local residents. As land formerly used by Acme Steel, Big Marsh laid dormant for more than 25 years before being opened as the city's first bike park and natural area in 2015.

In the past ten years, Friends of Big Marsh and the Chicago Park District have raised more than $22,000,000 to transform Big Marsh from an unknown oasis in a historic industrial corridor into a regional destination. In 2025, Big Marsh and the Ford Calumet Environental Center hosted hundreds of school field trips, alongside family reunions, union picnics, and youth programs.  

Friends of Big Marsh was founded in 2015 by representatives of the outdoor and cycling industries alongside local advocates, cyclists, and nature lovers. We believe in the mental and public health benefits of time spent in nature and are working to make sure that residents of every neighborhood have access.

 Across 297 acres, Big Marsh is an oasis for riders, nature lovers and families. With your investment, Friends of Big Marsh will better serve a growing community with an assortment of free workshops, tours, family fests, and cycling events. These programs are vital to engaging the more than 200,000 low-to-moderate income residents living in Black and Brown neighborhoods within a 5 mile radius of Big Marsh Park. 

Big Marsh is Bigger than a Park, it is an experience like no other.

Why now?

The Southeast Side sits at the center of a growing regional network: Pullman National Monument, Beaubien Woods, William Powers State Recreation Area, Marian Byrnes, Hegewisch Marsh and Steelworkers Park will soon be linked to each other and the greater Chicagoland area via the Lake Calumet Trails and Red Line Extension. . Big Marsh ties these places together through riding, education, competition, and nature.

Demand is outpacing what we’re able to deliver

Right now, we are working to raise $60,000 of grassroots funds to seed our Bigger Than a Park campaign. Your support can help us attract larger donors and grants as we pursue grants and opportunities to bring the outdoors and eco-recreation to 1,000s of South Side residents. This phase of the campaign will end with the grand opening of our big hill trail system in Spring of 2026 and will push us into the next level of Big Marsh Park Development and community engagement!