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| A guide to suburban bike trails | |
| May 20, 2007 | |
| Neil Holdway, Staff Writer nholdway@dailyherald.com | |
| Daily Herald | |
| Pertains to Fox River Trail, Prairie Trail, Des Plaines River Trail, Great Western Trail, Virgil Gilman Trail, N, Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, Rolling Meadows, Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Streamwood, Mundelein, Lake Bluff, Wadsworth | |
| With April's inconsistent weather over and summer coming up, now's the time to get serious about riding your bike. You can take a cruise around the neighborhood, or if you're ready for bigger and better rides, you can hit one of the suburbs' many spectacular trails, or even hit the roads. Take a video tour of area bike trails First, pick your bike. A road bike has thin tires and those curly handlebars; it's built for speed and distance. A hybrid, also called a cross bike, has thicker, knobby tires and handlebars that let you sit more upright; this is the bike best-suited to most people. A mountain bike is your monster truck of bikes, with very thick tires and shocks that let you run over almost anything. There's a trail to suit you whether you go long or short, fast or easy, clean or dirty, with your family or by yourself. Hop on, ride single file, and stay to the right. THE BIG ONES Des Plaines River Trail, Lake County Ӣ Quick review: Lake County forest preserves' wonderful, well-marked trail. Ӣ Distance: 31 miles. Ӣ Surface: Dirt and crushed limestone. Ӣ Kind of bike: Hybrid, mountain. Ӣ Where it goes: Along Des Plaines River, for a mile from Lake-Cook Road north to Estonian Lane, then it starts again at W. Riverside Drive and goes 30 miles to Russell Road in Wadsworth. (One-mile missing link in planning stages.) Ӣ Where to find it: Several forest preserve entrances along Milwaukee Avenue/Route 21 and Route 41, such as the Half Day preserve off Route 22, Independence Grove off Route 137, and Van Patten Woods off Route 173. Ӣ Good for families? Very. Several underpasses mean few road crossings. Ӣ Good for scenery? Oh yeah. Lots of forest and open space. Ӣ Good for speed? Yes. Not many high-traffic areas (busier south). Ӣ Get you dirty? Yes. Dusty in dry weather, muddy after rains. Fox River Trail/Prairie Path Ӣ Quick review: A classic. Follow the Fox River, stop at downtowns and landmarks, stop to eat, and go north into McHenry County (the Prairie Path) for open space. Ӣ Distance: About 40 miles one way. Ӣ Surface: Mostly paved, but dirt and gravel at north end of Prairie Path. Ӣ Kind of bike: Any kind, can be a little rough on road bikes; hybrid or mountain on north end. Ӣ Where it goes: As far north as Genoa City, Wis. (ends in cul-de-sac), as far south as Aurora (or to Oswego if you take Aurora streets). Ӣ Where to find it: Many entry points. Downtowns of East Dundee, Elgin, St. Charles, Batavia and Geneva, or Blackhawk Forest Preserve in South Elgin. Ӣ Good for families? Yes. Periodic road crossings, but stops are well-marked. Ӣ Good for scenery? Yes. The Fox, some forests, some historic suburbs. Ӣ Good for speed? Not really. Can be crowded, curvy or bumpy. Better in McHenry County. Ӣ Get you dirty? Occasional puddles or mud patches after rain; dirty on north end. Illinois Prairie Path/Great Western Trail, DuPage County Ӣ Quick review: DuPage County's excellent trail system through forest, open space and some downtowns. Ӣ Distance: About 60 miles of trails in all. Ӣ Surface: Mostly crushed limestone. Ӣ Kind of bike: Hybrid, mountain. Ӣ Where it goes: From Fox River Trail in south Elgin, southeast through Wayne, Winfield, West Chicago, Wheaton; southwest to Aurora. Offshoots to Geneva, Batavia, Fermilab, Hillside. Great Western Trail is an offshoot through Carol Stream, Lombard and Villa Park. Ӣ Where to find it: Pratt's Wayne Woods, downtown Wheaton, Timber Ridge and Winfield Mounds forest preserves in Wheaton or Winfield, Jewell and Gary roads in Wheaton, various points in Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Wayne, Winfield. Ӣ Good for families? Yes. Periodic road crossings, but plenty of long, quiet stretches. Ӣ Good for scenery? Yes. Forests, some open space, some nice downtowns. Ӣ Good for speed? Yes, but you will have tight spots when going through downtowns. Ӣ Get you dirty? Yes. White dust in dry weather, muddy in wet weather. A SMALLER TREASURE Poplar Creek Trail in Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Streamwood Ӣ Quick review: Fairly new, nice, handy loop with little hills to give you a good workout. Ӣ Distance: 9 miles around. Ӣ Surface: Paved. Ӣ Kind of bike: Any, best for road or hybrid. Ӣ Where it goes: Circles through Poplar Creek Forest Preserve Ӣ Where to find it: Parking at Shoe Factory and Higgins roads, or Golf Road and Route 59, or another forest preserve entrance off Route 59 between Shoe Factory and Golf roads. Ӣ Good for families? Not too bad; several major road crossings if you do full loop. Ӣ Good for scenery? Not the best but good enough -- it's a Cook County forest preserve. Ӣ Good for speed? In between road crossings, you can have a speedy little workout. Ӣ Get you dirty? Only after heavy rain. WE'RE OBLIGED TO MENTION Busse Woods in Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, Rolling Meadows Ӣ Quick review: Know it? Many cyclists, runners, walkers and skaters do, so expect interruptions unless you ride during business hours. Also, signs now are saying this trail will be closed July 5-Aug. 3 for reconstruction. Ӣ Distance: About a 7.6-mile loop, plus offshoots add another 3.6. Ӣ Surface: Paved. Ӣ Kind of bike: Any, best for road or hybrid. Ӣ Where it goes: "Busse Woods" is also called the Ned Brown Forest Preserve, and the trail surrounds Busse Lake. Also passes the elk herd. Ӣ Where to find it: Park near elk off Arlington Heights Road north of Higgins, or off Higgins just east of Route 53/I-290. Ӣ Good for families? Yes, but be careful and stay to the right, because it'll be crowded. Ӣ Good for scenery? You have elks! And actually, forests are pretty. Ӣ Good for speed? No way on weekends. Maybe during work hours. Ӣ Get you dirty? No. NOTABLE SMALL, LOCAL TRAILS Algonquin Road trail Ӣ You can get a good half-dozen miles or so along the busy road between South Barrington and Palatine, but this paved trail doesn't connect to anything except roads. Not bad for residents surrounding Algonquin Road. Deer Grove Trail/Palatine Trail Ӣ Access either paved trail at Dundee and Quentin roads. Deer Grove takes you through the forest preserve of the same name, while Palatine Trail goes through the neighborhood. Both total about 10 miles, and both are good little trails for families, not for speed demons. North Shore Bike Path Ӣ About 10 miles between Mundelein, along Route 176, and Lake Bluff. It's a simple, unspectacular paved trail that connects to the Des Plaines River Trail. Virgil Gilman Trail Ӣ Both paved and dirt, it runs about 11 miles from Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove east across the Fox River and past Montgomery. You'll see Kane County's open space. Great Western Trail (Fox Valley) Ӣ Off the Fox River in St. Charles you can pick up the other Great Western Trail, 18 paved or crushed-limestone miles that go all the way to Sycamore. Another way to see Kane and then DeKalb County's open space, like it or not. THEN THERE'S ... Mountain bike trails They're certainly not Colorado mountain biking, but if you want to play with the shocks on your bike and slide around, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's map (biketraffic.org) shows dirt loops at: Ӣ Lakewood Forest Preserve, east of Wauconda. Ӣ Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve, near Cuba and Ela roads. Ӣ Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve, off Checker or Schaeffer roads in Long Grove. Ӣ Hawks Hollow, Mallard Lake and West Branch forest preserves between Bartlett and Carol Stream. Ӣ Blackwell Forest Preserve, home of the West Branch DuPage River Trail, east of Warrenville. Ӣ Herrick Lake and Danada forest preserves, home of trails of the same names (Danada partially paved). Your neighborhood Ӣ Bigger suburbs like Arlington Heights, Schaumburg and Naperville offer several bike-friendly streets within the main thoroughfares; watch the "bike route" signs. The roads Bike the busy roads? It can be done if you find the right ones. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, biketraffic.org, sells a map marking bike-friendly roads throughout Chicago and the suburbs. Some notables: Ӣ Barrington Hills: Get inside the forested village and you'll find cycling paradise on most roads. Ӣ Long Grove: Cuba Road, Long Grove Road (with bike lane), Old Hicks Road and Checker Road. Ӣ Cary/Fox River Grove/northern Barringtons: Find space and scenery on Roberts Road, Rawson Bridge Road (north and south), Darrell Road and River Road. Ӣ McHenry County: Bull Valley Road, Crystal Lake and Crystal Spring roads. Ӣ Kane County's open space: McDonald, Plato, Rohrsen roads north; Silver Glen, Campton Hills, Green roads south. Get maps and info Ӣ Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, biketraffic.org: Buy a map of bike-friendly roads Ӣ Major bookstores: Books on trails in Illinois (and Wisconsin) Ӣ Local bike shops: Most sell trail pocket maps, if not books Ӣ www.mikebentley.com/bike/: A Web site with links to trail maps |
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