North Shore Trails to Wisconsin... conditions?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Uptown Joe on January 14, 2013 at 7:22am

Jim, thanks for the info. Yes, please post the alternative routes.

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Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on January 14, 2013 at 8:00pm

Hi Uptown Joe - 

Here's the GMAP route we used over the summer to MKE. You can obviously just click on the "Ft. Sheridan to Kenosha" section and see how it looks.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210884996801922292146.0004c504...

I'm going to dig around and see how much different that section was on the return leg of the north shore century. For some reason, I remember it being a little more scenic. 

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Permalink Reply by Alex on January 14, 2013 at 11:47pm

I've ridden the McClory trail many times without issue. The only place I've had any problems are with idiot kids riding ATVs or dirtbikes on the trail close to the Wisconsin border - well north of any reported "shady characters", but something to keep in mind. Also sometimes broken glass on the underpass by Great Lakes and on that first stretch past the factories in North Chicago, though I actually like that part of the trail for some reason, and haven't ever seen any amount of broken glass that seemed as epic as what's been described.

The biggest problem is that it's boring, and yes, the street crossings (although only Belvidere and Washington streets take any time at all), although if you want to stick close to the trail you can just ride parallel residential streets through North Chicago and Waukegan, which is what I normally do. I've ridden Sheridan before as well when in a hurry, which is fine, but I usually prefer ambling and greeting passers-by (have had some kids on BMXes catch up to me and ride with me on parts of the trail, which is, you know, nice). Harder to do that on Sheridan.

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Permalink Reply by Comrade Cycles on January 15, 2013 at 1:48am

I agree with Alex regarding no problems with the so-called, "shady characters." I  grew up along this stretch of the trail and rode it with regularity in my teen years. After making the move to Chicago I continued to ride it (on a damn near weekly basis, damn near year round) to visit a girlfriend in Milwaukee, without incident. North Chicago is an impoverished city, with an ever increasing lack of jobs and affordable housing. It has been this way for years. I recall it from my time spent living with my grandparents above a bar (Friendly's) they owned there. Waukegan is now much the same, though once a destination for Lake County getaways and shopping trips. The fearful descriptions of riding through the area, although they are of personal opinion, I question. Although there are many street crossings and I do not deny that the path has a tendency to be ridden with glass in it's (brief) paved sections I will not, nor should most, hesitate to use this trail.

Without getting into socioeconomic issues I will say that it's an entirely safe route and one that most folks will be able to comfortably ride. Anyone who cannot comfortably ride a bike through Garfield Park/ Austin in order to enjoy the Illinois Prairie Path should, by all means, [retracted].

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Permalink Reply by Comrade Cycles on January 15, 2013 at 2:43am

My editor missed an accidental apostrophe. Sorry.

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Permalink Reply by Comrade Cycles on January 15, 2013 at 2:57am

Augusta, Thatcher, Madison, First, IPP. Easy money, make it happen.

Tricolor said:

None of the areas felt unsafe to me (granted this was on a September Sunday in daylight) and there aren't that many intersections and only two that make you wait as long as you may for a downtown Chicago intersection.  But it's dry and dusty and there's no shade.

I'm looking at southern and western trails, particularly the Illinois Prairie Path.  I just need to figure if it's worth a long ride from town on the Blue Line to get there.

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