20-30 miles West Suburbs/Chicago Road Bike Route

Hey all,

I was looking for suggestions for a 20-30 mile or so route around Forest Park. My buddy and I both have road bikes that wouldn't handle well on crushed limestone so we were looking for some quieter roads and/or paved paths. We have a car with a rack so can drive to a destination.

We're currently looking at doing a loop or two around the Tinley Creek Trail (North) (http://www.traillink.com/trail/tinley-creek-trail-(north).aspx). Another possibility would be to drive up to St. Charles and bike up to Algonquin (http://www.strava.com/routes/1085027).

Thanks,

Tomek

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Permalink Reply by Tim Heckman on October 21, 2014 at 6:56am
This one isn't bad. It is a loop between the Salt Creek, and the Prairie Path that is 25 miles from my place in Oak Park. Hop off the Prairie Path where it goes to crushed stone in Berkeley and follow Vallette Street to the west edge of Elmhurst, and pick up the paved Salt Creek trail at Eldridge Park in Elmhurst. Stay on York Road in Oak Brook instead of the gravel side path.

http://www.strava.com/activities/178462044

It's my go to route when I only have two hours.

For a paved trail, if you don't mind driving, I would go to Willow Springs, and ride the I & M/Centennial trail down to 135th and back. That's about 25 miles. Not a loop, but generally an interesting ride.
Permalink Reply by Tomek on October 21, 2014 at 8:19am

Thanks for the recommendation. I thought the I&M Trail was largely crushed limestone?

Tim Heckman said:

This one isn't bad. It is a loop between the Salt Creek, and the Prairie Path that is 25 miles from my place in Oak Park. Hop off the Prairie Path where it goes to crushed stone in Berkeley and follow Vallette Street to the west edge of Elmhurst, and pick up the paved Salt Creek trail at Eldridge Park in Elmhurst. Stay on York Road in Oak Brook instead of the gravel side path.

http://www.strava.com/activities/178462044

It's my go to route when I only have two hours.

For a paved trail, if you don't mind driving, I would go to Willow Springs, and ride the I & M/Centennial trail down to 135th and back. That's about 25 miles. Not a loop, but generally an interesting ride.
Permalink Reply by Tim Heckman on October 21, 2014 at 8:40am
It is crushed limestone SW of Joliet, but the section between Willow Springs Road and IL 83 is paved. Also, the trailhead of the North Branch is just up at Devon and Nagle. That's another nice trail that gets plenty of traffic.
Permalink Reply by Tomek on October 21, 2014 at 8:56am

Awesome. Made a Strava route for any potential future viewers. http://www.strava.com/routes/1085442

I actually just did the North Branch trail this past weekend and it was great. Here are my notes from it:

North Branch Trail is a great, smooth, and paved trail starting at Devon & Caldwell and going up all the way to the Botanic Garden. Little bit chilly during our ride, but the trail wasn't very busy at all (started at 1:30PM). Trail cuts through forest preserves as well as some open prairies. Beautiful ride in Autumn. Lot's of leaves on the trail (especially when cutting through some of the forest sections) so need to be a bit careful. Stopped off and visited the Botanic Garden.


Tim Heckman said:

It is crushed limestone SW of Joliet, but the section between Willow Springs Road and IL 83 is paved. Also, the trailhead of the North Branch is just up at Devon and Nagle. That's another nice trail that gets plenty of traffic.
Permalink Reply by Tim Heckman on October 21, 2014 at 9:20am
My statement wasn't exactly clear-- sorry, but don't want to confuse anyone. The section between 135th Street (Romeoville) and the Joliet Ironworks is substantially crushed stone with isolated paved sections. The secetion north of 135th should give you about 12 miles between Willow Springs and 135th Street.

I also have enjoyed taking the Veterans Parkway Spur off the Centennial Trail, working my way up Woodward and bicycle friendly streets in the SW suburbs, and back paralleling the BNSF tracks. Here's an example:

http://www.strava.com/activities/85813246

Also sent you a request in Strava-- feel free to peruse my rides. I'm slow, and you will have to ignore a lot of commutes, but there are some good ones in there.
Permalink Reply by Rich S on October 21, 2014 at 9:24am

The Fox River Trail is 40 miles paved from Crystal Lake down to Aurora. You can easily take Metra out to either the top or bottom of the trail and then take Metra back home from the other end. 

Permalink Reply by Louie Louie on October 23, 2014 at 6:14am

That's a great suggestion, thanks.

Rich S said:

The Fox River Trail is 40 miles paved from Crystal Lake down to Aurora. You can easily take Metra out to either the top or bottom of the trail and then take Metra back home from the other end. 

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