Is there a good route from Chicago to Harbor Country in Michigan?

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Permalink Reply by millenial removing Bernie tattoo on August 25, 2008 at 12:13pm

If by "smoothly" you mean "avoid entirely", there are a series of trails that route around it:

http://indianatrails.org/NWI_area.htm

Of course this will add miles. I don't know if you are looking for min distance/max speed or a more scenic ride.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Andersson on August 25, 2008 at 12:29pm

Thanks for the info. I don't mind the extra miles if it means a safer and more scenic ride. Have you ridden these trails? Because the trails don't currently link together it may be a little challenging finding my way.

envane x said:

If by "smoothly" you mean "avoid entirely", there are a series of trails that route around it:

http://indianatrails.org/NWI_area.htm

Of course this will add miles. I don't know if you are looking for min distance/max speed or a more scenic ride.

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Permalink Reply by millenial removing Bernie tattoo on August 25, 2008 at 2:05pm

Unfortunately, the farthest I've been into Indiana is Munster. I was at one point planning a "bike to Michigan to say that I did" trip but then realized the South Shore Line which I would have taken back does not allow bikes. So I won't be going to MI unless its a multi-day tour and not anytime soon.

Oh, here's a bike map for NW IL:

http://www.nirpc.org/transportation/nonmotorized.htm

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Permalink Reply by Tom Andersson on August 25, 2008 at 3:49pm

Thanks! Great Map.

envane x said:

Unfortunately, the farthest I've been into Indiana is Munster. I was at one point planning a "bike to Michigan to say that I did" trip but then realized the South Shore Line which I would have taken back does not allow bikes. So I won't be going to MI unless its a multi-day tour and not anytime soon.

Oh, here's a bike map for NW IL:

http://www.nirpc.org/transportation/nonmotorized.htm

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Permalink Reply by evanK on August 26, 2008 at 10:42am

I've ridden 12 back from Michigan; we did the dunes to Chicago in a day, only about 80 or 90 miles. We did it on a Sunday which is probably the best day to do it, and we tried to avoid it. I've ridden on some of the trails through Indiana, which are pretty good.

We did a ride in June (Le Tour de Shore) that followed the Burnham Greenway and then the trails somehow over to Michigan City. From there, there are nice roads along the lake that are nice.

I say we organize a petition or a protest to allow bikes in some fashion on the South Shore. Especially on the weekend, I mean, there's got to be a demand!

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Permalink Reply by Tom Andersson on August 26, 2008 at 11:05am

I'm going to ride this route on Sunday morning: Burnham Greenway to Eire Lackawanna to Oak Savannah Trail to Prairie Duneland Trail and then the rest of the way on route 12. If anyone is interested in comming along just let me know. This will be a one way ride for me. I'll be staying in Harbor Country until Tuesday and return to Chicago by car.

I agree that it's unfortunate that the South Shore Line dosen't allow bikes. I didn't find that out until this spring when I was denied access to the train at Millenium Station. I then rode over to Amtrack and was told the same thing. Frustrated I just had to ride back home.

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Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on August 26, 2008 at 12:41pm

I'd love to do a trip like this.

What about doing a car share thing? It wouldn't be the most environmentally friendly idea, but it might work. You could bike to Michigan, someone else drives there, you meet up, then they bike back to Chicago and you take the car back to Chicago.

Does that seem feasible? You could even do teams of two, then you'd at least be carpooling.

Any body interested in something like this?

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Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on August 26, 2008 at 7:56pm

I followed this route two years ago. It works. There's the off-path road and streets between the paths:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/southside-thru-to-the-dunes


The first day of a trip around Lake Michigan:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=57198&...

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Permalink Reply by Ben R. on August 8, 2010 at 10:45am

I got caught off guard yesterday. I rode to Michigan. 'just to say I did it' but then I found out that the South Shore line doesn't allow bikes unless they fold up into a specially designed 14"x17" bag an stow overhead.
In the end I wound up leaving my bike locked up at the BeverlyShores station and caught a later train to do so. I rode an empty train back to Chicago and then Drove out to retrieve my bike.
8am-4pm biking. 4pm-midnight. waiting for the train/arguing with conductors/stowing my bike outside of town/retrieving my bike.
I had seen people on the Munster ride take their bikes home on Indiana's Commuter Rail service, and I've taken mine on Metra and CTA so I figured the policy was pretty uniform and I didn't check into it.

I plan to write them a letter and reference this forum that there is demand for this feature on this line. as well as the 10 or so people who saw me waiting for the train with the bike and said 'OH! I'd love to do that!"

If you could make it to Michigan City by 3:20 pm I think there's an Amtrak($50) you can catch back to Chicago (does anyone know if they allow bikes?) I would have made that If I didn't continue up to the Michigan State border and back.

An alternate trip might be to try for the Michigan Dunes in a day (100ish miles) pitch a tent and stay the night. Head back to Michigan City the next day and take the Amtrak home.
Sadly, I don't have a bike capable of carrying a tent right now.

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Permalink Reply by Jared on August 8, 2010 at 10:52am

What commuter rail service runs out of Munster? The only thing I know about is South Shore. Would love to take it out to Michigan City and ride up into Michigan, but alas that wont be happening anytime soon.

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Permalink Reply by dan b on August 8, 2010 at 11:31am

I rode from Logan Square to Sawyer, MI last month using google maps biking directions. I took the lakefront path to the burnham greenway into Indiana then the trails mentioned earlier in this post to US 12 then lake shore road the rest of the way. I was pretty surprised that Indiana has such nice trails.

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