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Permalink Reply by Stephen Maiseloff on February 4, 2010 at 6:54am

Wow - that looks awesome. It says its 140 miles outside the city. Thanks :)

jen said:

I once journeyed to western Illinois with a friend.... We put ourselves and our bikes on the Metra headed to Harvard. Departed train once there, got foods in our bellies and headed west. He (friend) mapped out the route which ended up being a bit of a backroad adventure for awhile, so I can't give any specifics. Leaving later than expected and having quite a heedy headwind...we stopped short of the destination campground, but Lake Le-Aqua Na campground was actually more of a paradise after the long day in the saddles (hot showers, indoor plumbing). Got up next morning and peddled to Apple River Canyon campground. Spent the night there and rode the highways back to Harvard the next day. Boarded the Metra and glided our way back to mass civilization. Beautiful landscapes, nice people (not too many fingers flipped from passing cars) and fair/med difficulty of ride (some hills and cross winds).

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Maiseloff on February 4, 2010 at 6:55am

Excellent! Thanks :)

Clark said:

My wife and I like a "credit card" ride each spring: Augusta Blvd west from the City at 5am, pick up the Prairie Path in Oak Park, and stop for breakfast in Glen Ellyn after about 28 miles. Then take the Geneva spur in Wheaton and merge with the Fox River bike path in St Charles for lunch on a deck overlooking the river. After a very civilized lunch, bike north on the Fox River Trail to overnight at a motel in Crystal Lake. The nice thing about this route is that the Fox River communities offer lots of different attractions to enjoy all afternoon as you go north through Elgin, Dundee and Algonquin to Crystal Lake.

Then head east from Crystal Lake at dawn the next morning, trying to beat commuter traffic going through Wauconda and Mundelein, to the North Shore bike path in Libertyville. From there you can choose from at least three bike paths headed south (Des Plaines River Trail; Skokie Valley Bikeway to North Branch Trail; and McClory northshore Trail) but we like to take Sheridan Road all the way south to Chicago.

This is a four-sided two-day route, with each side of the box about 30-40 miles, and each side featuring a significant bike path. And if you decide you want to extend your ride after the first night in Crystal Lake, you're only 60 very pleasant miles from Lake Geneva.

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Permalink Reply by dan brown on February 4, 2010 at 8:43am

this is great - I used to live in DuPage county btw.

another great destination is the Oscar Swan Inn (B&B) in Geneva (or is it St. Charles ?)
It's old world German...just like being in Europe.
Mrs brown and I biked there once...30 miles straight into a 25 mph headwind (she swore at me a lot
as she drafted the entire way)
A Jacuzzi and wine was never better.


DB
Stephen Maiseloff said:

Excellent! Thanks :)

Clark said:

My wife and I like a "credit card" ride each spring: Augusta Blvd west from the City at 5am, pick up the Prairie Path in Oak Park, and stop for breakfast in Glen Ellyn after about 28 miles. Then take the Geneva spur in Wheaton and merge with the Fox River bike path in St Charles for lunch on a deck overlooking the river. After a very civilized lunch, bike north on the Fox River Trail to overnight at a motel in Crystal Lake. The nice thing about this route is that the Fox River communities offer lots of different attractions to enjoy all afternoon as you go north through Elgin, Dundee and Algonquin to Crystal Lake.

Then head east from Crystal Lake at dawn the next morning, trying to beat commuter traffic going through Wauconda and Mundelein, to the North Shore bike path in Libertyville. From there you can choose from at least three bike paths headed south (Des Plaines River Trail; Skokie Valley Bikeway to North Branch Trail; and McClory northshore Trail) but we like to take Sheridan Road all the way south to Chicago.

This is a four-sided two-day route, with each side of the box about 30-40 miles, and each side featuring a significant bike path. And if you decide you want to extend your ride after the first night in Crystal Lake, you're only 60 very pleasant miles from Lake Geneva.

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Permalink Reply by KatieP on February 4, 2010 at 9:17am

These sound so lovely! For those who have done these before, how did you handle food? Are you a favorite of the PB&J sandwich or stopping for a bite?

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Permalink Reply by Steven on February 8, 2010 at 9:36am

I took a "credit card" trip from SF - Seattle last fall. Nothing but a hydration sized backpack, iPhone, some Clif Bars...the basics. Super fun. I wouldn't do it any other way.

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Permalink Reply by Ron on February 24, 2010 at 6:13am

I've done it from the start to Starved Rock. It gets progressively primitive as you head West. In fact at the Western end it was hard to find "trail", more like worn out grass area. A very short part is paved toward the East end, most of it is crushed limestone. I've done on a road and a hybrid, it's do-able on a road bike.

Liz W. Durham said:

I & M Canal Trail is "groomed trail". Does this mean it would be road bike friendly?

mindfrieze said:

Take Metra to Joliet and bike the I&M Canal trail to Starved Rock and back. I think it's around 60 miles one way.

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Permalink Reply by Sol on February 24, 2010 at 2:32pm

TOMRV (Tour Of the Mississippi River Valley) June 12-13, big hills, great scenery, fun people, well organized, easy logistics.

http://www.qcbc.org/tomrv/

Cheers,
Sol

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Permalink Reply by burden on February 24, 2010 at 7:30pm

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:

Jeff, according to Mapquest - shortest distance, avoiding highways, toll roads and seasonally closed roads mind you - it's around 12 miles from the Joilet Metra station to US-6 and South McKinley Woods Road. It's probably a bit shorter than that because the closest trailhead is actually east of S McKinley and US-6.

Um... Better late than never, I guess.

The I&M trailhead on the south side of Joliet is at Brandon Rd and Mound Rd, less than two miles from the station.

Jeff said:

Do you have directions from the Joliet train station to the trailhead? Thanks.

For a bike-friendly route, try this (slightly circuitous at the start because of one-way streets and bridges):

• Go north on Scott from the train station until you get to Cass/US 30.
• Take a left on Cass and head west.
• Cross the river and go a few blocks to Center.
• Take a left on Center.
• Go a few blocks south and take a right on Marion St.
• Stay on Marion until Wheeler Ave, where you'll take a left.
• Stay on Wheeler. You'll cross I-80, pass a park called West Park and then go back down the side of the bluff. At the bottom of that hill is a relatively busy road that has several names on the map. I don't know what the sign there says.
• Take a right on the Road of Mystery, then left on Brandon about a block later.
• You'll cross the canal itself soon thereafter and see the trailhead to your right, just before US 6.

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