Bike camping suggestions for Labor Day weekend...

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Permalink Reply by Liz on August 20, 2012 at 11:17am

The ride up the Illinois state beach is pretty nice, 50 miles mostly on trails.  

You can also take the metra to harvard and then ride up the kettle moraine.  

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Permalink Reply by Aaron Goldbeck on August 20, 2012 at 2:21pm

Biked out to the "Jellystone" Yogi Bear branded campsite by the Indiana Dunes last weekend.  Awesome ride.  If you take the Burnham Greenway to the Erie Lackawanna Trail to the Oak Savannah Trail to the Prairie Duneland Trail you get pretty close without any real serious street riding.  Also, Jellystone is hilarious.  Go for the dunes, stay for the guy in the bear suit driving a golf cart.

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Permalink Reply by Ash L. on August 20, 2012 at 4:16pm

Metra is 2 miles from Illinois Beach or any number of other distance options depending on where you get off the line so it can be a 50 mile ride or anything in between. 

Bong is 17 miles from the end of the line in Kenosha. I'm not sure if the road into Bong is still under construction though. It was a bit of a mess last summer but should have been fixed by now. 

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Permalink Reply by jennifer james on August 20, 2012 at 7:58pm

I don't know the story about bikes on the south shore line but we discovered walk-in sites at the National Park side of the Indiana dunes. You could take a bike and park it by the site easily because the walk in is about ten feet. They are first come first served no reservation but he ranger said they fill in the afternoon but are often not full in the morning before noon. Also further up off Amtrak Warren Dunes has a tent camping only no rv's area as well.

Both places have really nice trails that get you aeay from the street and into the forest before dune panoramas. The nukes are close by but the parks are very pretty.

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Permalink Reply by mark stetson on August 20, 2012 at 9:37pm

Lots of state park options I'd think.  Shabbona perhaps,  Johnson Sauk Trail, Prophetstown, or there are some nice spots on the Hennepin Canal path.  How many miles do you want to ride to get to the camp site?  Metra or Amtrak to get you out of the city, then ride on? 

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Permalink Reply by Katie on August 21, 2012 at 4:32pm

Thanks folks....

I'd like to get in 50 miles each way of riding.  Happy to take the train part way to extend my options.

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Permalink Reply by mark stetson on August 22, 2012 at 11:45pm

OK, Labor Day weekend, 50 miles riding:  Take Amtrak to Mendota, camp on the Hennepin Canal at Wyanet or Lock 22? (I can look it up) between Sheffield and Mineral, or Johnson Sauk Trail Park.  Attend Hog Days in Kewanee www.kewaneehogdays.com , eat pork chops, have a beer at Cerno's  www.cernosbarandgrill.com  (I believe this bar is connected with the 1893 Columbian Expositon in Chicago, but the story doesn't appear on the bar's website).  Watch the parade, or go to the library's book sale (best part of the weekend for me).  I can map a route for you from Mendota to the camping area of your choice.   Pic: bar at Cerno's. 

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