Looking for an alternative route from Hillside/Bellwood to northside of Oak Park

I guess it must be spring. More route advice requested:

We’ll be taking a overnight trip next weekend and will be coming into the city on the Prairie Path. It’s been a few years since we did that, but I remember not enjoying the part between approx. Hillside/Bellwood and downtown Oak Park. Too much glass on the trail, too many busy roads too cross.

I would like to hear some alternatives. Ideally, we would end up at North Ave and Oak Park Ave, on not too busy roads.

I vaguely remember previous discussions about this subject, but a search came up empty handed. If such discussion exists, I'd like to read it

As always, I appreciate any feedback.

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Permalink Reply by Jared on April 19, 2012 at 1:36pm

Madison, Washington, any north/south street through River Forest, Augusta...

I'm just looking at Google Maps...

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on April 19, 2012 at 2:13pm

No matter how you do it you'll still have to cross most of those busy roads since most of them run across your path no matter how far north or south you go. There is no magical white bread suburb which somehow makes it possible to avoid Mannheim Road for example.

The good new is that one can cross 1st Avenue at the east terminus of the path now and keep going east past the Court House and all that. There is a new (to me) bike/ped bridge over the Des Plaines that takes one into the cemetery. And voila, there you are in nice glass free Forest Park.

My recollection was that riding on 1st Ave was the worst part of that trip. The glass on the path comes and goes. I've rarely found it to be an actual problem.