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Which route: North Shore Trail or North Branch Trail?

I'm leading a ride from Albany Park to The Chicago Botanic Gardens on April 30th. To those of you who have biked up that way before, which route do you prefer, Northshore trail or or North Branch Trail?

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Permalink Reply by millenial removing Bernie tattoo on March 17, 2011 at 7:42pm
By "Northshore Trail" do you mean the Green Bay Trail as in the path that runs beside the UP North Metra line?

The NBT is nicer but I usually do a loop NBT up and GBT back.
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on March 17, 2011 at 10:40pm

nbt but ah you can follow the metra back with the gbt/lfp 

 

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 18, 2011 at 12:13am

Here's a ride I used to lead that heads up the GBT and comes back down the North Branch Trail and Street Route. I cut out the beginning and end so you end up in Albany Park.  The start is the north end of the Lakefront Path at Ardmore/Sheridan.

 

Ardmore west to Kenmore

Right (N) on Kenmore

Left (W) on Granville

Right on Glenwood

Jog L across Devon,

Left (W) on Arthur- regroup if necessary

Right (N) on Greenview

Jog R on Pratt, continue north on Greenview

Left (W) on Sherwin

Right (N)  on Paulina

Left (W) on Rogers

Right (N) on Winchester

Left (W) on Howard

Right (N) on Custer

Left (W) on Main

Right (N) on Asbury

Right (E) on  Church

Left (N) on Ridge (becomes Sheridan, pass Bahai temple)

Left (W) on Forest

Right (N) into Shorewood Park (Before RR crossing)

Follow "Bike Route" signs North across Kenilworth Ave.

Right (E) on Melrose

Left (N) on Abbottsford

Left (W) on Ivy Court

Follow Ivy Court around to Left, turn

Right up onto start of Green Bay Trail

Follow path through Shelton Park, continue north on Old Green Bay Road

Continue on marked gravel trail, and then through Ravinia

exit to the right out onto St. John's

Left (W) on Roger Williams across tracks, optional quick stop at White Hen

Left (S) on Burton

Right (W) on Blackstone

Left (SèW) on Melody

Left (S) on Green Bay Road

Right (W) on Lake Cook (wheeeeeee!)

After 1.5 m Left on Turnbull Woods into Botanic Garden entrance

follow signs for Dundee Rd. exit

Cross Dundee Rd., continue Left on North Branch Trail

After 7.5 m optional stop at White Hen on Glenview Rd.

Continue 8.2 m on path

At Dempster jog Right, at Touhy jog Left, in Bunker Hill Woods follow trail Left around cul-de-sac

Exit trail Left onto Caldwell, immediately to left-turn-lane

Left (E) on Devon

Right (S) on Spokane (2nd street after "31 Flavors")

Immediate Left (E) on Leoti

Right (SE) on Leader

Left (E) on Lansing

Right (SW) on Clifford, follow around to left

Left (E) on Forest Glenn

Cross Cicero, Right (SE) on Kercheval

Right (S) on Kenton

Left (E) on Bryn Mawr

Permalink Reply by koala on March 18, 2011 at 6:28am

I think that the OP was referring to the Northshore Channel Trail, from Ravenswood Manor up through Evanston.  It is a nice ride with the sculpture park and all in Skokie.  Street crossings at the north end can get dangerous (cars turning from McCormick don't look for bikes).  On the plus side, California has just been resurfaced, so it is a nice ride getting to/from the southern end of the trail.  A the north end, Green Bay is a little busy at first, but calms down north of Wilmette.  And you can always hop on the Green Bay trail at Kenilworth.  The Green Bay trail is flat, straight, nothing to see here, keep moving.

 

I like the North Branch Trail.  It winds through the forest preserve, and is more scenic than the GBT.  It has been resurfaced recently.  There are several parks along the way with opportunities for restroom breaks.  The Botanic Gardens are at the end of the trail, so it is a natural choice.

 

If you do a loop, and  use both trails, as H3N3 correctly notes that the ride down Lake Cook from Green Bay rates a "wheeeee!", not so much fun going back the other way.  Take the NSCT on the way up, NBT on the way back.

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 18, 2011 at 9:05am

I'm a North Branch girl myself :))

 

I take Pulaski west through Sauganash to the trailhead. Looking forward to what you decide!

Permalink Reply by Alex on March 18, 2011 at 9:41am

North Branch! But also nice to go there one way, maybe come back another way, NBT on the way there and GBT/North Shore on the way back makes a nice loop, with the shorter leg on the way back. Also, if you come back on the North Shore Channel Trail, you can take a short detour on Dempster and eat lunch at Pita Inn on your way back. Which is really a pretty good way to end a ride.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Chucko on March 18, 2011 at 12:15pm
Ha! I live in Albany Park and I commute by bike to my office which is just on the other side of the highway from the Botanic Garden. I'd go with the North Branch Trail with a group. It's easy to stay together, and the route isn't as hard to follow for first timers. The only way to do the North Shore Channel Trail involves some street time in Evanston, which if you don't know the route can be annoying and confusing. Plus there are a ton of street crossings, which slows things down. The North Branch route is farther, but faster for me.
Permalink Reply by Chucko on March 18, 2011 at 12:16pm
Oh, and to get to the North Branch from my place, I go west on Montrose to Elston, and take Elston up to Milwaukee and pick up the trail at the intersection of Milwaukee and Devon, right by Super Dawg.
Permalink Reply by Duppie on March 18, 2011 at 1:19pm

You take a north-south street going west?

 

Julie, you just broke the space-time continuum!

 


Julie Hochstadter said:

I'm a North Branch girl myself :))

 

I take Pulaski west through Sauganash to the trailhead. Looking forward to what you decide!

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