Biking from Chicago to Milwaukee, WI

Hello I would like to know if anyone has ever done a bike trip from Chicago to Milwaukee and if you have any advice and tips. Thanks. 

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Permalink Reply by David Barish on August 26, 2013 at 7:01am


I have attached the Excel spreadsheet. EBC did a website update about a month ago.  You now have to be a member to  access the cue sheets.  Also, the URL's are all different.  I figured I would post  the spreadsheet rather than the pdf so you can modify the route and if you wish add travels further north to the existing template. 

If you are a member you log in at www.evanstonbikeclub.org  Go to ride leader page and you will see a set of  menus come up including  Cue Sheet Library. You will see a host of routes to a plethora of places.


JM 6.5 said:

David, can you post the EBC map? (I tried the link in your earlier post and the url is no longer valid). I'm doing the ride this September and they would be a nice reference. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by JMinHP on August 26, 2013 at 7:17am

Awesome, thanks!

David Barish said:


I have attached the Excel spreadsheet. 

Permalink Reply by Kevin Hurley on August 26, 2013 at 11:42am

I did!  Great trip.  It's nearly all bike path.  There's probably a better route, but I just used Google Maps and applied the bicycling route.

Permalink Reply by steve rulz on August 29, 2013 at 9:37am

I did the ride from Chicago to Milwaukee on Tuesday. I used the route from Google maps which wasn't bad. It kept me on trails most of the way. There was a lot of gravel riding and it's not the most scenic route. The gravel does slow things down a bit but it's not bad. No massive potholes or anything. I would probably ride more roads the next time.

I had a tire sidewall blow out but was able to walk a few miles to get it fixed. Props to Racine Cyclery for saving my ass.

It was all good in the  morning. When it got into the 90's later on it slowed me down a lot. This would probably be an awesome ride in the fall when it's a bit cooler.

Hey Kevin, are you the guy I met at the Amtrak with the Bianchi Pista? If so it was good talking to you and props for doing it on a single speed.

Permalink Reply by Etienne on August 29, 2013 at 9:47am

Did you do it alone?  Any pictures on Flickr or....anywhere? 

steve rulz said:

I did the ride from Chicago to Milwaukee on Tuesday. I used the route from Google maps which wasn't bad. It kept me on trails most of the way. There was a lot of gravel riding and it's not the most scenic route. The gravel does slow things down a bit but it's not bad. No massive potholes or anything. I would probably ride more roads the next time.

I had a tire sidewall blow out but was able to walk a few miles to get it fixed. Props to Racine Cyclery for saving my ass.

It was all good in the  morning. When it got into the 90's later on it slowed me down a lot. This would probably be an awesome ride in the fall when it's a bit cooler.

Hey Kevin, are you the guy I met at the Amtrak with the Bianchi Pista? If so it was good talking to you and props for doing it on a single speed.

Permalink Reply by SixtyTwoPercent on June 22, 2014 at 4:47pm

I am looking to do this trip...anyone interested in joining is welcome. I am thinking of going early Saturday morning the week after next. Not sure about spending the night. Am thinking ride up and catch the last Amtrack back to Chicago.

Permalink Reply by steve rulz on June 22, 2014 at 5:30pm
You might as well stay the night and enjoy the fruits of your labor. I did it again the weekend after Memorial Day. We stayed at the marriot and checked our bikes at the valet. It was $230 for a 2 bed room.We left at 5:30am and got in at 1:30pm. We saw a show at the pabst theater. We went to the Milwaukee ale house. There are a lot of great things to check out walking distance from the hotel. Leave as early as you can to avoid the heat. The last half taking the google directions puts you on paths in direct sun which can be brutal on a hot day. Take a pedal wrench and Alan wrenches to pack your bikes on the train. Ride safe and have fun it's a good time.
Permalink Reply by frederick7 on June 23, 2014 at 10:05am

I did MKE to CHI last year. It was one of my favorite rides, lots of cool scenery. There are some dodgy roads, so I programmed a much safer route into my Garmin 305 watch/computer. We started at the MKE fairgrounds and finished in Lincoln Park. I think the total distance was about 85mi, but I added an extra 15 to make it an even 100mi. We also stopped at Lake Bluff brewery (right off the path) for lunch and a beer. One other tip: the route requires riding on some crushed limestone. That stuff is NOT fun to ride on if it has rained recently.

Here's the route:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/232269137

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRide
Permalink Reply by Etienne on August 31, 2014 at 7:00am

Hello everyone!!

I finally did it after 3 years of talking about it!  It took me almost 14 hours because of all the stops and sightseeing, but it was quite an adventure.  I highly recommend it. Here are some of my photos http://websta.me/n/etiennepadin

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on September 1, 2014 at 5:48am

Congratulations! I have fond memories of my ride to Milwaukee in 2011. Doing it in a day is impressive; I stopped in Racine for the night. :)

Permalink Reply by Jaik S. on September 2, 2014 at 3:29am

Jealous. I've been meaning to do this.

Etienne said:

Hello everyone!!

I finally did it after 3 years of talking about it!  It took me almost 14 hours because of all the stops and sightseeing, but it was quite an adventure.  I highly recommend it. Here are some of my photos http://websta.me/n/etiennepadin

Permalink Reply by Samuel Diaz on June 9, 2017 at 7:58pm

Myself and a couple of buddies are thinking of doing this ride to attend a Deschutes Brewery Event in Milwaukee the weekend of July 22nd. Has anyone here done this ride recently? Still trying to figure out the best route to take.

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