Great Lakes - Route: Chicago to Champaign-Urbana??

Anyone have a good route planned to bike from the Chicago area to Champaign-Urbana?

No, I'm not planning on doing this any time soon, but I figure it's never too early to start planning my first big ride of the season.

you weren't specific about "Chicago area." Please clarify where you're starting from.

Oo! I wanna do this too, only backwards, from C-U to north Naperville. I can't help you with specifics, but Illinois does have bike maps of the whole state (http://www.dot.state.il.us/bikemap/STATE.HTML), and they're free -- mine were found at the LBS.

That's what I was setting up to tell this other guy. So, anyway, from Chicago, I'd take the lakefront trail which is and continues as the GIT: http://www.openlands.org/git/maps/trail_section_1.asp and http://www.openlands.org/git/maps/trail_section_18.asp which will get you south of US Rte 30 in Park Forest.
Get State of Illinois Bike maps which, astoundingly, will be mailed free. Get the whole set of 9 which cover the entire state: http://www.dot.state.il.us/bikemap/STATE.HTML
When you're south of US 30, you're out of the 'burbs and pretty much clear of heavy traffic. Check the state maps #1, 3 & 5 for green and black (lightest traffic) routes going south and so toward your goal. Now you can narrow your choice of many routes which most appeal to you.
Have a good trip and let us know how it went.

So, if going backwards, you wind up in the Loop or the N. suburbs! Wave to me as you go by.

Wow! Man, I would love to take a week and ride the whole GIT. Already taking too much vacation time this year, though (man, it's so tough taking a 3-week honeymoon :lol:), so I guess I'll have to wait till next...

Thanks, tiztim! I'll be starting in Wheaton, looks like GIT is perfect.

How hard is it to follow the different GIT route? Is it pretty well marked at each turn?

Thanks again....looking forward to the warm weather to get started on 2009

but Illinois does have bike maps of the whole state (http://www.dot.state.il.us/bikemap/STATE.HTML)

So does Iowa at the DOT website.

Thanks, tiztim! I'll be starting in Wheaton, looks like GIT is perfect.

How hard is it to follow the different GIT route? Is it pretty well marked at each turn?

Thanks again....looking forward to the warm weather to get started on 2009

JonKS,

The GIT is a great ride. Make it if you get the chance.

Roughly 50% of the GIT is on Multi-use paths and 50% on roads. The multi-use paths, like the Lake Shore Path, I&M Canal, or The Old Plank Road Trail are marked fine, but the transitions between them are not marked at all.

The two suggested routes, one from the League of Illinois Bicyclists available at http://www.bikelib.org/git/index.htm and a slightly older one from the Openlands Project available at http://www.openlands.org/index.php/greenways/projects/grand-illinois-trail have pretty good maps and cue sheets. Where the 2 routes differ, the road sections of Openlands maps are generally on more bike friendly roads than the LIB maps.

I'ld suggest getting both Openlands and LIB maps, plus the state bike maps covering the route. The state bike maps are helpful in case you get off the LIB or Openland maps.

I'm planning on going from UIUC to the northern suburbs in a couple of weeks with some riders from our cross-country ride team. What Ive been doing in planning the route is to just follow route 47 on the adjacent farm roads. I think the total mileage comes out to around 170. If we've got a decent tail wind it shouldn't be to rough. You may want to try and find someone willing to drive you back to school if you're going from Champaign to Chicago and don't have plenty of time to recover.