nycphotobike

Hi all

So my friend and I are doing a cross country ride from Brooklyn to Vancouver. We are currently traveling thru Indiana on route 6. I wasn't intending to go thru Chicago but it seems like every road leads that way. Does anyone know a decent route through the city or a good way around? We are in Ligonier, IN and would like to get to Madison, WI or Minneapolis, MN next. Thanks!

Oh, and we have limited Internet access at the moment so pease feel free to shoot an email instead of replying. Andrewfrasz@Mac.com.


Best
Andrew

Takara

Ah, Ligonier -- cute little town!

Suburban Chicago is vast, and not very interesting. Going around means going WAY around.

One option is to head into Michigan and take one of several ferry options across Lake Michigan into Wisconsin. Here's a list of your options.

Another option is to slow down and enjoy going straight through the center of the city. Just be an urban biker with panniers attached. It's fun! I rode through New Orleans this way on St. Joseph's Day (the biggest parade day outside of Mardi Gras) and it was one of the greatest touring days I've ever experienced. I had no idea what I was biking into -- just figured they'd heard I was arriving and wanted to throw a party to welcome me!

If you don't have a mileage goal and are willing to improvise your route, you'll have a terrific time in Chicago. It's a great city, and a bike is a great place to see it from.

surgeonstone

Ther are so many nice roads that parallel Rout 6 in IN without any traffic. drop north or south of 6 and go west on beautiful quiet roads with no traffic. One thing you should not miss is the bike path, starting at south 70th street, following the lake north to Evanston, then head west. It is truely a beautiful 17 mile ride.

Doug64

We picked up a bike map of Chigago just before entering the city. There are several god routes through the city. We were heading east so we pretty much cut across the city, hit Lake MI, and took the bike path along the Lake to Gary Indiana. Only problem was an air show over the lake that day, and half the city's residents were on the bike path.

raybo

Here is a downloadable (.PDF) map of Chicago.

Ray

vautrain

I would get to the lakefront path, take that all the way north (try to avoid it after 5pm if possible, it will be congested) and pick up Sheridan Rd. at the end of the path. Sheridan will take you up to Kenosha in more or less a straight shot. It is very scenic as well, running pretty close to the lake and past some great homes and semi-wooded areas, especially north of Evanston.

robmcl

There are some very good trails through Chicagoland. The Illinois Prairie Path starts in the near west suburbs and will take you all the way through Chicagoland without having to travel on streets. Connecting with the Fox River Trail that runs through Elgin get you to the Wisconsin border near Chain of Lakes State Park (about 80 miles from the Blue Line Stop in Forest Park).