I envy those of you in the Chicago suburbs. When I was a kid, before the dawn of recorded history, we lived along the route of the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin electric railroad. After abandonment in the 1960's, it became the Illinois Prairie Path; riding on this trail was one of the real objectives of our recent vacation. Alas, the weather intervened and my cousin was not equipped to ride in the rain. I could have gone on for miles, but we turned back after only two.

I talked to two couples from Chicago who went all the way to Sparta, Wisconsin to ride to Elroy. None of them had ever ridden this one.

If you live there, you really should give this a try.

Here's my blog post about it.



P1030331 by Steve Carter, on Flickr


P1030330 by Steve Carter, on Flickr

Sorry you missed it. Very convenient for me. I use it for my commute. 32 mi RT almost all on the path.

I've never ridden that trail, but when on vacation in NE Illinois, back in 2012, I did get the chance to ride the Savanna to E. Moline Trail. It was really scenic because it followed the Mississippi River for almost it's entire 64 mile length.

There are hundreds of miles of connected paths.

I often rode it when I was about high-school age (late 1970s).

It can be amazingly desolate at times --consdering the dense population areas it cuts through. It occasionally crosses some busy roads but they continue to "improve" those crossing areas. Pretty cool.

Up near Sparta is that 3/4 mile long RR tunnel where you walk your bike because of the water dripping. Bring a light and prepare to yell along with all of the kids. It is a really neat trail. Some nice little towns to visit along the way.