Patch's Guide to the Best Bike Trails in Northbrook

If you’re a bike rider, there’s a good chance you share the sentiments of local cyclist Claude Nutt.

“I’m not one to complain about the weather, but this spring stunk!” he said.

The chilly, rainy spring of 2011 was a big disappointment for local riders wanting to hit the trails. But better biking weather is on its way. And there are few better places than Northbrook in which to ride, because of the numerous bike paths that run through or near the village. 

For beginners or those wanting to take a short jaunt, the 1.1 mile Northbrook Village Bike Path is an ideal place to ride. The village path runs from Dundee and Waukegan roads to Voltz Road near Waukegan.

If what you desire is a longer ride, try heading north. Specifically, to the Skokie Valley bike trail. The 10-plus mile paved route starts near the Highland Park-Northbrook border and runs all the way to Lake Forest, where it connects with the east-west running North Shore trail (if you’d like to ride further still.)

You can catch the Skokie Valley bike trail just west of the intersection of Skokie Valley and Lake Cook roads (on the north side of Lake Cook, just north of the railroad bridge.) Though the path runs mainly between the Union Pacific railroad tracks and Route 41, most of it is flanked by vegetation, and the area along the trail supports a wide variety of birds, small animals and the occasional deer. Since it’s mainly flat, the ride is not particularly challenging, although it’s more than a 20-mile round trip from its start (and farther still if you ride to and from the trail itself.) 

“I think I like the Skokie Valley trail best, very few street crossings,” said Northbrook resident and biker Dave Flinn, who rides for fun and exercise. Flinn likes to take the Skokie Valley trail up to the North Shore trail, another nice trail, in his opinion, but with more street crossings.

The closest parking to the Skokie Valley’s trailhead is in Northbrook, at the Village Square mall, about a quarter mile south of the trail’s start. There are several road crossings, so exercise proper caution. 

A third great biking journey can be found to the west, in unincorporated Northbrook: the 33-mile-long Des Plaines River Trail. Unlike the Skokie Valley Trail, the Des Plaines River Trail is made of crushed gravel. Overall, it is well maintained but may develop muddy spots after substantial rains. 

What makes Des Plaines River Trail great, however, is the fact that it runs through numerous forest preserves and municipal parks, along waterways, and of course, beside the river for which the trail is named. It starts (or ends, however you see it) east of Milwaukee Avenue, in the Lake County Forest preserve at Lake Cook Road and runs to a point just east of Route 41 in Wadsworth at Russell Road. 

Last but not least, there is one more bike path—actually, bike track—in Northbrook. In Meadowhill Park, the Ed Rudolph Velodrome. If you’d like to race your track bike or simply check out the track and see what it’s all about, evenings are a great time to ride over and see it. 

The velodrome’s Thursday night racing series for juniors, women and men just kicked off June 2, while Friday night’s developmental racing series .