Where to go Mountain Biking?
Just because we live in a flat part of the world (Illinois is the 2nd flattest state in the US, after Florida!) doesn’t mean there’s no off-road mountain biking fun nearby. Below are some of our favorite local MTB trails with options suitable for beginners.
Raceway Woods
A quick 40 minute drive from our location on the NW side of Chicago is a gorgeous little Kane County forest preserve that offers a short but vigorous tromp through beautiful woods, over rolling terrain. The area is popular with mountain bikers, since a local advocacy group maintains a 5 mile network of winding singletrack, which strikes a good balance between being not too intimidating for beginner off-roaders, but also fun for more advanced riders. The trails are roughly centered around a creek, and take full advantage of the way the land rises from its banks, with plenty of switchbacks, short climbs, flowing, bumpy stretches, and smooth, curvy satisfying descents. (More here.)
Palos Area / Swallow Cliff
No discussion of Chicago-area MTB trails would be complete without mentioning the Palos Forest Preserve with its extensive 25 mile network of off-road trails and MTB sigletrack, often referred to simply as “Palos”. Many of the trails at Palos are not suitable for beginner riders, due to technical features, two-way traffic patterns, and heavy use, especially on weekends. Because of their length and complexity, it is definitely advisable for anyone venturing there for the first time to go with a guide, and perhaps choose less popular times.
With this disclaimer out of the way, Palos offers absolutely breathtaking opportunities for enjoying nature and practicing your off-roading skills. Besides the technical singletrack, the Palos/Swallow Cliff network of trails includes and additional 20+ miles of intersecting multi-use and equestrian paths that can be used by off-road cyclists. These are wider and less technical, while still providing plenty of options for climbing and getting out of breath, and can be strung together into and excursion of a couple hours, to virtually a full day of riding through a varied landscape of hilly woodlands, wetlands, and ravines.
Volunteers with Chicago Area Mountain Bikers group (CAMBR) maintain the trails, as well as a website with current details and trail conditions.
Outback Trail at Imagination Glen
Imagination Glen is the largest park in the town of Portage, IN located about 45 minutes from Downtown Chicago. The Outback Trail is Northwest Indiana's premier mountain bike trail. Approximately ten miles of singletrack with clearly designated options for beginners, and more challenging trails for riders with advanced skills. The trail was built and is maintained by the Outback Trail Commission, a non-profit volunteer organization that maintains an active Facebook Page. A trail map is provided by Portage Parks.
Andrews Trails
Within about 2 hours of Chicago is a hidden gem of MTB trails: The Trails and Andrews University near the town of Berrien Springs, MI. About 10 miles of trails are dedicated MTB single-track. The trail network is tucked away in a wooded section of campus, and is quite challenging not because of technical features, but because there’s a lot of elevation gain. Current information is on the Andrews trails FB Page, and a number of maps such as this one are available online.
Silver Lake WI
Just over the Illinois border in Silver Lake Park in Wisconsin is a 10-mile network of trails maintained by the Kenosha Area Mountain Bike Assoc. (KAMBA). The trails wind in tight curves through rolling woodland terrain and are great for beginner and intermediate riders. The KAMBA website offers more information and a map.
Farther afield
If you have time for more than a day trip, there are more extensive trail networks with riding options from beginner to advanced available within 2-3 hours drive of Chicago.
Ft. Custer SP in Michigan offers an extensive network of trails from beginner to intermediate, with less demanding bypasses available on the intermediate trails. More here.
Kettle Morraine MTB trails in Wisconsin are some of the best in the Midwest, and suitable for riders with at least intermediate skills. The network consists of over 30 miles of trail in two loops with connector trails between them. More here.
Brown County SP in Indiana features another spectacular network of about 30 miles of MTB trails ranging from easy to expert, with 400 feet of elevation change. Mostly singletrack trails wind around hills, through ravines and across streams. More here.
trail etiquette
In many areas, trails are designated strictly one-way, and for everyone’s safety, it’s crucially important to observe those designations. On two-way trails (Palos, Raceway Woods) it’s not a bad idea to use a trail bell to alert other users of your presence. Do not ever wear headphones while riding on singletrack trails.
Mountain bikers adhere to a very strict rule about not riding on trails during wet and muddy weather to prevent destruction and erosion of trails. MTB trails are generally accessible in winter when the ground is frozen, and throughout dry summer and fall weather, but generally off-limits during early spring thaw. Most of the trail links above will have current information on trail conditions and rideability.