We’ll ride on the iconic North Branch Trail from the parking lot at Linne Woods in Morton Grove (off Dempster) to the trail end at Dundee Road at Skokie Lagoons. We’ll stop at the Chicago Botanic Garden for a mid-ride picnic and a bit of socializing mid-ride, along lakeside views of the Japanese Gardens (there’s no admission fee for stopping at the picnic glade).

Highlights:

The North Branch Trail is surely a gem among Chicagoland's network of bicycle trails. It has everything a great bike trail should have: distance, scenery, variety, along with excellent pavement conditions and generally well-designed street crossings. The NBT will take you through woodland and prairie, along the river and its adjacent wetlands, ending at the Skokie Lagoons (before we double back for the return trip), which can almost make you forget that you are still in the big city.

Details:

• Sunday, August 14 we’ll meet at the Linne Woods parking area off Dempster in Morton Grove (see map) at 9:45 am for a 10 am departure.

• At Dundee Rd. we’ll ride into the Chicago Botanic Garden for a mid-ride picnic.

• Riding distance about 24 miles. End time approximate.

• Facilities available trailside.

Ride Guidelines:

• These rides are somewhat exploratory in nature. We have not pre-ridden all of the trails, and while we are on the lookout for announced trail closures and obstructions, there can a bit of guesswork involved. Sometimes, we rely on other riders who are more familiar with the trails for guidance. Please maintain the spirit of curiosity and open-mindedness about last-minute route tweaks.

• These are NO-DROP rides. We ride with participants with widely differing abilities, and it is our goal to keep a cohesive group. We will stop periodically throughout the ride to allow everyone to catch up. If you need to make an unplanned stop, the group will wait for you at the next rest stop.
  If you prefer a faster pace, please let us know at the start of the ride that you will be going ahead without us.

• Please observe trail etiquette by staying in the right lane except when it is safe to pass.

• Ride at your own risk

What to bring:

• Your recumbent bike or trike

• Picnic food for yourself (but feel free to bring something to share if the spirit moves you 🙂).

Weather:

• We’ll ride in any weather, except steady downpour. Notification, if necessary, will be sent by 6pm Saturday, August 23.

Registration is recommended for this event: