Thank you for this video. I'm on the advisory board for the Des Plaines River Trail Improvement Project since 2018. We installed 2 bridges, 1000 ft boardwalk, moved the trail on the North Ave entrance and used concrete connecting it to the Sunset Meadow Bridge. We also paved the section going over the interstate on East River Road with concrete at the end connecting to the crushed limestone trail segment. We had to move some of the trail in the Schiller/Rosemont areas. River Grove just received funding for major improvements and next will be extending this 56 mile trail south to connect with the Illinois Prairie-Great Western-Salt Creek trails. We installed borders, fencing and cocnrete connectiosn to the trail on streets around the forest preserves
Well bravo to a job well done! I can’t wait till it’s connected to the Prairie Path Main Stem, then you have a mind blowing amount of options you can ride! Any idea what’s in the works for the bad railroad crossing and the Winkleman Rd. gap?
@@Cynical_Zombie The other options considered by the Forest Preserves and presented during the open house face various barriers and limitations, including extensive environmental impacts, significantly increased costs and requiring approval from UP. While not receptive to an at-grade crossing, the railroad company will consider a bridge over the railway. It's still in talks (rolls eyes)
Interesting! A bridge is definitely necessary and the crossing is a GLARING FLAW with the Cook County side of the trail. It makes me wonder if there’s ever been a bicyclist or walker that got hit by a train trying to cross.
@@freesov the community should come together regarding this .. there was only a handful of us that volunteered for these trail improvements with all but one of us that work. Therefore we didn’t meet with them.
I have done the whole DPR trail from Maywood to Wadsworth (5 hours on a drizzly Sunday morning just a few weeks ago). Irving Park Road is the single most dangerous crossing on the entire trail. Nobody should ever have to put their life on the line like you have to do crossing Irving Park Road. Yes, it is worse than crossing Milwaukee ave. because eastbound cars coming from River Road are accelerating from the traffic light around the curve and over the bridge with no regard for the trail crossing. Lawrence ave. was not even as bad as Irving Park Road before they erected the bridge because at least it had a wide divided highway where you can cross halfway if needed. As for the railroad tracks crossing in DesPlaines, I only caught a train there one time. I've seen more horses in the area than trains. Sometimes you just have to portage, so travel light. Thank you for the video.
Nice! That’s too long for me unless it was a one-way ride. I’ve only crossed Irving Park Rd. there once (there and back on this ride) so my memory of how busy it is isn’t that great. I agree through, in general if I can’t go over or under a busy street at the very least put a crosswalk there with those yellow flashing lights. The DPRT should be a trail I can pull my grandkids on a bike trailer without risking their lives. You are very welcome! Ride safe out there! 😎🤘🏼
As a kid in the 1950's, my friends and I rode our bicycles through the paths and bridle trails along the Des Plaines river, west of Chicago. No one DID anything like that, at the time. But we thought it was COOL What a beautiful retreat from the packed neighborhoods of the city and suburbs at that time.
i find it hilarious that rosemont has that nice bridge with relatively easy access to town, wheeling has an equally nice bridge that literally goes to nowhere, and des plaines has a steep staircase to a narrow sidewalk. priorities!
Me and my girlfriend were involved in early stages of the DPR Trail improvements. The plans for improvements started over 6 years ago. A big part of the early plans were the bridge going over Lawrence Ave and the bridge into Rosemont. Not only did we want a place where you could get off the trail and find a place to eat but if you stayed at a hotel you could get away for a bit and head for a walk. Nothing connected downtown Rosemont to the trail before. Also part of the trail was moved away from flood zones and places that couldn't be moved, they installed the boardwalk. More meetings included the type of material used for the trail and creating more places where you could walk to get to the trail. More of the trail will be using limestone? if i recall. I think they will be connecting more trails in the south as time goes by. The only problem we had was the trail goes thru so many different towns and not every town wanted to send money or time making improvements. Rosemont was the best though. Overall it was a long process but worth the effort to see others enjoying the trail.
Very cool! That bridge into Rosemont is well placed! I’d love to see a bike/e-bike rental place near the bridge. Very interesting to get some perspective from someone involved! Once it’s connected to the Prairie Path Main Stem that will open up TONS of ride options! I can’t wait for that! Thanks for reaching out! Please keep me updated! 😎🤘🏼
38:42 Something cool that you can connect many trails with. If you start at busse woods, go south on the salt creek greenway trail, go east on illinios prarie trail, then go north on des plaines river trail, then go west by algonquin back to busse woods. This results in a 48 mile loop around ohare airport using bike trails. Not a bad route just got to be careful if its rained a lot and flooding in certain spots.
@@Cynical_Zombie From east side of IPP to Main Stem of DRT, you can go through thatcher woods north to north ave then hit the trail there. (In the case of a flood just zig zag west or east of thatcher woods through the neighborhoods all the way to north ave and hit the trail from there)
Regarding the south end due to flooding if anyone is listening: I live near Grand & River Rd. I can't access the trail nearly half the year from this area. It would be nice if they made a path along Lawrence>E River Rd>west side of Cumberland then cut back in at Fullerton. The ground is really low here next to the river. There is no getting around the golf course and cemetery off of Belmont.
Yeah flooding really sucks! Some years are worse than others but they should definitely address the areas that flood the most often. Ride safe out there! 😎🤘🏼
Well, thank you for your comments! The over the tracks segment is in serious need of improvement! The heavier the bike, the harder it is, and my ebike ain’t light. 😂 I’m gonna ride it again next summer to see the finished improvements and explore more around Rosemont. Thanks for watching!
I completely get that but with the Des Plaines River Trail being such a LARGE trail in Northern Illinois it’s important that the Cook County section of the trail be as easy to ride as the Lake County portion. Thanks for watching! 😎🤘🏼
One of my favorite trails. It’s nice to see that it’s getting cleaned up. Quick side trip: go west on Lawrence to River Road to get to Shortfuse Brewery. Good beer and bike friendly.
Oh nice! I’ll have to check that out for next time! My brother also pointed out that when you get to the end of the trail you are VERY near Russell’s Barbecue, another place worth checking out!
I see you went around the gravel on the I90 bridge on East River Rd.... trust me... I attemped that once sliding all the way down ha ha ha !!!!! The Mayor of Rosemont is building up the Pearl District. if you continue going past the Border Patrol you will see the railroad tracks and traffic on the intertstate that way... very pretty
Yeah, I’m not a fan of squishy gravel. The 4” fat tires help but some gravel is just too loose to ride on, especially up or down hill. I’ll check out that area next time, thanks!
I frequently go from Miner St in Des Plaines to Lake/Cook rd one of my favorite trails the lake county section is definitely a bit nicer but I love the Cook County side but maybe i'm just Biased since im from Des Plaines
It gets confusing crossing the busy streets in the middle/northern part of the DPR Trail. They definitely need to mark it better or have more signage. The southern end of the trail once cross Lawerence going south floods too much. It is on the floodplain and is so much closer to the river and feels lower vs on high ground.
More signage would be great! As well as safer street crossings! While the improvements so far are great, there’s still A LOT of work to be done… it will take a long while before the Cook County portion of the trail is as nice as the Lake County portion! (Lake County doesn’t have the Winkleman/Milwaukee cross, they don’t have train tracks to cross or the Irving Park Rd. Crossing which many complain about. )
i road this trail for years, it’s one of the first trails ever completed in Illinois ((late 70’s). The river had this weird, acrid smell, i’m wondering if it’s any better now
Thank you for this video. I'm on the advisory board for the Des Plaines River Trail Improvement Project since 2018. We installed 2 bridges, 1000 ft boardwalk, moved the trail on the North Ave entrance and used concrete connecting it to the Sunset Meadow Bridge. We also paved the section going over the interstate on East River Road with concrete at the end connecting to the crushed limestone trail segment. We had to move some of the trail in the Schiller/Rosemont areas. River Grove just received funding for major improvements and next will be extending this 56 mile trail south to connect with the Illinois Prairie-Great Western-Salt Creek trails. We installed borders, fencing and cocnrete connectiosn to the trail on streets around the forest preserves
Well bravo to a job well done! I can’t wait till it’s connected to the Prairie Path Main Stem, then you have a mind blowing amount of options you can ride! Any idea what’s in the works for the bad railroad crossing and the Winkleman Rd. gap?
@@Cynical_Zombie The other options considered by the Forest Preserves and presented during the open house face various barriers and limitations, including extensive environmental impacts, significantly increased costs and requiring approval from UP. While not receptive to an at-grade crossing, the railroad company will consider a bridge over the railway. It's still in talks (rolls eyes)
Interesting! A bridge is definitely necessary and the crossing is a GLARING FLAW with the Cook County side of the trail. It makes me wonder if there’s ever been a bicyclist or walker that got hit by a train trying to cross.
@@reneeleegreco1603 we can't force a level crossing on the railroad even after somebody died riding on golf road this year?
@@freesov the community should come together regarding this .. there was only a handful of us that volunteered for these trail improvements with all but one of us that work. Therefore we didn’t meet with them.
I have done the whole DPR trail from Maywood to Wadsworth (5 hours on a drizzly Sunday morning just a few weeks ago). Irving Park Road is the single most dangerous crossing on the entire trail. Nobody should ever have to put their life on the line like you have to do crossing Irving Park Road. Yes, it is worse than crossing Milwaukee ave. because eastbound cars coming from River Road are accelerating from the traffic light around the curve and over the bridge with no regard for the trail crossing. Lawrence ave. was not even as bad as Irving Park Road before they erected the bridge because at least it had a wide divided highway where you can cross halfway if needed. As for the railroad tracks crossing in DesPlaines, I only caught a train there one time. I've seen more horses in the area than trains. Sometimes you just have to portage, so travel light. Thank you for the video.
Nice! That’s too long for me unless it was a one-way ride. I’ve only crossed Irving Park Rd. there once (there and back on this ride) so my memory of how busy it is isn’t that great. I agree through, in general if I can’t go over or under a busy street at the very least put a crosswalk there with those yellow flashing lights. The DPRT should be a trail I can pull my grandkids on a bike trailer without risking their lives. You are very welcome! Ride safe out there! 😎🤘🏼
I've ridden that trail from Madison St. to the Wisconsin border a few times. I loved that trail !
That’s a LONG ride! The Des Plaines River Trail is getting better in Cook County, so that’s definitely a good thing!
As a kid in the 1950's, my friends and I rode our bicycles through the paths and bridle trails along the Des Plaines river, west of Chicago. No one DID anything like that, at the time. But we thought it was COOL What a beautiful retreat from the packed neighborhoods of the city and suburbs at that time.
Nice! I’m glad Cook County is spending money on it to improve their part of the trail. 😎🤘🏼
i find it hilarious that rosemont has that nice bridge with relatively easy access to town, wheeling has an equally nice bridge that literally goes to nowhere, and des plaines has a steep staircase to a narrow sidewalk. priorities!
Yeah, the more towns that embrace area trails, the more people who will venture off trail to spend money there. Thanks for watching! 😎🤘🏼
Me and my girlfriend were involved in early stages of the DPR Trail improvements. The plans for improvements started over 6 years ago.
A big part of the early plans were the bridge going over Lawrence Ave and the bridge into Rosemont. Not only did we want a place where you could get off the trail and find a place to eat but if you stayed at a hotel you could get away for a bit and head for a walk. Nothing connected downtown Rosemont to the trail before.
Also part of the trail was moved away from flood zones and places that couldn't be moved, they installed the boardwalk. More meetings included the type of material used for the trail and creating more places where you could walk to get to the trail. More of the trail will be using limestone? if i recall.
I think they will be connecting more trails in the south as time goes by. The only problem we had was the trail goes thru so many different towns and not every town wanted to send money or time making improvements. Rosemont was the best though.
Overall it was a long process but worth the effort to see others enjoying the trail.
Very cool! That bridge into Rosemont is well placed! I’d love to see a bike/e-bike rental place near the bridge. Very interesting to get some perspective from someone involved! Once it’s connected to the Prairie Path Main Stem that will open up TONS of ride options! I can’t wait for that! Thanks for reaching out! Please keep me updated! 😎🤘🏼
38:42 Something cool that you can connect many trails with. If you start at busse woods, go south on the salt creek greenway trail, go east on illinios prarie trail, then go north on des plaines river trail, then go west by algonquin back to busse woods. This results in a 48 mile loop around ohare airport using bike trails. Not a bad route just got to be careful if its rained a lot and flooding in certain spots.
Sounds like a nice loop! What is a good connection from the East side of the IPP Main Stem to the Southern end of the Des Plaines River Trail?
@@Cynical_Zombie From east side of IPP to Main Stem of DRT, you can go through thatcher woods north to north ave then hit the trail there. (In the case of a flood just zig zag west or east of thatcher woods through the neighborhoods all the way to north ave and hit the trail from there)
Regarding the south end due to flooding if anyone is listening: I live near Grand & River Rd. I can't access the trail nearly half the year from this area. It would be nice if they made a path along Lawrence>E River Rd>west side of Cumberland then cut back in at Fullerton. The ground is really low here next to the river. There is no getting around the golf course and cemetery off of Belmont.
Yeah flooding really sucks! Some years are worse than others but they should definitely address the areas that flood the most often. Ride safe out there! 😎🤘🏼
Thank you for the shout out! Glad to see you finally rode and navigated the steep embankment over the tracks.
Well, thank you for your comments! The over the tracks segment is in serious need of improvement! The heavier the bike, the harder it is, and my ebike ain’t light. 😂 I’m gonna ride it again next summer to see the finished improvements and explore more around Rosemont. Thanks for watching!
Some of us wish it were a bit more technical and less groomed…. Thanks for the great tour…😊
I completely get that but with the Des Plaines River Trail being such a LARGE trail in Northern Illinois it’s important that the Cook County section of the trail be as easy to ride as the Lake County portion. Thanks for watching! 😎🤘🏼
One of my favorite trails. It’s nice to see that it’s getting cleaned up. Quick side trip: go west on Lawrence to River Road to get to Shortfuse Brewery. Good beer and bike friendly.
Oh nice! I’ll have to check that out for next time! My brother also pointed out that when you get to the end of the trail you are VERY near Russell’s Barbecue, another place worth checking out!
Been planning to do cycling in this trail once I get my ebike hitch rack.
Nice! When you get the hitch rack, there’s a ton of trails to explore! 😎🤘🏼
Needs to be paved
I completely agree! Thanks for watching! Think Spring! ☀️😎
I see you went around the gravel on the I90 bridge on East River Rd.... trust me... I attemped that once sliding all the way down ha ha ha !!!!! The Mayor of Rosemont is building up the Pearl District. if you continue going past the Border Patrol you will see the railroad tracks and traffic on the intertstate that way... very pretty
Yeah, I’m not a fan of squishy gravel. The 4” fat tires help but some gravel is just too loose to ride on, especially up or down hill. I’ll check out that area next time, thanks!
Love it! One of the most quoted of the back to the future scenes!!
😂 thanks! I needed something to jump ahead a couple days… and where I was going, I didn’t need roads! 😉
GREAT SCOTT!!@@Cynical_Zombie
I frequently go from Miner St in Des Plaines to Lake/Cook rd one of my favorite trails the lake county section is definitely a bit nicer but I love the Cook County side but maybe i'm just Biased since im from Des Plaines
Lake County really takes care of their trails… Cook County was lacking on the DPRT but with the recent trail improvements it’s getting way better! 😎🤘🏼
It gets confusing crossing the busy streets in the middle/northern part of the DPR Trail. They definitely need to mark it better or have more signage. The southern end of the trail once cross Lawerence going south floods too much. It is on the floodplain and is so much closer to the river and feels lower vs on high ground.
More signage would be great! As well as safer street crossings! While the improvements so far are great, there’s still A LOT of work to be done… it will take a long while before the Cook County portion of the trail is as nice as the Lake County portion! (Lake County doesn’t have the Winkleman/Milwaukee cross, they don’t have train tracks to cross or the Irving Park Rd. Crossing which many complain about. )
i road this trail for years, it’s one of the first trails ever completed in Illinois ((late 70’s). The river had this weird, acrid smell, i’m wondering if it’s any better now
There are parts of the river that do smell at certain times of year but I don’t know anything about the cause. Thanks for watching! 😎🤘🏼
What GPS did you use?
When I’m out on a trail I use AllTrails to follow the map and to record a GPS track of the ride.