BIKING THE

FOX RIVER TRAIL

The Fox River Trail runs about 35 miles from Aurora to Algonquin where it leaves Kane County, enters McHenry County, and changes its name to McHenry Prairie Trail, and then continues another 25.9 miles to the Wisconsin border. Its southern section also connects with several branches of the Illinois Prairie Path which will take you another 29 miles east to Maywood.

The Fox River Trail is asphalt for most of its entirety and sees a good deal of use by bikers, walkers, and in-line skaters. The trail is a microcosm of suburbia, passing through downtown areas, residential back yards, along industrial areas, over and under railroad tracks, through city parks and forest preserves, past dams with fishermen, beside floating gambling casinos, past several bike shops and numerous eateries, and alongside South Elgin's Fox River Trolley Museum and tracks and the Auroraland Archery Club range and a lake/water park.

This long bridge over the Fox River is just south of the Blackhawk Forest Preserve of South Elgin. At the far end of the bridge, the steepest uphill of the trail takes you to Valley View's Tekakwitha Woods, and from there on through St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia (where the main trail crosses to the west side of the river, although an auxiliary trail continues on the east side), North Aurora, and Aurora. Connectors to the 55 mile long Illinois Prairie Path meet the trail just south of Elgin, in Geneva, in Batavia, and again in Aurora. In Aurora, you can also connect with the 11.5 mile Virgil Gilman Trail out to Waubonsee Community College near Sugar Grove. In St. Charles you can connect with the western 17 mile section of the Great Western Trail out to Sycamore while the Elgin Spur of the Prairie Path connects with the eastern section of the Great Western Trail.

The Fox River Trail passes through eight forest preserves from Aurora to Crystal Lake. Most major road crossings have either an overpass or traffic signal controls. The route occasionally reverts to street travel through some sections of towns (as in Elgin, St. Charles, and Batavia). This section is in Fox River Shore Forest Preserve which has a picnic area and potty by the boat ramp.

Often the river is nearby if not in view, and several dams can be visited on the journey. You can cross the river under the bridge which carries I-90 (Northwest Tollway) traffic over the river and follow an auxiliary trail for a couple miles past Judson College to Tyler Creek Forest Preserve.

Dave and Patti cross the bridge which returns the trail to the west side of the Fox River in Algonquin using the original railroad bridge stanchions, and from here north it is called the McHenry Prairie Trail and leaves the river, still following the old railroad corridor, and later runs adjacent to an active railroad line where the Prairie Trail later becomes crushed limestone for the remainder of the ride to the Wisconsin line.