BIKING THE
POPLAR CREEK
TRAIL
Located in the farthest northwest reaches
of Cook County, this paved trail loops about 9 miles around Poplar Creek
Forest Preserve, passing through scenic forest areas and meadows with numerous
terrain changes. A dirt mountain bike/equestrian trail branches off west
of route 59 on both sides of Golf Road (Route 58) meandering the western
expanses of the forest preserve, from Schaumburg Road to the tollway.
Thirty-plus years ago I remember this area
as meadows, pastures, and farm fields. As the forest preserve district acquired
the plots, they and nature have reseeded with trees, and many sections are
now well on the way to being "forests of the future" for our children.
The trail winds around and up and down the numerous hills, providing a good
workout and ever-changing scenery. Though the trail occasionally gives views
of structures and the trail crosses roads often (always at traffic signals
so safety is not an issue), you still get a definite feeling of being away
from civilization (you even pass several working corn or soybean fields).
Mountain bikers can veer off to the west when across Route 59 and follow
the several miles of dirt single-track mountain bike/equestrian trails which
go all the way to the EJ&E railroad tracks. and are in a more heavily
wooded area. You can access these dirt trails by 1) following the gravel
double-track northwest at 59/Shoe Factory Road and then crossing Shoe Factory
when you reach the railroad tracks, or 2) from the back of the picnic area
off Rt. 59, or 3) follow the grass path heading southwest from the Rt. 58/59
intersection.
A number of parking areas provide access
to this loop trail, and most have outhouses and water pumps. These parking
areas are available from Route 59, Barrington Road, Shoe Factory Road, and
Bode Road. Above is Bode Lake, off of Bode Road west of Barrington Road,
and it has the largest of the preserve's lakes, as well as picnic tables,
water, and outhouses. I always see people fishing here, so perhaps there
are even fish!
Several moderately lengthy inclines (for
Illinois, anyway) cause some to walk their bikes uphill. This is one of
them, with less than half of the decline visible in this shot. The townhome
development below is the only residential development abutting the trail,
though residences are sometimes seen off in the distance. One section parallels
close to the northwest Tollway (I-90) and several farms can also be seen
from the trail.