The Cook County Forest Preserve District began in 1914 and purchased its first property in 1916 -- the 500 acre Deer Grove Preserve in Palatine. It now comprises 22 preserves and over 300 miles of trails and is the largest forest preserve district in the country at over 69,000 acres. It also has served as the model for the surrounding five counties to begin their own forest preserve systems which together total over 200,000 acres and make Chicagoland a mecca for outdoor natural recreation.
The Cook County section of the Des Plaines River Trail begins at the Lake-Cook Road overpass (just south of Milwaukee Avenue) and continues south 23 miles to River Forest (North Avenue), all on packed dirt and stretches of gravel. (The easiest place to park is in Wheeling, off Dundee Road just east of Milwaukee Avenue.) Links to PDF maps of the trail and trailhead parking are available at the end of this post.
Beautiful forest surrounds you, and in some sections you follow alongside the river. In wet season, most sections of the trail remain dry, but mud holes and even flooded sections can exist. Access is available at any forest preserve parking area on the east side of the river. Most road crossings are safe, thanks to overpasses at both Lake-Cook Road (shown in photo below) and Palatine/Willow Road, as well as underpasses or traffic signals at other road crossings, although care must be taken since some road crossings occur away from intersections, such as at Dundee, Central, Milwaukee, and Rand.
Most of the trail is about 6 feet wide, but some double track and single track also exist. Side trails to the east often allow the adventurous to explore other areas of forest preserves the trail passes through, as seen in the next two photos.
A stop at one of the dams is always fun, though in 2015, both Lake and Cook Counties began the process of removing these old farmers' dams which will improve the ecology of the river and improve fish habitat.
For those former Boy Scouts who remember overnight camping at the old Camp Fort Dearborn in Rosemont, a short side trip to the west just south of Devon Avenue will bring back many fond memories . The main trail then veers east and crosses the Kennedy Expressway/Northwest Tollway (I-90) on the East River Road/Dee Road bridge, but you can also follow a single-track which takes you west under the expressways alongside the river.
In the Schiller Woods section, south of Irving Park Road, you might see the moguls just east of the trail inviting you to try them out...
Fall is an especially beautiful time to bike the section just south of Dundee Road where a mile of yellow leaves will thrill you...
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