Where to ride when it's wet

It's a fact of life in the Chicago area there are times when the single track is closed due to wet and muddy conditions. Riding when the trails are muddy and soft creates ruts and mudholes that cause people to ride around widening the trails. All of this takes away precious volunteer hours from building new trail to making repairs. So please don't ride when any of the trail indicators show a system is "red". That means the trails are too wet or soft to ride.

So where can you go when the trails are closed and you want to work up a sweat, or just keep your legs loose?

Fortunately the Chicago region has an extensive network of crushed limestone multi-track, rail-to-trails and paved bike paths that are good to ride in most any condition.

When the Palos trails are closed the following trails are good options:

Waterfall Glen
I&M Canal
Centennial Trail
Cal Sag Trail
Swallow Cliff

When the Raceway trails are closed the following trails are good options:

    Google Maps set in "bicycle" mode is a great general resource.

    Other Resources:

    Midewin Tall Grass Prairie
    Forest Preserve of Cook County Trails
    Forest Preserve of DuPage County Trails
    Forest Preserve of Kane County Trails
    Forest Preserve of Will County Trails
    Navigate to Top