Trail Website: http://www.fpdcc.com/
Trail Distance: 8.0 miles
Trail Surface: Paved
Type of Use: Fat tire/mountain, Leisure
Towns:  Park Forest, South Chicago Heights, Lansing, Glenwood
County: Cook
Intensity of Use: Unknown
Setting: Forest preserve
Connecting Trails: When funding permits, plans are underway for extending the trails alongside Thorn Creek to connect Lansing Woods to Sauk Trail Lake. Take Western Ave. South to connect with the University Park South Bikeway System (Park Forest South).
Trail Maintained By: Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Directions for parking: Take the Calumet Expressway to Glenwood-Dyer Road. Head east .3 mile to Stony Island Avenue. Turn left (north) on Stony Island and proceed to Glenwood-Lansing Road. Turn right (east) on Glenwood-Lansing. Turn left into the North Creek Meadow Preserve parking area. The bike path can be accessed at the far end of the parking area.
Hours of Operation:  Sunrise to Sunset
Trail Map:


Thorn Creek Division:

Rider's Comments: Lansing Woods trail skirts Torrence Avenue for a noisy ride due to traffic. After crossing Torrence and entering North Creek Meadow, the noise diminishes. I saw a huge hawk in this Meadow, and a bluebird (not a bluejay). The Sauk Trail Lake Trail is heavily wooded. The trail follows the perimeter of the Lake. I saw four deer, among them twin fawns. The deer are so adept at camouflage that they stand alongside the trail as you whiz by on your bike. Slow down and try to view them drinking at the lake. Nice Trail.

Thorn Creek Greenway (Cook) is a protected area spanning 7500 acres along the beautiful Thorn Creek.  The creek squirms through Cook County's southern edge, emptying into the Little Calumet River.  About 17 miles of the trail runs through the greenway, consisting of Forest Preserves and Wetlands.

Currently the preserve is divided into two sections: North & South.  Future plans are to connect the trails.

Northern Section
Heading east from the North Creek parking area, the 10-foot-wide trail crosses Torrence Avenue and continues along Glenwood-Lansing Road. A long bridge provides a safe passage over the Calumet Expressway. As you approach Cottage Grove Avenue, the path turns north and heads to the Sweet Woods Preserve north of the community of Glenwood. Biking or hiking the entire trail is a 9.2-mile trip assuming backtracking.

Rustic restrooms, water pumps, and picnic tables can be found near the parking areas of the three preserves along the way. The trail is relatively flat with a few hills in spots. The bike path is clean and well-maintained.

Unpaved Multi-Use Trail
North of the shelter at the Sweet Woods Preserve you will find access to a 5-mile packed earth multi-use trail which runs from Vincennes Road north of Glenwood east to Torrence Avenue near Lansing. Much of the path is through woodlands often on bluffs overlooking Thorn and North Creeks. The Forest Preserve District map labels this trail "developed." That is a bit of an overstatement. The trail has mud holes, deep ruts, and tree roots. It's fine for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians, but not a good choice for a road bike.

Southern Section
Two hundred years ago, the Sauk Trail, a Native-American trade route, ran from the Mississippi River to Fort Detroit on Lake St. Clair. Today the Sauk Trail Road in the southern tip of Cook County follows part of this ancient pathway. In the Sauk Trail Woods Forest Preserve you will find a very hilly 4.7-mile asphalt bicycle path around Sauk Trail Lake and through the woods.

For Detailed Information Contact:
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
536 N Harlem Av
River Forest, IL 60305
708-366-9420 or 773-261-8400

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