Illinois Prairie Path

Trail Website: http://www.ipp.org/
Trail Distance: 45+ miles
Trail Surface: Limestone screenings, paved
Type of Use: Fat Tire
Towns: Many
County: Kane, DuPage, Cook
Intensity of Use: Unknown
Setting: Wooded
Connecting Trails: None
Directions for parking: For the eastern trailhead, take I-290 to Maywood and exit at 1st Avenue. Go north on 1st Avenue .3 miles to the Illinois Prairie Path trailhead. For the western trailhead in Wheaton, take I-355 to Roosevelt Road. Go west on Roosevelt Road for 3.3 miles to Carlton Avenue and head north on Carlton Avenue .3 miles to Volunteer Park. The trailhead is at the intersection of Carlton Avenue and Liberty Drive.
Trail Map:

DuPage County Trail Guide

Rider's Comments: Built on an abandoned railroad right-of-way, the 55-mile Illinois Prairie Path (IPP) is really an elaborate multi-trail system. The main stem runs west from the community of Maywood in Cook County across eastern DuPage County to the western trailhead in Wheaton. Then from the Wheaton trailhead, a northwest branch leads to Elgin and a southwest branch runs to Aurora in Kane County. Spurs off the Elgin and Aurora branches run to Geneva on the northwest route and Batavia on the southwest.

Shaped like a sideways rake, the IPP serves as the backbone and connects with many other trails in the area. As a result, hikers and bikers have access to the most extensive inter-connected trail system in the Chicago area.

In Cook and DuPage counties (main stem, Elgin branch, Geneva spur), the trail is 10 feet wide and crushed limestone. In Kane County (Aurora Branch), you will find asphalt as well as crushed limestone segments. There are numerous street crossing along the way, so if you are biking, go slowly. Take your time and enjoy the parks, forest preserves, communities and other points of interest along the way.

Main stem
The main stem of the IPP runs east to west and consists of 15 miles of trail from Maywood to downtown Wheaton. The Maywood trailhead is at busy First Avenue .3 mile north of I-290. While the first mile of trail in Maywood is in good shape, the next 1.5 miles is in questionable condition. You might consider skipping the first 3.5 miles of trail and start farther west at Wolf Road and Butterfield Road in Hillside.

From Hillside the IPP passes into DuPage County and through the communities of Elmhurst, Villa Park, Lombard, and Glen Ellyn before ending at the path's western trailhead in Wheaton's Volunteer Park.

At the Wheaton trailhead you'll find a display case with information about the IPP as well as a free map and a water fountain at Volunteer Park. The name of the starting point is appropriate given the thousands of volunteers who have contributed their time and talents to make the IPP a premier trail system.

Elgin branch
The Elgin Branch begins at the Wheaton trailhead at Liberty Drive and Carlton Avenue and travels north for 15.7 miles. The branch eventually leads to Elgin where it connects with the Fox River Trail.

Along the way, at 2.5 miles out, the branch splits in two. The Geneva Spur heads west along the south side of Geneva Road and continues 8.6 miles to Geneva. The Elgin Branch continues northwest and travels through a number of forest preserves on its way to Elgin.

Aurora branch
The Aurora Branch runs from the northern trailhead at Volunteer Park in Wheaton to Aurora, a distance of 13 miles. Along the way the branch travels through numerous forest preserves, over street, railroad and river crossings, and alternates between off- and on-road terrain. The surrounding countryside is mostly farmland.

At 7.3 miles out (west of Route 59) the branch connects to the Batavia Spur. The spur heads northwest into Kane County for about 14 miles to downtown Batavia. Along the way it passes through several forest preserves, the FermiLab Bike Path and eventually connects with the Fox River Trail in Batavia.

For Detailed Information Contact:

http://www.ipp.org/
Illinois Prairie Path
PO Box 1086
Wheaton, IL 60189
(630) 752-0120

The Illinois Prairie Path is perhaps the most known path in Chicago begun in the early 1950s. It traverses from First Avenue in Maywood to the Fox River.

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