Looking for a route from the Onion Brewery in Lake Barrington to Libertyville
Me and Mrs. Duppie were planning on taking our tandem on the Metra out to The Onion Brewery and from there ride to Libertyville and on to Lake Bluff.
I am not familiar with the road conditions between The Onion Brewery and Libertyville.
I looked it up in Google Maps. See it here: http://g.co/maps/qv3r6. I have no idea whether that is a good/safe route
We prefer low traffic roads over higher traffic roads, even if that means that we will riding slower/longer.
Is anyone familiar with riding in that area? If so, do you have any suggestions for a nice route from The Onion to Libertyville? I appreciate any feedback.
Tags: Barrington, Libertyville, Onion
Views: 182
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kelvin Mulcky on -
Sorry, I can't help with the route, but I'm wondering if you have a demountable tandem frame? I don't think Metra allows tandems on board.
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Permalink Reply by Duppie 13.5185km on -
Not sure what the official policy is, but we took our tandem on UP-N last week and I've heard people on CL talking about bringing their tandem on the train.
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Permalink Reply by David on -
How do you feel about trails vs. roads? The Des Plaines trail is a really nice route from County Line Road up to the North Shore Trail and Libertyville. I don't know Barrington that well, but it looks like you could meander east on Long Grove (the ATA map marks that road as medium quality biking) a short distance over to Buffalo Creek, at which point you have a lot of excellent dedicated bike routes that take you to the Des Plaines trail, which takes you straight up to Libertyville.
While the Des Plaines trail in Cook County is more or less unmaintained, north of that it's a very pleasant well-maintained limestone trail. It's a really pretty ride.
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Permalink Reply by Kelvin Mulcky on
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The Des Plaines trail is wonderful up in Lake County.
Tandems, recumbents, trailers, etc are prohibited per Metra policy, but you never know how the conductor will be feeling...I'd have a back-up plan if the conductor says "no" on your return trip.
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Permalink Reply by rb on -
I have taken the trail from Libertyville to Lake Bluff. It is a nice path some limestone, but mostly paved. It is on the south side of 176.
As far as Barrington to Libertyville, I am unfamiliar with routes.
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Permalink Reply by Duppie 13.5185km on
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@rb. I've taken the Des Plaines trail before. It is very nice indeed, I may have to look into incorporating that into the route, although it will add some significant mileage. I may have to dig out my Active trans map and give that a look as well.
@Kevin. I think having a back up plan is a requirement every time you plan to take a bike on Metra. Our backup plan is that our tandem has couplers ;)
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Permalink Reply by Eduardo on -
I was planning on taking a similar route from Wild Onion to Lake Bluff brewery. Let me know how you like your route.
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Permalink Reply by Duppie 13.5185km on
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The part on Lake Barrington Rd. to Wauconda isn't very attractive to me. Here is an updated route, which I might actually give a try.
Eduardo said:I was planning on taking a similar route from Wild Onion to Lake Bluff brewery. Let me know how you like your route.
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Permalink Reply by JeffB (7+ miles) on
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Its been a while since I've used the Des Plaines trail, but if I recall correctly, the underpasses tend to flood easily after rains, so pay attention to the weather on the days before your rides
David said:How do you feel about trails vs. roads? The Des Plaines trail is a really nice route from County Line Road up to the North Shore Trail and Libertyville. I don't know Barrington that well, but it looks like you could meander east on Long Grove (the ATA map marks that road as medium quality biking) a short distance over to Buffalo Creek, at which point you have a lot of excellent dedicated bike routes that take you to the Des Plaines trail, which takes you straight up to Libertyville.
While the Des Plaines trail in Cook County is more or less unmaintained, north of that it's a very pleasant well-maintained limestone trail. It's a really pretty ride.
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Permalink Reply by Duane Waller on
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Kelsey road, IIRC, has a decent shoulder that is striped similar to a bike lane. Lots of roadies out that way, and drivers that have remarkably short attention spans. ride with caution. It's also slightly hilly-er than you might think.
The Hawley section near Mundelein might be hair-raising, too, but for a different reason; the road is beat to death. For a slight out=of-the-way detour, I'd recommend taking Hawley til you cross Midlothian, then head south on California to Cortland and hang a left. Follow Cortland across Lake Street and continue along and you'll come upon a hidden interesting spot; the Washburn Guitar Company on Cortland, before the RR underpass (it's on the north side). It's a neat building, done in a 60's version of 'Prairie Style'. They do all of their high-end and custom work there. You can continue along Cortland as it bends slightly to the left (becomes Countryside and then Prospect). Prospect heads north, and will being you back to McKinley, and from there you'd head towards Carmel HS and the bike path.
I spent 15 years in Libertyville and remember the area well.
Duppie said:The part on Lake Barrington Rd. to Wauconda isn't very attractive to me. Here is an updated route, which I might actually give a try.
Eduardo said:I was planning on taking a similar route from Wild Onion to Lake Bluff brewery. Let me know how you like your route.
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