Milwaukee to Chicago route?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Andrew McComb on January 27, 2010 at 9:51pm

I would get the Wisconsin and Illinois Bicycle maps, you can pretty much connect the dots on trails that run between the two cities. I couldn't give you a list of all the roads and trails I take, it seems every time I make the trip I do it in a slightly different way. There are some important things to remember, Avoid Racine by keeping on 31, you have to jog a little and get on Y. Its a bit nerve racking for a moment but is much better than traversing Racine. Going through Racine always seems to find me lost, and every time I'm confident that I remember the right way. Save yourself the trouble and just use the highway. Kenosha can bit a little tricky too, Stay on Y catch the MLK Trail for a short stint, then take G till the trail picks up again. Those are my suggestions for the most confusing part of the trip. See you out there, I hope to be making this trip every couple weeks or so.

Permalink Reply by Joe TV on January 28, 2010 at 11:34am

This book has been slammed in this forum before, but it served me well.

http://www.trailresources.com/b042.html

Permalink Reply by Eric Peterson on January 31, 2010 at 9:19am

Yes I think the best approach is to get the road data and make your own route. Then post it and get feedback from others who may have ridden portions of your route.

The I-DOT website no longer includes the information needed to order their maps, but I have it from an old email - here is the contact information:
Todd W. Hill
Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator
Illinois Department of Transportation
Room 334
2300 So. Dirksen Parkway
Springfield, IL 62764

217-785-2148
217-524-9357 fax
Todd.Hill@illinois.gov

--Eric Peterson

Andrew McComb said:

I would get the Wisconsin and Illinois Bicycle maps, you can pretty much connect the dots on trails that run between the two cities. I couldn't give you a list of all the roads and trails I take, it seems every time I make the trip I do it in a slightly different way. There are some important things to remember, Avoid Racine by keeping on 31, you have to jog a little and get on Y. Its a bit nerve racking for a moment but is much better than traversing Racine. Going through Racine always seems to find me lost, and every time I'm confident that I remember the right way. Save yourself the trouble and just use the highway. Kenosha can bit a little tricky too, Stay on Y catch the MLK Trail for a short stint, then take G till the trail picks up again. Those are my suggestions for the most confusing part of the trip. See you out there, I hope to be making this trip every couple weeks or so.

Permalink Reply by Michael on May 20, 2010 at 11:53pm

I made this and rode it last year and have since fixed a few problems: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/il/chicago/791124597025...

I like it a lot better than riding the trails up there - most of the robert mccory (sp?) trail to the border is long, extremely straight and boring as hell. It's also crushed limestone and passes through some so-so areas which means there's a lot of broken glass mixed in the gravel.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on June 25, 2010 at 10:30pm

Cullen Carter -

We rode our bikes to Green Bay from Chicago over Memorial Day weekend. I guess you missed it.

All you'd have to do is figure out how to get to the Fox River Trail from Appleton and you can do the whole thing (talk to envane x - he'll tell you how since that's how he connected with Lamars' bus). Just remember there are many hills and farms from Lakeview to Harrington Beach north of Port Washington and you'll need lots of water, some food and a dog whistle (for too friendly farm dogs) for that leg.

The route is quite safe, beautiful, and peaceful, but many opt to follow the lake instead via Manitowoc.

Leg 1 - bike to Lakeview campground (18 miles from Appleton), to Harrington Beach State Park (80 miles from Appleton, more or less) or some in between location.
Leg 2 - bike to Cliffside Campground in Caledonia, Wisconsin or Illinois Beach State Park.
Leg 3 - bike to Chicago.

Have a look at the maps on my page. They tell you how to do everything. I thought the hills, the farms and the windmills towards Lake Winnebago were the best, most scenic part of the trip, despite the heat that weekend.

Best - and be safe! Wear a brightly covered vest! Share the road!

- Matt M

Permalink Reply by ambimb on March 20, 2011 at 12:05pm

I just did the ride from Chicago to the WI border almost entirely on bike trails and recommend it highly. Google Maps will show you the way; once you find one of the trails you just follow the signs and they're all linked up. As mentioned above, the Robert McCrory trail through Waukegon is definitely the low light; there are about 10 miles of crushed limestone path broken up by rough street crossings every half mile or so, plus a part south of Waukegon that goes through an old industrial wasteland for a short stretch (dirty highway underpass, empty warehouses, trash and broken glass scattered about). So yeah, that's not cool, but it's still nice to be able to travel so far w/such little interference from car traffic. I didn't go much beyond the WI border but the Kenosha County trail just continues straight north from the Robert McCrory so it's definitely the way I'd go if I were going any further north.