The Busse Woods Trail in Cook County is my go-to trail year after year. I’ve ridden hundreds of laps on it. Its peacefulness, beauty and especially fall colors keep me coming.
The main part of it is a 7.25-mile paved loop with no traffic crossings save for a few little roads within the forest preserve. That makes it ideal for families and casual bicyclists. There are also offshoots toward Golf Road east to Wilke Road, or near Arlington Heights Road, including the beginning of the Salt Creek Greenway Trail — which all make Busse Woods kind of a gateway preserve between suburbs like Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Itasca, Wood Dale, Medinah and Roselle. But the trails are also busy on the weekends, when serious cyclists (read: fast) should just stay off them.
Besides the handy trails, Busse Woods provides a range of scenery. On the west end, you’ll ride through lakes, including the namesake Busse Lake. There’s also the South Pool Boat Ramp. The trail rolls between the parking lots and grounds for both, giving the place the feel of a recreation area.
Closer to Higgins Road, which bisects the preserve, is the North Pool. South of Higgins going east halfway across the preserve — at the bottom of the loop’s duck shape where the duck’s feet might be — you’ll come upon the Main Dam.
The west end has a bridge over Higgins Road, still fairly new. Its construction ended the hairy Higgins Road crossing bicyclists and runners had to make and therefore made the loop traffic-free.
Then the east half is more forested, and here’s where the colors shine the most. In the spring come the greens of the trees. You ride the curves and soon see Arlington Heights Road in the background, and you’ll turn north. Then you’ll find some prairie before you turn west toward the east bridge over Higgins. At the bottom of the bridge’s north end will be the elk pasture, fenced in. The elk get some forest, too; the trail is closer to that forest, so that’s where you’re more likely to see the creatures. (Don’t feed them.)
And then you’ll come upon the leafiest stretch of the loop. You’ll turn north and ride through the little curves. In the fall, you’ll be surrounded by the trees’ yellows. At the peak leaf-changing moment, it’s breathtaking.
The video below shows a contrast of this stretch between the spring and fall. Sure, the fall shines with its colors, but you can’t go wrong any time the trees have their leaves.
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