One of my favorite stretches of road is Old McHenry Road in Lake County. It runs northwest from downtown Long Grove to Route 12 near Wauconda, about 8 miles. It’s for the serious road cyclist, though the more casual bicyclist may feel OK on the road especially on the weekends. It’s also part of one of my favorite longer rides.
It’s lined with trees on the east coming out of Long Grove, and it’s largely quiet, except during rush hours. It’s especially peaceful on the weekends. As you get toward Hawthorn Woods, and the intersections with Quentin, Midlothian and Fairfield roads, it can get busier on weekdays, not so bad on the weekends.
There’s a railroad track crossing that can back up with cars especially on weekdays. Someday this will be fixed, with a railroad underpass and a bike path planned for this stretch, but that work probably won’t start until the late 2020s.
After that busier area, you ride in more open spaces until you get to Route 12 near Wauconda. You can then take Route 12 itself with its big shoulder, or definitely more peaceful Milton Road toward Wauconda.
Here’s a gallery of pictures of the road from a few years ago.
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