August 26, 2026 Local news 2026: Salt Creek Trail finally reopens at I-294; Klein Road path plans to be presented Bicycling-relevant news, such as the Salt Creek Trail’s reopening under I-294, a new traffic light at a Great Western Trail crossing, and a proposed path along Klein Road in DuPage County.
August 22, 2026 Bike infrastructure work in 2026: Elk Grove bridge behind schedule; Poplar Creek, Fox River Trail detours Significant bicycle infrastructure projects are coming in 2026, including a few new bridges, a new Barrington Road path in South Barrington, plus a difficult Poplar Creek Trail detour.
August 20, 2026 Big improvements to Cook County’s Des Plaines River Trail; flooding persists on Lake County side Have a look at the remade Des Plaines River Trail between Lawrence Avenue and Irving Park Road in Cook County, with the new boardwalks. Plus, how to get hints about flooding in Lake County.
July 29, 2026 Destination roads: What’s worth the ride to find in the suburbs, and southern Illinois Some great roads are kind of a secret; they may take a while to find on a bike. But they’re so worth it. There’s a good one in southern Illinois, but there are plenty in our suburbs, too.
July 11, 2026 Favorite road ride: Through Barrington Hills to Algonquin’s River Drive One long road ride I figured out early in my amateur bicycling “career” took me through Barrington Hills to a wonderful road along the Fox River: River Drive in Algonquin.
June 18, 2026 Ela Road, Cook County’s gateway to Lake County — but how is the shoulder on new pavement? Cook County has finished repaving about 4 miles of Ela Road from Hoffman Estates to Inverness. It’s a key gateway into Lake County. But did the promised 3-foot shoulders happen?
June 18, 2026 E-bike laws town by town: Where there are age, other limits New, sometimes strict e-bike laws emerged across the suburbs in 2025 after concern about the safety of e-bikes and “e-motos.” Here’s a town-by-town breakdown.
May 15, 2026 New Cook County forest district signs reiterate what’s not allowed on trails (hint: e-motos, and …) Seen in northwest Cook County’s Busse Woods this spring: New signs that reiterate what’s not allowed on the trails. They come amid efforts to regulate e-motos vs. e-bikes.
May 1, 2026 Merry month of May: What’s happening in the suburbs for National Bike Month May is National Bike Month, as established by the League of American Bicyclists in 1956, and plenty of suburban events are organized for it. Here are highlights, then a list.
April 15, 2026 Poplar Creek Trail: Would they repave only half of it? Lest you think trails in rough condition should be entirely repaved at once, the Cook County forest district is identifying only the worst trail segments to target first. The northern half of the Poplar Creek Trail could be an example.
April 2, 2026 The Cal-Sag Trail: How sweet it is, how much sweeter it could become On the long list of bike trails in Cook County’s forest preserves, the Cal-Sag Trail in southern suburbs is a relative baby. But it’s been created with love and care so far.
March 25, 2026 Latest Cook County forest trail plans: DPRT, Midlothian, Palos, Major Taylor … and Busse? The Forest Preserves of Cook County released its updated 5-year Capital Improvement Plan, and a few sections involve trail improvements.
March 23, 2026 Fits and starts on Tinley Creek trails: New asphalt, but street crossings, Midlothian Meadows The Tinley Creek Trail system has been on Cook County’s resurfacing list in recent years, and that work has paid off. But all the big intersections can make it a tough ride.
March 15, 2026 Cook County trail reconnaissance: Thorn Creek The Cook County forest preserve district was “focusing on an evaluation of the Thorn Creek Trail system” over the last couple of years. I decided to evaluate it myself.
March 5, 2026 The repaved Old Plank Road Trail: Oh yeah, it’s good Fans of the Old Plank Road Trail were rejoicing at even the prospect of repaving the bumpy west end in 2025. Now that it’s done, the trail sure is beautiful.
March 4, 2026 Grand tour of the northwest preserves: How to ride these four Cook County trails in one trip The northwest suburbs of Cook County have four great forest preserve trails not too far from each other. Imagine riding them all in one day.
March 2, 2026 A classic child of the ’70s: The North Branch Trail As the Cook County forest district celebrated its new Wellness Center at Caldwell Woods, it pointed out a big change to the classic adjacent bike trail — bringing back memories.
February 3, 2026 Evanston tops 9 suburbs now on League’s ‘Bicycle Friendly Community’ list Nine suburbs of Chicago are now on The League of American Bicyclists’ “Bicycle Friendly Community” list after the latest round of applications. One is back above the others.
February 3, 2026 Bike lanes or paths town by town: A compilation of suburbs’ infrastructure As Schaumburg residents differ on the village’s move from bike lanes to off-road paths in some places, I examine what other suburbs are doing for bike routes — paths or lanes or nothing?
December 27, 2025 Top suburban Chicago bicycling news in 2025: E-bikes, roundabouts, bridges and more In the first year of this website, I found even more suburban Chicago bicycling news than I imagined I would. E-bike laws, new bridges and roundabouts were among the most read topics.
