Overview
The North Branch Trail follows the North Branch of the Chicago River for 25.5 miles through Cook County. The trail was originally a dirt path often used for horseback riding; though it’s now paved, an unpaved equestrian pathway still parallels the main trail.
About the Route
At the north entrance to the trail are the Chicago Botanical Gardens. In partnership with the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC), the Chicago Botanical Gardens extended the North Branch Trail first through the Gardens and then through Turnbull Woods to the Green Bay Trail by the Braeside Metra station in Highland Park.
The Chicago Botanical Gardens, which includes more than two dozen gardens on 385 acres is definitely worth a visit. Winding through the Garden's McDonald's Woods, the multi-use path provides access to the many beautiful features of the garden. Wayfinding and interpretive signs along the route describe the moraine, wetland, and woodland regions that are part of the Garden's landscape. A wooden boardwalk passes through wetland areas to avoid any damage to the natural ecosystem. Here are bicycle racks near the Garden's Visitor Center for cyclists who would like to further explore the grounds. Chicago Botanical Gardens does have an admission fee, but they have free admission days and discounted admission options as well.
Continuing south, the trail features a 4.4-mile loop around Skokie Lagoons and Erickson Woods. Because the loop’s west side runs along I-94, trail users will find heavy traffic noise, but may take the eastern side of the loop for a more peaceful experience.
Heading south towards West Foster Ave, the trail meanders through forests and fields as it parallels the Chicago River's North Branch. Trail users will travel for more than a dozen miles through many wooded areas and lagoons and along golf courses. Keep an eye out for wildlife, especially deer. Passing by a mix of residential and commercial areas, the trail provides connections between communities and an alternative for both commuting and recreation.
Amenities are plentiful, with parking lots, bathrooms, and picnic areas available throughout the route. Though several road crossings occur along the way, they are clearly marked and have electronic buttons for those crossing.
Connections
The North Branch Trail connects to the Green Bay Trail by the Braeside Metra station in Highland Park.
The North Branch Trail runs between County Line Rd. (Highland Park) and W Foster Ave. (North Park).
Parking is available at:
Please see TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
We just completed this paved trail. Absolutely beautiful! It’s whining and bikers, walkers, runners n dog walkers use this trail. We didn’t go fast and loved it.
We rode from the parking lot near the corner of West Devon and N. Milwaukee in Norwood Park East up to the Chicago Botanic Garden and back, a total of just under 32 miles. The trail was in excellent condition--almost perfect asphalt surface, curvy, gentle hills and very shady. Most of the road crossings were quite easy--well regulated with lights or signage. We rode mid-day on a Friday in mid-May and there were only a few people on the trail (and one horse in the equestrian trail next to the bike/walk trail). We were on Class 1 e-bikes, following the 15mph speed limit, but did find that lots of people were speeding past us. The trail goes by many parks that include bathrooms and drinkable water.
We had planned to have lunch at the CBG, but found we'd have to buy tickets to enter ($23 pp). Apparently 3 years or so ago, you could get in for free and only had to pay for parking, as I had read in these reviews. We didn't have time to explore the garden so we ended up buying one ticket so one person could go in and purchase lunch for both us--we were hungry and did not want to ride busy roads to get to fast food places. There was a good picnic area by the parking lot where we could have our lunch.
CBG was a beautiful destination--you can ride through the perimeter of the garden with out buying a ticket. The Skokie Lagoon was also a wonderful natural area--full of deer and birds. I'd highly recommend this ride on the North Branch Trail if you're on Chicago's North Side.
15 mph bike speed limit is like "No dunking" signs at a basketball court.
This bike path was once was a great safe car-free detour for road cyclists traveling north from Chicago, bypassing busy Ridge/Sheridan Rd.
With the addition of 15 mph speed limit signs and people yelling "slow down" and shaking their fists constantly to anyone in lycra, it's become clear cyclists are no longer welcome on the "trail".
It's so unfortunate that people behind a bike path would work actively to discourage cyclists from using it.
If you're a seasoned cyclist looking to get training in I suggest avoiding unless it's late fall, winter, or early spring.
Pleasant ride through the various forest preserves. Signs request 15mph speed limit and that is definitely advisable as it can be crowded and there are many blind curves. Pavement is in good shape. The various road crossings are usually near traffic signals so not too dangerous. The neighborhoods of Old Edgebrook, Forest Glen and Sauganash are accessible from the trail and are notable for their residential styles.
Overall, this is a fantastic trail. It is a great way to view the changing landscape of the city as it goes farther north and is more suburban. However, the NBT goes through some parking lots and across many streets and the directional signage is lacking. I took more than one wrong turn.
I initially did this trail, in the Cook County Forest Preserves maybe 3o years ago. On my recent return, I find that the trail has been extended both to the south and to the north. Totally paved trail in good condition. You will find a few bridges over major roads and the other street crossing were either at traffic signals or were at more minor roads. The nice part is the forest tree shading over the path that is very curvy and rolling. The south extension has a nice bridge over the double track railroad-probably why the extension took so long to fund the construction. At the north end, the trail does go thru the Chicago Botanical Gardens (when it is open) and now the new north extension connects east to the junction of the Green Bay Trail and the Robert McClory Bike Path. 43 miles out and back on a very nice day for riding.