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Print Friendly MapThe Randall Road Bike Trail offers a 4-mile paved north-south route along its namesake roadway in a suburb west of Chicago. A highlight of the journey is the trail's passage through the LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, offering beautiful prairie and woodland habitats. It's here (on the south side of Dean Street) that you can connect to the Great Western Trail, which stretches 17 miles northwest to Sycamore.
From the Randall Road Bike Trail's northern end at Silver Glen Road, you can also connect to the River Bend Trail (also known as the Silver Glen Trail) to go west to the Silver Glen Crossings shopping center, or east to reach the scenic 37-mile Fox River Trail.
Parking can be found at the Silver Glen Crossings shopping area (near the intersection of Silver Glen and Randall Roads) at the northern end of the trail, as well as within the LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve at the south end of the trail (on Dean Street, west of Randall Road).
I have to agree with the previous reviewer in that this trail is not a destination in itself but does connect two very good trails. Leroy Oaks on the south end is very nice and worth some time (yes the bridge is rough, it has always been that way, I often wonder why). If you make the loop through St Charles using the Fox River Trail it’s a nice 15 or so mile trip.
One of the great things about the bike paths of far west suburban Chicago is how they are connected into a continuous network, allowing for an endless variety of rides.
The Randall Road bike path is one of these connector paths and should not be considered a destination in itself. It connects the Great Western Trail at the south end with the Fox River Trail (via the River Bend Trail - a short spur along Silver Glen Road in Saint Charles and Rt. 31 in South Elgin) at the north end.
Randall Road is a very busy 4-lane road with a speed limit of 50 mph along the path route. And you ride right along the western side of it, as close as 20 feet. You are pretty much always within view of the passing traffic. The intersections are all signalled. A couple are barricaded (to prevent vehicles from accidentally driving onto the wide asphalt path) so you have to maneuver around gates through a narrow opening. A long spine-rattling wood bridge takes you into or out of the Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve near the southern end of the path. So this is not a particularly peaceful or pleasant ride. Randall Road Bike Path is a useful connector, and that's about it.
At the north end, there is a bike-friendly bridge that takes you over busy Randall Road to the River Bend Trail and on to the excellent and scenic Fox River Trail. At that corner is a large shopping center with ample parking if you want to start your ride there.
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