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Parking and access is available at:
River West Festival Park (21st and Jackson Ave.)
River Skate Park (south of 21st St)
PSO Soccer Complex (36th and Elwood Ave.)
45th St. and Elwood Ave.
Turkey Mountain Park (W. 71st St. S)
I rode the West Bank trail in October 2024 and the trail is open end to end. I started at the pedestrian bridge then rode south to Turkey Mountain. There is a pretty good hill that is in two sections right at the south end. I then rode north to Rt. 66 — Southwest Blvd and rode back on the East Bank. Great trail with a lot of solitude. I rate it 5 stars! Traveling cyclist Facebook
We parked just north of the 71st St. bridge on the east side, road across the river end up to Turkey Mountain. We continued open till the trail is closed at 36th St. The section near 30 turkey mountain is forested and beautiful, but you do pass next to a sewage treatment plant. North of the Sewage treatment plant is not as beautiful as the turkey mountain section, but still a nice ride. The climb up to Turkey Mountain from the river averages about 3 1/2% for about a half mile. The steepest sections are between 4 1/2 and 5%. We turned around at 36th St. and backtracked . Coming into Turkey Mountain from this direction again it averages about 3 1/2% grade for a little over a half mile, but the steepest sections are around 9%, but are very short. This is a good trail for a good exercise ride. We only passed a few bicyclist along the way and a few walkers New Jersey now. Other than that¿
Crossing from the East Bank to the West bank trail presents a long steady climb toward the turkey mountain trail head (it seems like forever). Once the turkey mountain trail head is passed you will go down a couple of hills and the trail flattens out to a nice tree lined ride. you'll go along the railway and the river which provides some nice scenery. The only reason that I rated 4 instead of 5stars is due to the trails location along an industrial plant. at times the smell can become very intense and cyclist must pass by two large exhaust stations which are very hot. just remember that when you head back up to the turkey mountain trail head...be in low gearing or else the couple of small hills become virtually impossible.
Have fun
This trail can be accessed from many points along the river. This side of the river has less noise, less riders and walkers. So, if you need to extend your cycling time by 45 min to an hour it's great. Not as scenic but the trail is well maintained. I believe they are under construction to lengthen the trail. I highly recommend for road bikers that don't want to ride by cars.
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