Fox River Trail, Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail - Goog... https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&... To see all the details that are visible on the screen, use the "Print" link next to the map. Map data ©2012 Google - Fox River Trail, Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail Three great trails in the Chicago suburban area. Public · 8,750 views Created on Sep 21, 2009 · By e · Updated Sep 24, 2009 0 Fox River Trail - Aurora to Elgin The Fox River Trail in Illinois is a 36-mile trail that spans from Oswego, Illinois to Algonquin, Illinois. The north end of the Fox River trail with the McHenry County Prairie Trail to continue north all the way to the Wisconsin border See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_River_Trail_%28Illinois%29 for more information. Fox River Trail - Aurora to Algonquin The Fox River Trail in Illinois is a 36-mile trail that spans from Oswego, Illinois to Algonquin, Illinois. The north end of the Fox River trail with the McHenry County Prairie Trail to continue north all the way to the Wisconsin border. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_River_Trail_%28Illinois%29 for more information. Great Western Trail - East The Great Western Trail is a rail trail in Illinois and Iowa. It occupies three non-contiguous sections of an abandoned Chicago Great Western Railway corridor, two of which are in Illinois. The newer of the two sections, between Villa Park and West Chicago in DuPage County, is made up of right-of-way that was abandoned piecemeal throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. As the railway was abandoned, the government of DuPage County made upgrades to the path, and between 1990 through 1992, the trail was converted from a rail grade to a bicycle trail. The 12-mile (19 km) crushed stone path crosses some farmland and suburban areas. At the east end of the trail is a restored former CGW depot building. The Great Western trail also was extended to make a connection with the Illinois Prairie Path in 1995. In 1998, a new bridge was built over Interstate 355, while the next year, a new bridge was built over the West Branch of the DuPage River. Great Western Trail - West The Great Western Trail is a rail trail in Illinois and Iowa. It occupies three non-contiguous sections of an abandoned Chicago Great Western Railway corridor, two of which are in Illinois. The western-most, and older, section of the Great Western Trail is located between western St. Charles in Kane County and eastern Sycamore in DeKalb County. This section was right-of-way that was abandoned in 1977. The 18-mile (29 km) crushed-stone path traverses unincorporated rural townships, natural wetlands, some restored prairies, and farmland. The trail also passes through Virgil and Lily Lake and parallels Illinois Route 64. Illinois Prairie Path - Main Stem The Illinois Prairie Path (often called the Prairie Path and abbreviated IPP) is a network of 61 miles (98 km) of bicycle trails, mostly in DuPage County, Illinois. Portions of the trail extend west to Kane County and east to Cook County. Most of the trail is categorized as rail-to-trail, meaning that the bicycle path is built atop an old railroad right of way. In the case of the Prairie Path, the vast majority of its routing runs on the former right-of-way of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad. In 2008, it was inducted into the Rails to Trails hall of fame. The Illinois Prairie Path consists of three distinct branches originating from a point just west of downtown Wheaton. The northwest branch is called the Elgin Branch and runs approximately 16 miles (26 km) to Elgin. This branch is the longest of the three. The southwest branch is called the Aurora Branch and runs approximately 14 miles (23 km) to Aurora. The eastern branch is known as the Main Stem and runs 15 miles (24 km) east to Forest Park at the Forest Park CTA station, where it crosses the historic Elmhurst Great Western Prairie. The concept of a regional trail in DuPage County was introduced in 1963 by May Theilgaard Watts, a leading figure at the Morton Arboretum. In a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune, she called for the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Electric Railroad right of way to be preserved for future generations instead of being given over to development. After eight years of contentious meetings between Watts and her representatives, and those of the towns of Wheaton and Glen Ellyn (who sought the right-of-way as valuable parking space), U.S. Secretary of the Interior Rogers C.B. Morton designated the Illinois Prairie Path as the second of 27 new National Trails. In the designation, Mrs. Watts was honored "for her outstanding efforts toward establishment of the Illinois Prairie Path." 1 of 3 6/15/12 5:29 PM Fox River Trail, Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail - Goog... https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&... On August 23, 2006, a new pedestrian bridge was lifted into place over the Des Plaines River between Maywood and Forest Park. The bridge and new approaches permit a direct crossing over the Des Plaines River, allowing the main stem of the Prairie Path to terminate further east, at the Forest Park CTA station. The bridge and approaches opened in late October 2006, after lighting and emergency call boxes were installed. All three branches are marked with concrete mile markers stating the name of the branch, and how many miles away from Wheaton the rider currently is, although the frequency and character of these markers varies from county to county. After its conception, spurs were added to the system extending west from the Elgin Branch to Geneva (known as the Geneva Spur) and west from the Aurora Branch to Batavia (known as the Batavia Spur). These spur branches are 6 and 5 miles (10 and 9 km) long respectively, and are also marked with mile markers. The Prairie Path itself is part of a larger regional network of trails in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Elgin Branch and Main Stem are part of the 575-mile (925 km) long Grand Illinois Trail in north-central Illinois. On a more local level, the Prairie Path intersects with Kane County's Fox River Trail four times, and the Great Western Trail — a parallel connector between the Main Stem at Lombard and the Elgin Branch. There will also be future connections to the West Branch DuPage River Trail, the East Branch DuPage River Trail, and the Salt Creek Trail. The DuPage County Department of Transportation maintains internal designations for the Illinois Prairie Path as a part of the county's highway system. County Highway 47 refers to the Main Stem and the Aurora Branch. County Highway 48 refers to the Elgin Branch. County Highway 49 refers to the Batvia Spur, while County Highway 57 refers to the Geneva Spur. More information about the IPP can be found at www.ipp.org. Illinois Prairie Path - Aurora Branch The Illinois Prairie Path (often called the Prairie Path and abbreviated IPP) is a network of 61 miles (98 km) of bicycle trails, mostly in DuPage County, Illinois. Portions of the trail extend west to Kane County and east to Cook County. Most of the trail is categorized as rail-to-trail, meaning that the bicycle path is built atop an old railroad right of way. In the case of the Prairie Path, the vast majority of its routing runs on the former right-of-way of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad. In 2008, it was inducted into the Rails to Trails hall of fame. The Illinois Prairie Path consists of three distinct branches originating from a point just west of downtown Wheaton. The northwest branch is called the Elgin Branch and runs approximately 16 miles (26 km) to Elgin. This branch is the longest of the three. The southwest branch is called the Aurora Branch and runs approximately 14 miles (23 km) to Aurora. The eastern branch is known as the Main Stem and runs 15 miles (24 km) east to Forest Park at the Forest Park CTA station, where it crosses the historic Elmhurst Great Western Prairie. The concept of a regional trail in DuPage County was introduced in 1963 by May Theilgaard Watts, a leading figure at the Morton Arboretum. In a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune, she called for the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Electric Railroad right of way to be preserved for future generations instead of being given over to development. After eight years of contentious meetings between Watts and her representatives, and those of the towns of Wheaton and Glen Ellyn (who sought the right-of-way as valuable parking space), U.S. Secretary of the Interior Rogers C.B. Morton designated the Illinois Prairie Path as the second of 27 new National Trails. In the designation, Mrs. Watts was honored "for her outstanding efforts toward establishment of the Illinois Prairie Path." On August 23, 2006, a new pedestrian bridge was lifted into place over the Des Plaines River between Maywood and Forest Park. The bridge and new approaches permit a direct crossing over the Des Plaines River, allowing the main stem of the Prairie Path to terminate further east, at the Forest Park CTA station. The bridge and approaches opened in late October 2006, after lighting and emergency call boxes were installed. All three branches are marked with concrete mile markers stating the name of the branch, and how many miles away from Wheaton the rider currently is, although the frequency and character of these markers varies from county to county.