I just did my first ride of the season on the Algonquin Road / Paul Douglas Bike Trail today! It was an excellent day for a ride and I’ll be updating my Bike Trail condition reports for this year, as usual.
There is no construction on the trail but there are a few wet areas (where you’ll need to slow down to avoid a mud streak on your back (unless you have fenders or something) and unfortunately, there is a little flooding again this year just north of Lakewood (on the west side of Paul Douglas woods).
The flooding is not nearly as bad as it was last year and it is completely possible to ride through it though. I’d say that the deepest part is only 3 inches and that is only for a few feet in distance. It’s not much worse than riding through a deep puddle but you will need to slow down to get through it.
Flooding along the Paul Douglas Trail
I took a few photos with my phone. My phone is old and the photos are not very good but I think that they are good enough for you to get the idea.
Another thing that I noticed is that the house that was at the top of the hill, just east of the Grassy Ridge Meadow park is now gone! I guess they just leveled it. I don’t know who owned the property and house or if that was Forest Preserve land, but the hose is no longer there.
And one final note. I did see a couple of my deer buddies along the trail again so I guess they made it through the winter OK!