Fox River Trail Adventure

The Fox River Trail and Prairie Trails from East Dundee Illinois to Genoa City Wisconsin.

The Fox River trail is really beautiful (and fairly shady). It is pretty much along the river. In Algonquin, the trail connects to the Prairie Trail and has a lot of wooded areas followed by a section by some railroad tracks and gravel pits. In Crystal Lake you have to cross a few streets but there are some nice places for breaks.

Just past Crystal Lake is a place that we call "hill hell". This is a really hilly, curvy and dangerously fun part of the trail! It really is a little dangerous, so we do take it a little easy on this part, but it can be a lot of fun too...

After "hill hell" there are these long stretches along the railroad tracks, this is all still blacktop at this point, and a very hot part of the ride (in summer), but the background scenery is still really nice (country, farms, sod fields, etc.) A little after this the path turns into a gravel and dirt road. (We've only ever seen a few other people on this whole 15 to 20 mile section). I kind of liked the dirt road path, but it got a little harder to pedal after a while...

On to Richmond Illinois and a few miles later Genoa City Wisconsin! On our first trip, I asked a lady where we were and she also told us about a nice restaurant in town called Kellers. It is a nice place for dinner and a real nice break!!! (there are also some really cheap soft drink machines right next to Kellers on the main drag, to replenish some of those fluids (I think it was 25 cents for 16oz pops!)).

If you are going to do this trip do get an early start. It took us about 6 hours (an easy pace with breaks) each way. If you get a late start (as we did the first time) you end up riding back in the dark. It turned out that the very last stretch (that beautiful shady area by the river) gets really really dark and scary and it is against the trail rules to be out there at night anyway.

I have done this trip a few times now (with family members) and it also works out well as a one way trip (we have done East Dundee Il., to Genoa City Wis.) if you have a volunteer to go back for the car and drive up to Wisconsin to pick up the weary riders.

Whether you go one way (32 miles) or round trip (64 miles)... It really it a fantastic ride and a nice adventure for a day.

Fox River Bike Trail North

Prairie Trail

Palatine Trail

Deer Grove Bike Path