North Shore Channel Trail

Great trail for walking, running or biking! It’s a great alternative to the very crowded Lake Shore path. It’s also a good path to take towards Botanic Gardens or other areas up north as the lakeshore path cuts out. My favorite it taking the path in the fall when the leaves start to change.

the best part of waking up is North Shore Channel Trail near your house.

The first part of the trail, from Lawrence to Peterson, is lovely. Then there is a strange detour without any trail markings whatsoever, but apparently we were supposed to cross the bridge on Lincoln and continue on the west side of the river (thanks for the notification, guys!) After that, it’s sort of a compromise, apparently, the best we can do in our urban area is to have a wooded area to the east and a heavily trafficked street (McCormick Blvd) to the west complete with noise and ugly strip malls. At one point directly east of the trail in Skokie, there is a massive construction site that reminds me of the rock quarries in southern Indiana, only infinitely more hideous Actually, it reminded me a bit of the post-​911 Twin Towers site. I tried to block it out, but it was sort of a bummer after the pretty scenery on all sides south of Peterson. At the north end of the trail (just south of Bridge Street in Evanston) is a lovely botanical garden, which was a welcome relief. Like I said, not ideal, but probably the best we can do.

Great trail for running, walking, or biking. I’m training for my first half marathon (my longest distance, so far) and this is one of my new favorite places to run. The trail seems pretty well maintained and takes you through some lovely areas. As a bonus, it is much less congested than the lake front trail. I prefer to use the trail during day light hours (mornings, afternoon, or early evening for short runs), as several areas are not well lit at night and can therefore be a little scary after dark. Also, be aware that there are almost no water fountains along the path, so it is a good idea to bring your own water.

Pleasant trail that is an alternative to riding along the lakefront. It’s not as crowded as the lakefront and some other trails in and around Chicago. Watch out for those hills, though! Some parts of the trail can be hard to pedal depending on what gears a bike has or not. Also, there is a big park along the trail and it is heavily used by people playing soccer. The soccer players have a habit of dashing out onto the trail to retrieve balls, and they seldom watch for bikers and skaters coming from either direction. People walking their pets aren’t always considerate either, and have the nerve to give bikers and skaters dirty looks instead of watching out for their pets.

when i rode my 10 speed bike i use to go though it alot and its one of the very few places left in chicago that is like the old town chicago that my grandpa use to talk of. near budlong farm now budlong elementary school. not far about 3miles away or so. the farm went from kimbal to western ave. what has become of the town is no more its all city now. and most of the city that i knew is now gone too. its going so fast now most places are. you dont even have a back yard you now have a apt in were your back yard was.

I wish there were a million paths like this one in Chicago. I stumbled on it while riding home in the dark today, and it was SO beautiful and well-​lit and totally empty. There was one detour, but other than that, I thought it was great: it took me under major intersections and around a pretty pond. I’m from a small town, and it reminded me of the trails we have at home.
I can imagine that it gets pretty busy during the day, but it looks like you can ride around walking people on the grass easily enough, and there was a separate trail that seemed like it was for intense people.
Overall, the lighting was beautiful and the park areas were very well-​kept. I don’t think Chicagoans are in any place to criticize a bike path… until we get more of them! I live on the lake, but for recreational rides, I’m going to start going west to use this trail!!!

Awesome trail along the West-​ish area. It’s not as crowded as the lake front trail, and some parts of it are a bit more well-​maintained than others. For night time, it is very sparsely and weakly lit, but for day time leisurely cruises, it’s nice since there isn’t a constant stream of intense road bikers shouting «on your left» and zooming by.
North of Emerson, west of the bridge is not paved and there’s even less light from McCormick Blvd some reason, but east of the bridge is an abandoned park and that’s easier to ride through but can be a little scary at night with how abandoned it feels. South of Devon, it’s not longer right by McCormick and into more neighborhood park-​like secluded areas, so if you prefer the company of bright car lights at night, this wouldn’t be the trail to take. In-​between is probably my favorite part to ride, though during a nice day going the entire trail is very calming and pleasant.
The path has random little hills and isn’t perfectly flat. And the intersections with roads come a bit more frequently than I’d like, but it doesn’t take away too much from the riding experience.
Pretty scenery, too. Good for transportation since it connects pretty conveniently to lots of neighborhoods more away from the lake.

I had heard about this trail for years and years, and for some reason could never actually find how to get to it. Clearly my internet sleuthing skills left much to be desired.
Enter Chicago Endurance Sports and their half marathon training program. Through my running group I discovered this trail and the awesomeness that it is. For years I had trained on the lake shore path, which is lovely until you get down towards Belmont and beyond where it can become a congested nightmare at peak times.
The North Shore trail is never crowded. In fact, if you run early enough in the morning you might not encounter another person (okay, that could be a little creepy.)
Plus there’s something very cool about running through Chicago, through Skokie and into Evanston. Rock star.
I deducted one point because a chunk of it is under construction and progress seems to be slow (in fact, in the months I ran I never saw any progress at all.) It requires you to go off the path and run either in the street or on the sidewalk across the road.

I love that this trail is uncongested, and that it goes right thru the McCormick Sculpture Park. The only thing I didn’t like was the rather big chunk that is under construction and forces you to ride in the street right by Linconwood Mall, granted its not all that long but for some reason it took something out of it for me. Otherwise, LOVE the ride. Great places to sit and rest, lots of watering stops and the scenery is really lovely.

Easy ride. Park on the street at the south end. The sculptures are fun, and a mixed bag. There are a few underpasses under busy streets, but mostly you have to stop at lights at very busy intersections — too often.
I expected to see more of the channel, but saw more of busy streets — from a well-​maintained bike-​path. Overall, a nice, easy ride, but there are others (such as the North Branch Trail, and the Tinley Creek Trail on way-​south side) that I would recommend first.

How did I not know a paved, uncongested bike trail ran along the river from Lawrence to Golf where it turns to fine gravel and continues on… I don’t know apparently to Wisconsin? OK, that might not be true but it at least hits Wilmette. Regardless, it’s an absolutely wonderful surprise.
You can pick it up on the north side of Lawrence between Sacramento and California. It takes you along the east side of the channel, through parks and under cross streets until almost Devon. There you jog northwest on Lincoln to re pick it up on the west side. You follow McCormick through Lincolnwood and Skokie with trees and sculpture and happily few people to keep you company. It’s a great little ride. Maybe 10 – 12 miles round trip with all the twists and turns.
I also love that I’ve seen none of the super serious jackwads with their full body spandex and forward triathlon bars going 35 miles an hour and looking at you like you’re in the way if you ride casually. There are a few other cyclists and walkers. At the lots along McCormick folks clearly park and walk to the many benches to eat lunch on nice days. But even on a beautiful weekday in the low 80’s with little wind I was alone with my thoughts and camera most of the time.
There are port-​a-​potties at one of the lots near the midway point but once across Lincoln there aren’t water fountains like there are in the city parks. If you really need hydration you can always jump off the path, back into real life just a few hundred yards away, and grab something to drink.
Make sure you to remember to press the pedestrian button at intersections once out of the city or you’ll never get across. Also even though it’s a lot of fun don’t accelerate through the downhill blind turns as you hit the under passes. There are lots of strollers and moms with kids in tow. Save those collisions for the d-​bags on lakefront path.

I had no idea this trail even existed until I did a search online and found this review. I gave it a test run yesterday and loved it! It’s perfect for training for my upcoming 5K, from Argyle to Peterson the distance is 1.5 miles so you can run it back to make a 3 mile run. The path is lined with parks and is frequented by runners and bikers. There are baseball fields and parks filled with families alongside the path so it’s not like you are running alone in the woods. My only complaint is that there are no water fountains to hydrate before/​during/​after a run.

I love the North Shore Channel Trail. It begins on Lawrence Ave. and just keeps going to Green Bay Rd. There is just but one block at Thillen’s field where you have a tough cross street, otherwise, you enjoy a beautiful ride smack in the middle of the city. There are some great restaurants just of the trail that are great, such as, Wholly Frijoles at Touhy. Yum and Fun.

love this trail. its a really nice and leisurely ride (and admittedly 3.5 miles out of the way) from where i work in evanston to my home.
my only gripe has to do with the part of the path that hits kedzie, where you have to backtrack north down a really steep and unpaved slope just to get to where the path continues south. i probably missed something somewhere and there is probably an easier way to avoid this, but until i find it, i’m gonna gripe about it. oh and the fact that it just sort of ends at lawrence. like, the end of a movie that leaves you feeling slightly unsatisfied because you know it could go on a little longer and end up someplace a little more convenient.
way less crowded than the lakefront trail (hallelujah, hallelujah!) and scenic and beautiful in a nature reserve sort of way.

It’s like you’ve taken a trip to the gardens at the edge of town — ie it’s like somewhere else. You may find the neighboring houses supercute, if you like to walk around and look at cute houses.

As previously mentioned, a nice trail for biking/​running/​walking.
The north end turns to packed limestone for a bit. If you continue on local roads after the end of the trail you can catch the Green Bay Trail and eventually loop around – via surface roads – to the North Branch Trail system.
Illinois Dept. of Transportation has free maps here:

I love the first part of this trail, but not so much the part that continues north of Devon. The first part of the trail can actually be accessed from Lawrence Ave. just west of California. At Argyle, you have the choice to following a path on the east side of the river, or you can cross the Argyle bridge just west and a different trail will take you up the north branch of the river (which actually heads west against the flow) as it winds behind North Park college all the way west to Pulaski. This trail is a better walking one than a biking one. Ride your bike north along the east side of the river, through River Park, and all the way north to Peterson Ave., a distance of a couple of miles.
Then you can either cross Peterson, turn around and come back, or cross under Peterson, and you will surface on N. Kedzie, a couple blocks south of Devon. If you ride to Devon, and head one block west, you will be on the Skokie North Channel Trail and sculpture park, which you can ride north to Evanston. The problem with this ride is that it is broken up by all the huge suburban cross streets, like Howard, Touhy, and Oakton. Priority is definitely for the commuters, cars and trucks. They give you about four seconds to cross the intersection, so you have to rush through as not to be crushed by Lay’s potato chip truck, or the hordes on their way to The Olive Garden or the Lincolnwood Mall!
There is always a ton of traffic on McCormick Blvd. to your left, and the smelly North Channel to your right. The endless examples of public sculpture are fun. It would just be nicer if they were in a less traveled and busy strip. It’s probably a better place for a walk than a bike ride. Again, the south of Peterson stretch is great-​a quiet escape, but for uninterrupted, traffic-​less biking, I think Caldwell Woods or The Lakefront paths are the best.

I stumbled upon this trail by accident while taking a walk in Ravenswood Manor. I later went back on bike to check it out– and was completely blown away. It is quiet, clean, a smooth ride full of fun hills, turns, etc. The best is riding under the roads along side the river – very cool. There are many places to rest along the way – that is true, it is a leisurely ride, good for kids, senior riders, and adults just learning to ride. It just gives off this very romantic, ’ i might be the only person i know who’s ever been here’ vibe. At one point you ride under the branches of a willow tree! If you’re like me and love all things chicago and all things autumn, check it out– you won’t be displeased!

The North Shore Channel Trail is a fantastic alternative to the lakefront mob scene, and offers its own share of loveliness as it meanders along with the North Channel. As Pete O. and Cait H. have noted, the undulating trail cuts through some pleasant swathes of city parkland before crossing into a more wooded environment.
The bike trail was greatly improved a few years ago with the addition of underpasses that allow a safer ride with fewer interruptions at road crossings. I’d imagine that the slopes down to the underpasses are pretty slick during the winter, but in the summer they are fun to ride through or stop in. This trail is like a humbler, more secluded version of the C&O Canal towpath in Georgetown, Washington D.C. At points, it is hard to believe you are still within Chicago city limits. This illusion is particularly strong at the canoe/​kayak launch that lies below and behind the Lincoln Village Mall. A concrete ramp descends all the way to the water’s edge and from that vantage point, what you mostly see is the leafy banks framing the lazily rippling channel. You would never believe that busy Lincoln Avenue rumbles just 50 feet away, and that Borders and Starbucks are not much further off.
My only caution when biking through the parks: watch out for dog walkers who extend their leashes across both lanes of the bike path. This sort of thing is rare, true, but it could lead to a serious wipeout, a bruised pooch and a vicious slap fight. (Hasn’t happened yet but it could, so be watchful!)
The North Shore Channel Trail is evidence that the city can, in fact, produce successful and beneficial civic works when it chooses to. Nice job, people.