Fox River Bike Trails Guide - Spring 2014

SPRING GUIDE 2014

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MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SUMMER

Find out where to start your trip, where to park and what’s around. We clue you in to bike-friendly restaurants and shopping in the quaint downtowns along the river. We connect you with repair shops along the way, should you find yourself in need of a helping hand.

The Fox River Valley offers visitors and residents alike one of the most impressive collections of bike trails in the region, connecting to picturesque waterways, bustling downtowns and great family destinations.

Cycling with the kids? No worries! We have charted routes by difficulty and distance, and many offer great destinations, like the Fabyan Windmill, Mount St. Mary’s Park, or the Railway museum.

with the New Fox River Bike Trails Guide

To help get you there, Shaw Media has put together an interactive, multi-media guide, so you make the most of your afternoon on the trail.

“Shaw Media is very excited to bring this multi media project of a mobile, digital & print product to the Tri-Cities. Our print version you are holding in your hands is just a small piece of what you can expect from our mobile and digital platforms,” says general manager Jim Ringness. “We hope that it enhances their bike trail experience by providing ideas on routes, places to stop and just provide an overall positive experience to these great assets located throughout this region.”

FoxRiverBikeTrails.com has partnered with cycling specialists, restaurants, shops and more to offer great deals you can grab on your way. Downloadable through our convenient app or mobile optimized website, there’s no need to carry anything but your smart phone.

From May through October, the towns along the Fox are filled with great local events and activities, festivals and community concerts. You’ll find those too, at FoxRiverBikeTrails.com, and even have a chance to share your own tips and insights as your travel the trails.

“People love coming to the Fox Valley to ride the trails, and we all are using our phones more and more,” said vicepresident Tom Shaw. “This is a great opportunity to connect riders with our communities, and all they have to offer.”

This printed guide offers a taste of what you’ll find online, and a handy reference you can keep at home, or pass along to friends. But beyond the pages of this guide, But this is just a start. Throughout the Shaw has taken its trail guide mobile. season, FoxRiverBikeTrails.com will be adding more helpful tips, features, trail FoxRiverBikeTrails.com is a dynamic information and lots of deals. Keep mobile site for the biking enthusiast. connected as you head out the door, and Offering featured trips, charting all the hit the trails for a summer cycling excursion. local trails, and highlighting great spots to stop along the way, FoxRiverBikeTrails.

It has been a truly great team effort com is the perfect companion as you hit amongst many Shaw Media departments the road this season. to make this project a reality and we are very excited to roll it out to our markets.” k www.foxriverbiketrails.com

Spring 2014 • Fox River Bike Trails Guide 3

Tired of

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Download the app in the iTunes app store or in Google Play.

Looking for local bike trails?

Visit FoxRiverBikeTrails.com on your smartphone! Biking along the Fox River is one of the best ways to spend your time outdoors. Find local trails, trip recommendations, local events, food and drink, and much more!

Visit FoxRiverBikeTrails.com today!

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FAMILY

PECK FARM TRAIL Looking for a great family trail, with plenty to do for the little ones? Peck Farm Park at 4038 Kaneville Rd., Geneva, offers cyclists a south paved loop and north paved path, 2.4 miles and 1.4 miles, respectively, and a 1.25 mile lake

Photo by Ted Gates

Escape to miles of captivating trails through historic Peck Farm Park, along the beautiful Fox River Trail or around scenic Wheeler Park.

Visit genevaparks.org for locations and information.

Geneva Park District Photo Credit: Ted Gates

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Spring 2014 • Fox River Bike Trails Guide 5

Photo by Ted Gates

view trail that starts at the orientation barn at the 385-acre natural retreat.

Operated by the Geneva Park District, the trails are open daily from sunrise to 10 p.m. Cyclists pass through short- and tall-grass prairies and a 19-acre wetland. A butterfly house is open May 24-Sept. 20. Visitors also

can experience a sensory garden on the premises. The newest addition is Hawks Hallow Nature Playground.

From May to October the orientation barn, observation silo and Peck House are open to the public MondaySaturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. k

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COUPLES / SCENIC

GENEVA TO BATAVIA Fabyan Villa Museum & Japanese Gardens An alluring feature of the Fox River Trail is its proximity to local attractions, including its connection to the well-

traveled 200-plus-acre Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva. The Fox River Trail is located on the east side of the river, but riders can cross at this point to where Fabyan Villa Museum and the Japanese Garden await. Another popular site is the 150-year-old Fabyan Windmill. After stowing their cars in the forest preserve designated area off Crissey Rd. (IL Rte.25), north of East Fabyan Pkwy, many visitors begin their north- or southbound bike journeys. For

Photo provided by the St. Charles Park District

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example, one short 1.9-mile Fox River Trail ride south along the river takes travelers to the Depot Museum in Batavia, another unique location. k

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A I V TA A B E

BIK

Photo provided by the St. Charles Park District

The Batavia Park District is a leader in providing leisure experiences that enhance the quality of life for our community.

With 40 park sites, 15 miles of trail and a scenic downtown, Batavia is a biker’s paradise!

Take a ride through downtown and experience the charm of the Riverwalk, the history of the Depot Museum and the uniqueness of Hall Quarry Beach.

Learn more at bataviaparks.org.

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HISTORIC / EDUCATIONAL

GREAT WESTERN TRAIL TO RANDALL ROAD BIKE PATH This four-mile north-south asphalt path parallels busy Randall Road from Silver Glen Rd. on the north. Primarily a connector route, it takes bicyclists over a long wooden bridge to LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, a good spot for a picnic.

Parking is available at Silver Glen Crossings shopping complex or at LeRoy

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Creek Forest Preserve Kane County

Trail Information Great Western Regional Bike Trail 14 miles, screenings Randall Road Trail 3.74 miles, asphalt River Bend Trail, asphalt 4/28/11

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From the north, one can travel east on the Silver Glen Trail to the 37-mile Fox River Trail. Meanwhile, Dean St. is a connection point to the Great Western Trail, which runs 17 miles northwest to Sycamore. Consider at stop at Creek Bend Nature Center, 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles, which offers tours MondayThursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and SaturdaySunday from noon-4 p.m. Durant House Museum, 8 Indiana St., St. Charles, is a restored 1843 brick farmstead, and offers tours by Victorian era-costumed guides June 14-Oct. 4, Sundays from 1-4 p.m. and June 18-Aug. 20, Thursdays from 1-4 p.m. k

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Trail Information

4/28/11

County Line

BEGINNERS / FAMILY / COUPLES

Pottawatomie Park ST CHARLES to Wheeler Park GENEVA

Photo provided by the St. Charles Park District

Pottawatomie is a family friendly park along with parks, paddle boating, and EAT: • Salerno’s on bike trails. Wheeler Park is located on • Kimmers the Fox the west side of Fox River at 822 N. First • Alley 64 • The Dam Bar & Grill St. at North St. A bike/walking trail runs • Mc Nallys • Gratto through the 57.3-acre site. Among ameminiature golf course and athletic fields. nities are a picnic shelter, concession Restrooms are closed Oct. 15-April 15. k stand, disc golf, lighted tennis courts,

Tired of

winter?

Download the app in the iTunes app store or in Google Play.

Looking for local bike trails?

Visit FoxRiverBikeTrails.com on your smartphone! Biking along the Fox River is one of the best ways to spend your time outdoors. Find local trails, trip recommendations, local events, food and drink, and much more! Visit FoxRiverBikeTrails.com today!

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Spring 2014 • Fox River Bike Trails Guide 13

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

By Bryan Van Zanten, Shop Manager at All Spoked Up, Batavia, IL Photos provided by the St. Charles Park District

Bicycling can be a wonderful and rewarding activity improving both physical and mental health. It provides the opportunity to view the world around you from a different point of view and see things you normally wouldn’t see during the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Those who come to enjoy this two-wheeled adventure find quickly that ‘the ride around the neighborhood’ just won’t satisfy the senses any longer and a craving takes hold to journey farther and farther from the familiar.

But what starts out as an invigorating roll along the Fox River or any number

of other trails in Chicago can quickly turn disheartening and stressful if your bicycle stops ‘operating as designed’.

Below is a list of things to do and items to have to cover the majority of situations you might encounter on the road or trail. It’s not a comprehensive list, but rather just suggestions. Only you know what level of risk you are willing to take depending on the situation.

BEFORE YOU START: • Inspect your bicycle making sure it is working properly. Ensure the tires are

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• Make sure you have some form of identification and either cash or a bank card. If there were to be an accident, don’t you think it would be nice if emergency personnel would be able to identify you if you are unable to speak? Also, bike shops may save the day when your bike decides to break in the middle of a ride, but we kind of like to get paid. inflated the recommended pressure (easiest way to PREVENT a flat).

Inspect the tire surface for thorns, glass, tacks, cuts and gouges. If you can see the inner tube or a visible bulge get it checked at your local bike shop before attempting a ride.

• Check the weather and dress accordingly.

• If you are new to cycling or consider yourself ‘mechanically challenged,’ contact a local shop to see if they offer any classes on roadside repairs.

• Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.

• Eat and drink some water. Bicycling is work and you burn calories and sweat. WHAT TO CARRY DURING THE RIDE: It is no fun to run out of steam before • A spare tube (make sure it is the you reach your destination. There are matching size). Determine what plenty of resources on the web that caused the flat and remove it BEFORE advise what, and how much to eat installing a new tube or you will and drink. be dealing with another flat a few • Charge your phone. This doesn’t minutes later. mean you have to leave it on during • A patch kit. For when you have your ride but you will want it if already used your spare tube and you something happens. get another flat.

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• Tire levers. For removing the tire from the rim.

• Some kind of bag (seat, handlebar, backpack) to carry all your stuff.

• An inflation device, either frame pump or CO2 inflator. Make sure you know how to use.

• Water and some form of energy bar, just in case.

• Appropriate wrench to remove wheels Now remember, it is better to have and not need than to need and not have. if not a quick release design.

Just ask someone who had to walk five • A bicycle specific multi tool which has miles pushing a bike or wait three hours the most common sized attachments for their ride to get off work. Being for bicycles. prepared will make the journey that much more enjoyable. k

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CYCLING ENTHUSIASTS ANXIOUS TO HIT THE TRAILS

By Stephanie Kohl Unseasonably chilly recent weather has cycling enthusiasts like Mark Lee anxious to get out for a ride. The Batavia resident began seriously cycling in 2010. “I’ve found that it is a great workout,” Lee said. “It’s low impact on your body and I feel great.” He and his wife have met countless friends through cycling, he added.

Geneva’s Mill Race Cyclery, owned by St. Charles resident Bruce Heidlauf, offers public bike rides of at least 25 miles, set to begin again once the weather cooperates.

“I suppose it’s the feeling of adventure you get,” Heidlauf said of why he loves cycling. “It’s a great way to see the world. It’s a completely different experience.”

Heidlauf said his shop located at 11 E. State St. right on the Fox River Bike Trail, is hopping on weekends as people take advantage of beautiful weather on the trail. His emergency bike repair has been popular for riders who experience a problem with their bike while on a ride, as are the public washrooms and free air.

With years of experience under his belt, Heidlauf said the best advice he can offer is to make sure to wear a helmet, get fitted for a proper bicycle and start with smaller rides and work your way up. He also suggests riders have a tuneup at least once per season.

He said the Tri-Cities area is appealing for cycling not just because it’s beautiful, but because there are so many different routes, both on trails and roads to enjoy.

“This is about as good as it gets for cycling,” Olson said of the Tri-Cities.

“The only thing missing in this area is hills. Riding on the trails along the river, it doesn’t get prettier than that... It’s a great area. It’s very, very bike friendly.” k

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