| Illinois Prairie Path |
Article Index for Illinois |
Website Links For Illinois |
Information AboutIllinois Prairie Path |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ILLINOIS PRAIRIE PATH | |
| cycling | |
| dupage county, illinois | |
| kane county, illinois | |
| chicagoland bicycle trails | |
| hiking trails in illinois | |
|
ROUTING 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 east to Maywood at Illinois State Route 171 (First Avenue). Future plans call for the path to cross the Des Plaines River and terminate at the Forest Park rapid transit station on the Chicago Transit Authority elevated railroad system. 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. 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 Chicagoland . The Elgin Branch and Main Stem are part of the 535 mile (861 km) 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 . HISTORY 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." REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|