Churchill Woods

[CrAsHaNdBuRn]

Does anyone know much about the Churchill woods trails off of the prarie path in Glen Ellyn? They aren't listed here as "legal" trails, perhaps because of he small size, but I believe mountain biking is allowed in the park. Are the trails off the path not included?

[IllinoisRider]

There's really no "trails" in Churchill Woods.  There is some multitrack there, but not much.  I can't say I'd ever make an attempt to ride there personally.

[CrAsHaNdBuRn]

Its really nothin there, maybe 3/4 of a mile of single track that's off the prarie path, in a section that is isolated from the rest of churchill woods. it butts up against the railroad tracks, and honestly seems kinda shady, but there is a "Churchill Woods Forest Preserve" sign on the Prarie path right at the "trailhead"; its not much at all, but its a fun 15 mins of singletrack that is always dry, and breaks up the boredom of the prarie path, which my girlfriend LOVES (and i don't particularly care for). Just wondering.

[IllinoisRider]

Technically, as of right now, all trails under 8 feet wide are illegal for bike riding in DuPage County.  That doesn't mean people won't ride them, but it does meant that Cambr can't support them.

[CrAsHaNdBuRn]

OH. I wasn't aware of that. That sucks for us DuPage riders. There has been no posts in the thread about Dupage County in this section for a long while now, I wonder if there has been any progress made. I would be first in line to help out to get some trails in our county.

[RenegadeRick]

knock knolls?!

I think KK is a city park.

[I pick bad lines]

Yes, Knoch Knolls is part of the Naperville Park District.

[kevin marley]

OH. I wasn't aware of that. That sucks for us DuPage riders. There has been no posts in the thread about Dupage County in this section for a long while now, I wonder if there has been any progress made. I would be first in line to help out to get some trails in our county.

MW that's great that you would like to help out with getting some trails legalized.  Here's a little info on how CAMBr works and how projects like legalizing a trail works. 

Because we are a volunteer organization most of us have full time jobs and just do this in our spare time.  Many of us spend our spare time already taking care of a trail system and might not live close by to the trail system you would like to legalize.  Because of these factors most of the time to open a new trail system we need to find a local group of riders willing to make the commitment to dedicate their time to making it happen. Don't get me wrong you will get people to come out and help, but it takes a local team to run the project and do the majority of land manager relations and physical labor.  CAMBr helps out by adding experience of dealing with land managers and trail construction as well as workers insurance and political power of numbers. 

We would love to help you legalize these trail but we will need a group of locals to do the majority of dirty work.  It is a lot of work and it can be too much for some people. But if this is something you are interested in, we can definitely support your efforts.  Maybe you would like to be in a supportive role instead, that's fine. But at the moment I am not aware of anyone actively trying to legalize this trail.  If you would like to take the lead or just start trying to drum up support that's great. Let us know what we can do to help.

[CrAsHaNdBuRn]

Kevin-

I would definately be willing to get some local riders together if the interest is strong enough. The area i live in is basically in between all of the trails supported by cambr, but not really close to any. It would be GREAT to see some trails supported in Dupage County. The trail I'm speaking of is VERY small, and can hardly be a trail. I simply was confused at the situation, Illinois Rider clarified things for me. I havn't been riding long, and definately not much in Dupage County for obvious reasons. But if anything could be done to change the situation in DuPage, I will volunteer to help lead the effort. I currently deal with Townships and Civil Authorities at my job, and am familiar to an extent with interactions that need to happen for even the smallest increment of progress to be made.

Lets start this way- IF YOU ARE A TRAIL RIDER LIVING IN DUPAGE, WILLING TO GET TOGETHER TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE AREAS TO CONSIDER BRINGING TO DUPAGE COUNTY PARK DISTRICT OR APPROPRIATE ORGANIZATION, REPLY IN THIS THREAD, PM ME, COME TO THE SURFACE. IF THERE IS ADEQUATE RESPONSE, I LIVE IN THE LOMBARD/VILLA PARK/DOWNERS GROVE AREA, I KNOW MANY FRIENDLY ESTABLISHMENTS WHERE WE COULD MEET AND GET SOMETHING STARTED.

Baby steps, right?

[powerpantz]

DG has riders - Rad!  I'd be down for getting something closer to home, where exactly is the trail?  Only thing I knew of was a city FP off 55th between Belmont and Main.  Knoch Knolls just doesn't cut it.  I'd be interested to join the effort, I will check back here for more info.

Has anyone ever one ridden at any of these DuPage FPs:
East Branch FP
Danada Forest
Hidden Lake
Oakhurst? (is that Dupage?)
Mallard Lake

[gobighitmtb]

I would love to see Hidden lake become legal.

[CrAsHaNdBuRn]

Hidden lake is what i've had in the back of my mind as the place to start. and i happen to live a about a mile from it. This is Good so far, from what I can tell we've got 4 guys that are willing to do a little bit of work. Did I mention I work in Construction and have access to all sorts of tools and machines? That's getting ahead of the point. If we can get for more people, for a total of 8, i think we've got enough to get a committe together, and meet at my local brewpub (always a plus).

Lets keep the replies comin!

[gobighitmtb]

Hidden lake is what i've had in the back of my mind as the place to start. and i happen to live a about a mile from it. This is Good so far, from what I can tell we've got 4 guys that are willing to do a little bit of work. Did I mention I work in Construction and have access to all sorts of tools and machines? That's getting ahead of the point. If we can get for more people, for a total of 8, i think we've got enough to get a committe together, and meet at my local brewpub (always a plus).

Lets keep the replies comin!

Wish I could help on this but I already have my hands full with the freeride project.  If something happens with Hidden Lake I’d be more than willing to come out and help.  Living in Lombard for the first 21 years of my life, HL became one of my favorite places to ride. 

[kevin marley]

I would love to see an effort at Hidden Lake as well. I used to work at Acxiom for 5 years and I would ride there during my lunch hour. Oh the memories...

I would say you need 2 to 5 core people that can be counted on to get a project like Hidden Lakes rolling.  Taking over maintenance of an existing trail system takes far less people than building a freestyle or freeride park like Plainfield.  This sounds much more like just managing a relationship with the land managers and taking over maintenance of existing trails. 

[CrAsHaNdBuRn]

Well- I havn't gotten quite the response I hoped for.  I would definately be willing to start the talks, but it seems like there is limited interest/riders in my area. I guess I'll stick to Palos as well. See you guys at a workday!