2026 Fall/Winter Newsletter

Building trails, Trust, and Community.

The trails have baked hard through another Chicago summer, and now the light is changing. Longer shadows through the oaks, cooler mornings at the trailhead, and that first hint of crunch underfoot that tells every mountain biker fall is close. Q4 is arguably the best stretch of the riding calendar in the Chicago area: firm dirt, thinning bugs, and color changing canopy overhead. As the season turns, CAMBr is turning with it. Wrapping up summer trail work, closing out the race series, and looking ahead to what freeze/thaw season means for the trails we all love.

Here’s what’s ahead for Q4:

Website & Member Tools

CAMBr Merchandise

The wait is over! The CAMBr online merchandise store is live on CAMBr.org. Members save 20%.

Keep a lookout on email or by following CAMBr.org and our Facebook page for more details and future product launches.

Trail Emergency Protocol – What3Words

Imagine being on a group ride at an unfamiliar trail system and suddenly someone gets injured. You call 911 and they ask you to describe exactly where you are. What do you do? You could use GPS coordinates but those are easy to get wrong and the last thing you need is to send an ambulance to the wrong place.

Fortunately, there’s a simpler solution that has been adopted by land managers (e.g., Forest Preserve District of Will County) and emergency services (e.g., North Palos Fire Protection District): What3words is a way to precisely describe a location using three common words. It’s almost as accurate as using GPS coordinates but much simpler. Instead of using two decimal numbers (to the ten millionths place), it simply uses three words. For example, in the Palos Trail System: “Four Corners” (at Post 41) is located at GPS coordinates 41.7022020, -87.9044810. The What3words location is ///lucky.photo.zeal . And, of course, there’s an app.

For more information, go to http://what3words.com/about

Expanding Partnerships

Our partnerships with local businesses, NICA, and SRAM continue to grow youth access to trails heading into the new season. If you’ve been thinking about getting involved, fall is a great time to get plugged in before spring team formation ramps up. Interested in joining or coaching a NICA team in Illinois? Come to a race at a CAMBr trail system this Fall: Learn more here

New Trail Systems

Hickory Creek Preserve is officially open! This family friendly system in Mokena is anchored by soft surface singletrack loops near the LaPorte Road and Junction access points, a great, low pressure intro to off road riding, plus nearly 6 miles of connecting paved bikeway linking out to the 22 mile Old Plank Road Trail. Follow the Hickory Creek Riders Facebook page for volunteer opportunities.

Freedom Park — At the invitation of the Alsip Park District, CAMBr is building a brand-new trail system at the current end of the Cal Sag Trail. Phase 1 is nearing completion, 1.5 miles of flowy singletrack with wooden features, berms, and jumps, with a grand opening targeted for this fall (date TBD). Once phase 1 is dialed in, we’ll shift focus west of Cicero for phase 2, adding another 5–6 miles between Cicero and 127th St. A mini excavator loan from the park district has been a huge boost, and we’re now exploring a fundraiser to buy one outright, but volunteers remain the real driving force behind this project. Thank you to everyone who’s helped so far, and come join us, we need fresh hands to keep building this system from scratch. Attend a workday here.

2026 Chicagoland Race Series Wrap-Up

Another season of racing is in the books! The 2026 CAMBr Chicagoland Race Series Powered by SRAM wrapped up with the Palos Meltdown on August 23rd at Palos Forest Preserve, the third and final race of the series, capping off a summer that included the Raceway Rally and a revamped, relay/endurance format Paul Douglas Pursuit. Full results from all three races are posted on ItsRaceTime.com: Raceway Rally | Paul Douglas Pursuit | Palos Meltdown.

View videos of the races here: https://www.youtube.com/@cambr-dot-org/videos

Thank you to everyone who raced, volunteered, and cheered from the sidelines this year, the series remains one of CAMBr’s biggest fundraisers and a highlight of the summer riding calendar. See you at the starting line in 2027!

Freeze/Thaw Rules & Fall/Winter Riding Etiquette

As we move toward mid November, the freeze/thaw season returns to the Chicago area, typically running from mid November through the end of March. Overnight freezes followed by daytime warm ups cause the moisture in the soil to expand and contract, which can turn seemingly dry trails into soft, muddy messes almost overnight. Frozen trails ride hard and fast; thawed ones get chewed up fast, too. A simple rule of thumb: if your tires are leaving a visible imprint, it’s too soft to ride turn. South facing trails soften first, so if it’s sunny and temps climb into the 30s, plan to be off the trail by mid morning.

A few other things to keep in mind as the season turns:

Layer up, not just bulk up — a breathable base layer plus a windproof shell handles Chicago’s swingy fall temps better than one heavy jacket.
Fat bike season is coming — if snow sticks around this winter, lower tire pressure (roughly 5–7 PSI depending on conditions) is key for traction and trail protection.

Check Trailbot before you head out for the latest conditions.

Apple

Google Play

How to use Trailbot

Download from the app store listed above
Go to the region tab
Click on the trail systems you ride
Click the 3 dots in the top right corner, then ‘Add to Home Screen Widget’
Check conditions before you leave to ride

Calendar of Upcoming Events

10/03/26 Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day (IMBA Event)
10/11/26 Pulaski Woods, Palos – Palos Pedal Party (NICA Illinois Race #2)
10/24/26 Paul Douglas Woods – Pumpkin Pursuit
10/25/26, Big Marsh Park, Chicago – Big Marsh Bike Bash (NICA Illinois Race #3)
10/27/26, Raceway Woods – 10th Annual Turkey Chaser
TBA – CAMBr Annual Meeting

Weekday Group Rides (through DST, ending 11/1/26):

Monday – Saw Wee Kee – meet at 2nd lot, 6p
Tuesday – Raceway Woods – meet at silo, 6p
Wednesday – Palos – meet at Maple Lake East, 530p
Thursday – Paul Douglas Woods – meet at Crank Revolution, 5:30p

Trail Volunteer Spotlight: Ray Grzesiak

Growing up in Palos Park was a gift and offered a wide open door to nature and adventure. MotoX , BMX, to MTB, we did it all. Ultimately, I landed on mountain biking around 1990 at good old Swallow Cliff, just a short 10 minute ride from where I grew up. A few years later, if I remember correctly the Palos Triangle was created. Thank you CAMBr. I’ve been hooked ever since. Recently, I had the opportunity to work alongside CAMBr’s board of directors assisting in the approval, building and opening of the newest addition to CAMBr’s trail system known as Hickory Creek Preserve. HCP is my backyard and to be able to get out for a quick hour ride so close to home has been truly amazing. Thank you to all of the early volunteers that helped along the way. There are to many of you to name.

Why I Volunteer:

Volunteering to me is the most basic form of being thankful. Without it there is no CAMBr, no trails, no new found friendships, no group rides, and certainly that feeling of pulling into a full parking lot of friends on their bikes ready to ride would not exist. Although volunteering probably isn’t on the mind for many when buzzing down Three Ravines, ripping along Turf or Zip Tie and that’s ok. To me that’s the best part. I know that the joy that rider is feeling in those moments a group of volunteers made that happen. I believe that volunteering in many ways saves people in unheard ways. It clears minds and finds souls. The visible part on the trails and in the parking lot obvious, it’s the unheard that speaks to me, that’s why I volunteer.

Why I Ride:

Most likely because of CAMBr’s founding members, it’s continued tenacity to build trustworthy professional relationships which has resulted in continuous expansion of new trails to ride. Over the decades I’ve been fortunate to ride some of the most epic rides across the USA yet some of my best MTB memories are rooted in Palos. My riding as I’m sure every reader here will agree, has transcended along side the bikes. More suspension, bigger, faster, stronger etc. With all that said, regardless of the bike or location, and in addition to what every volunteer has given to me over the past 35 years, the CAMBr trail systems have given me this……….. a quote I hold close to my heart from Lance Armstrong that hangs on my office wall.

“I DON’T RIDE MY BIKE TO WIN RACES

NOR DO I RIDE TO GET PLACES

I RIDE TO ESCAPE THIS WORLD

I RIDE TO FIND PEACE WITH MYSELF

I RIDE TO FEEL FREE

AND I RIDE TO FEEL STRONG”

Advice to Future Volunteers:

It’s likely that if you are reading this you ride. You don’t need to be a mountain biker to volunteer. The CAMBr trail system is for everyone and it’s intended to be shared. Give what ever time you can. One day or 10. It all adds up. Volunteering will give you a connection to the outdoors that you just don’t get when ripping down trails on a bike. The slow pace of maintenance connects you deeper to the trails than you can imagine. So invite your family and friends, hikers, runners, etc. Everyone deserves to feel the peace and clarity the woods gives back. Who knows, maybe your friends and family will start riding.

Chicago Trails Facts and History

From Killer Track to Singletrack Legacy: The Story of Raceway Woods

Long before it was a singletrack system, Raceway Woods was a racetrack, and a notorious one. Built in 1958 by developer Leonard Besinger to draw attention to a new housing subdivision along the Fox River, Meadowdale International Raceway was a 3.27 mile road course anchored by a steep, high speed corner called the Monza Wall. A fatal crash marred its opening weekend, and underfunded safety improvements plus competition from nearby Road America sealed its fate. Meadowdale ran its last race in 1968 and closed for good in 1969.

Local park districts purchased the land in 1994 and 2002, and the dangerous racetrack became a forest preserve. Volunteers have kept its racing heritage alive ever since trail names like Corkscrew, Little Monza, Meadowdale, and Serpentine all trace back to the original track layout, and the annual Raceway Rally keeps that history running in a much safer form. It’s a good reminder that the trails we ride often carry more history than we realize.

Important Links:

Calendar
Contact Us
Trail Conditions (click yellow box top right of the screen)
Membership
Merchandise
2026 Chicagoland Race Series Results
Signup for a youth NICA team near you

Closing and Call to Action

CAMBr’s success isn’t accidental. It’s the result of dedicated volunteers, thoughtful stewardship, and members who believe sustainable trail access is earned, not given. As trails firm up this fall, there’s no better time to join a workday or grab some gear from our new store. Thank you for being part of this community.

We’ll see you on the trails.

Ride on,
Your CAMBr Board