Trail Distance: 25+ miles single track, 20+ miles multi-track

Location: Mountain bike staging area at Maple Lake East Grove, 9500 Willow Springs Rd, Willow Springs, IL (near intersection of 95th St and Willow Springs Rd). Trails can also be accessed from parking lots at Wolf Road Woods, Bullfrog Lake, Red Gate Woods, Pulaski Woods

Hours: Sunrise to Sunset

Amenities: Multiple picnic groves, shelters, port-a-potties.

Palos is the grand daddy of trail systems in the Chicago area. The area has hills, rolling widetrack, tight twisty singletrack, climbs, fast descents and plenty more to keep you satisfied for hours. There are singletrack trails for novices as well as advanced riders. The trail network has many intersections to let you change your route from one ride to the next, adding in more challenging trails or bypassing them as you see fit. But that also makes it possible to get lost if you don't have the trail map with you. 

Keep your eyes open for the trail markers there are illegal trails that are closed to cyclists. They are marked with an orange maker at one or both ends of the trail. FPD police patrol the illegal trails and ticket offenders.

All trails at Palos can be traveled in either direction, and are open to hikers, runners, and horses, so remember to follow proper trail etiquette, keep your head up for oncoming trail users and wear appropriate safety equipment.

The Palos area also played an important role in the dawning of the nuclear age.