New trail for mountain bikers, runners opens in Cook County Paul Douglas Forest Preserve in NW suburbs

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (WLS) — A new trail opened Wednesday in the northwest suburbs has bike riders excited.

The trail has a mix of areas, for both beginners and advanced riders.

Over 13 miles of single lane trails now open here at the Paul Douglas Forest Preserve, all thanks to countless hours of work by volunteers.

“It’s amazing,” said bike rider Judy Schneider. “You never stop pedaling lots of tights turn it’s a great community.”

The 13.3 mile trail takes visitors in the woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands, adding challenges along the way.

“This one is unique because it appeals to a very broad range of people,” Mike Angus, executive director of Chicago Area Mountain Bikers, said. “If you look at the southeast corner over here it appeals to a very beginner type rider and as you go around clockwise to the other side of things it appeals more to the advanced rider.”

Preserving the land here was also a top priority.

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“We worked closely with CAMBR to find the best routes that balance the riding experience with protecting against erosion and minimizing the impact on local ecology and wildlife,” Arnold Randall, forest preserves general superintendent, said.

What’s more special: volunteers with the Chicago Area Mountain Bikers worked for thousands of hours helping create and complete the trail.

“To date, we’ve spent just short of 4,000 hours in building the trail we have a core group of 25 people that are literally here every week and overall 150 different individuals have helped build this trail.”

After the ribbon was cut, some of those cyclists hoped on their mountain bikes to take the first official ride.

And there is more to come. An additional 3. 8 miles is still under construction on the east side of the preserve.