R88

We will be passing through Chicago in a week or two and We.d like to ride the Chicago Lake Front Trail. Does anyone know if the construction on the trail is complete and also where you would recommend an out of towner park his car for the day while riding the trail? I would also like to mention the falls colors are stunning to one not used to them.

smontanaro 

There is active construction around Navy Pier (the Navy Pier flyover) which probably won't be complete for another year or two. The detour is east around Lakepoint Tower, south a block, then back to the sidewalk along Lower Wacker Drive. It's not a huge problem, but don't count on flying through there. Other than that, I think it should be pretty clear all the way from Ardmore at the northern end to beyond the Museum of Science and Industry in the south. If the weather is nice, I highly recommend exploring some of the other little trail segments closer to the lake (see the map below). You can even ride on wide aprons right along the lake in several places. LFT itself can get pretty jammed with other bikes, runners, etc, especially on weekends if the weather is nice. Various groups hold events along the trail (breast cancer walks, etc). The Active Transportation Alliance tweets trail conditions and events.

There are parking lots at various places along the LFT. I'm sure they are pay-box controlled. Park your car, use your CC at a pay box to pay for the desired number of hours, then place the receipt on your dashboard. Depending on what's going on and what day of the week it is, you might find plenty of parking, or absolutely nothing. If you come from the north, there is a parking lot almost at the northernmost extent of the trail, on Foster. That will put you pretty far from hot spots like Navy Pier and Soldier Field. (Despite how bad the Bears have been so far, you probably want to try and avoid LFT near Solder Field and the Museum campus on game days.) In the map I linked to, there is perpendicular parking (I think it's free) all along Simonds Drive as well, though it can fill up on weekends for kids soccer games. Needless to say, this is all from observation, not direct experience. If I want to ride LFT, I just ride there.

I'll be in Portland from Oct 12-18 and start a new job on the 24th, but can probably meet for a ride at other times.

R88

Thank you Smontanaro for all the helpful information. This is exactly what I was looking for. We will probably head for the parking lot on Foster. I don't find driving into downtown appealing. I was also looking at the Fox River trail. It has a lot of positive reviews. We're not sure of the exact dates yet but it should be sometime next week. We are in Minneapolis now riding their extensive bike path system and plan to check out Madison on our way to Chicago.

Abe_Froman

If you go half a mile south of there, parking should still be free, and there is a beachfront bar/grill that is really nice to stop at for lunch. On second thought....they are probably closed for the season now. Sorry lol...

smontanaro 

Fyi...

rm -rf

I'll mention that I rode the bike share bikes through the historic skyscraper district on a Saturday in August, on a day with beautiful weather. I was really surprised how little traffic there was on most of the streets. I often had a lane to myself. I suppose that parking is so expensive and difficult that most people don't drive there. Weekdays will be busy, of course.

So you might try getting off the trail too.

(The Divvy bike share stations are everywhere. There's a free app for your phone with a map that shows the stations and how many bikes are at each one. You can drop off a bike, walk around a bit, then go exploring again on another bike. Use a credit card for unlimited 30 minute rides for 24 hours.)

The skyscraper district:
map

smontanaro 

Yes, on the weekends, traffic in nonresidential areas can be pretty light.

R88

We will probably be there during the work week. Maybe there will be less traffic on the trail.

no motor?

The Fox River Trail is wonderful, and you'll be able to find ample free parking in West Dundee. I've riden it several times during the week and it wasn't too crowded, whereas the city is so crowded that I avoid it when I can - it's just too far away from everything.

Road Fan

On the Lake Front Trail, what's the current construction status? We're in Chi thru Saturday, planning a ride friday 11/25. We'll park either around Montrose or Foster and probably ride south to Oak Streetish or maybe to the Shedd Aquarium, then return.

Any construction issues remaining?

smontanaro 

Still the detour around Lake Point Towers/Oak Street Beach/Navy Pier. I don't think there's anything else of note.

fiver369

Park at Montrose beach as it is FREE parking there!

lemmi2600

Also, for anyone else visiting, see the 606 trail

T1TO

The 606 trail is over rated. The worst place to go biking. Also a few thugs hang out and harass bikers, joggers. Gotta keep an eye out when you're on the 606.

Garfield Cat

Chicago bikes stolen statistics:

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016...ke-chicago-map

https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/10/...are-recovered/

rocknpop

Montrose beach for sure.