The Des Plaines River Trail

The Cook County section begins at the Lake-Cook Road overpass and continues south 23 miles to River Forest, all on packed dirt and occasional stretches of gravel. Beautiful forest surrounds you, and in some sections you follow alongside the river. In wet season, most sections of the trail remain dry, but mud holes and even flooded sections can exist. Access is available at any forest preserve parking area on the east side of the river. Most road crossings are safe, thanks to overpasses at both Lake-Cook Road and Palatine/Willow Road, as well as underpasses or traffic signals at other road crossings, although care must be taken since some road crossings occur away from intersections, such as at Dundee, Central, Milwaukee, and Rand.