i live up in grayslake and was wondering if anyone knows of a way to get to the chicago botanic gardens via bike. my wife would love to bike down there someday, but she is not a road rider. we take the DesPlaines Trail South from Gurnee a lot and noticed a spur of the North Shore Trail on 176. Will this help get us to the Botanic Gardens?

Yes, there is a connector running along 176, and I think it takes you all the way East to Great Lakes Naval Training Center (and the Green Bay Trail). The Green Bay Trail will then take you all the way into Highwood - but it's not the most direct route. Several roads are very often used by cyclists: St. Marys, Everett, Bradley, etc. which would chop off some distance.

Thank goodness the Botanical Garden has a map on their website! http://www.chicago-botanic.org/directions/index.html

Thanks for the info on the connecting trail. Last Fall I checked out the Botanic Gardens site, but wasn't sure North Shore connected with Green Bay. I think I know where the McCory Trail is.

Can you give directions on the road? I have seen several cyclists out on St. Mary's Road. If I am on St. Mary's and 176 travelling South, how would i get to the Gardens? Or are there too many twists and turns to write down?

In general, you go east on the North Shore Path (crosses the DPRT at Rt 176) and you end up on Sheridan and St. Johns Rds, which are fine, down to Lake Cook Rd. east of the Gardens. Since the Gardens is off Lake Cook with no bike path access, that leaves about 1/2 mile on Lake Cook. I do this ride a few times a year (from my house west of Mundelein), but since others are leading east of Green Bay Rd., I really can’t give you turn-by-turn directions. I will get them and get back to you.

Better still, the Bicycle Club of Lake County meets tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 7pm at the Libertyville Civic Center. Stop by and you will be inundated with routes to the Gardens as well as some other great routes in the area. Winthrop Harbor to Kenosha (with ice cream) is another favorite. Our rides range from “8 miles and a restaurant” to centuries, weekend camping rides and local racing. As soon as the weather clears, we will be riding every Wed. night out of the Old School Forest Preserve on both the road and the trail. Our site is at www.bikebclc.com.

I’ll get back to you on the best route to Botanical and if you need more info, drop me an email at rides@bikebclc.com.

TF

What he said! There is no direct way...you have to zigzag a bit. No diagonals!
The Japanese Garden is really great, but my fave is the Waterfall Garden They've done a lot of work since I was last there (almost two years!) so you'll have to give us a Garden Ride Report!

That might help...

http://www.bikelib.org/trails/git/cues/Seg0.html

And since you're in Lake County you might like the cue sheets on VCR's website...

http://www.vcrbiketeam.org/schedule.php