My girlfriend and I rented a couple of fat bikes for the first time. Brooks Adventures was close to…read moreSilver Lake Park. Angela and Matt helped us strap the bikes to our car's bike rack. They were really nice and gave us a couple pointers. The bikes were in great condition and included bar mits which were really helpful for our first ride in the cold snowy trails. We had a blast!

Extremely responsive. Very personalized. Matt & Brook went above and beyond and curating a…read morememorable experience. Highly recommend!

I took some time off the beaten path - and that's to say, the paved path - on my most recent visit,…read moreand goodness is this place expansive. If I were more of a mountain bike enthusiast, this would be an oasis. Even just walking and hiking around, the many twisting, undulating trails proved interesting and exciting (though I was constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting to get run down; people on bikes get entitled, y'know...). Knowing the history of the racecourse, it is astonishing - and maybe a testament to the work of the forest preserve - how little this place resembles what it once was. Aside from pavement, which you might as well just assume was a paved path, and the big fuel silo, this place once again belongs to nature.

Fun place to hike with little hills and can go on or off the paved trail to keep it interesting…read more Would walk here regularly with my dog if it were closer to me!

I returned here after visiting about 30 years ago, and was very impressed with the trails. You can…read morespend many days here and still not see all the areas the park offers. We parked at the Oak Opening area and hiked down to Lake Defiance, taking the Lake Defiance Trail. We stopped at the Nature Center to see some displays and chat with the ranger, and then continued our hike. Seeing the moraines, the leftover hills and ridges from the retreating Wisconsin Glacier, 10's of thousands of years ago, was a geologic trip through time. This is a great local state park that does not have an entrance fee! (None of our state parks have entrance fees to the best of my knowledge!) This is a place I can't wait to get back to explore, right in the backyard of the Chicago 'burbs!

Very thankful my son recommended training for long runs at Moraine Hills. His mapping of the route…read moreprovided a great roadmap. There is signage, mileage marking and different surfaces (soft and asphalt). for the trails. The varying elevations provide great opportunities to train well. It did not disappoint. Thank you!!

I came here to do a small hike on a cold Saturday. I hiked the 1.5 mile trail loop around the…read moreriver and lake. I admit, At first I tried to do the 5 mile trail by Crystal Ridge, but struggled to find it, possibly I parked in the wrong area? I'm not sure, so I looked up a different trail using my AllTrails app and it took me over to this one. It was a very nice little trail with some beautiful scenery. Although, there was some construction happening, it was very nice. We started on a trail through some large trees. I could imagine it will be gorgeous in the fall. This trail took us along a river, which led to a large waterfall with rushing water. I love the sound of rushing water! We then went around a large lake to make the loop complete. Overall, I thought it was a very nice hike and I would do it again!

Great trail!! In…read moreconjunction with the Crystal Ride Mountain Bike trail, this is a great way to spend a couple of hours. The websites say it is a "easy to moderate" level single track trail. That may be so for an experienced riders, but I would recommend riders to have a solid technical base before riding these trails. I used to do a lot of Mt. bike riding back in college, but have been away from it for a long time focusing on road riding. This was a great trail for getting back in the swing of mountain biking. The trails really kept our interest and provided a good number of challenges. There is plenty of parking at Crystal Ridge. Trail is fairly new and not too well known yet, so it was not crowded. Condition obviously varies with the weather. If there is one thing that needs improvement, I would say that the trails could be marked better. There are markings at most intersections, but often times you can go for quite a while without seeing one. Hats off to the Metro Mountain Bikers for all of their hard work on the trail! Go to this link for a map and trail condition details: http://trailville.com/wiki/WI_Milwaukee_Whitnall_Park_Alpha_Trail Additional link to Milwaukee County's website with trial info: http://county.milwaukee.gov/MountainBikeTrail8288.htm

The Garden Chicago Dirt Jumps is a place for teens & some families to come and practice their bike…read moretricks. Depending when you go, you could encounter varying types of folks. It's a cool little hidden spot, that's for sure. Now the cool stuff. The Garden is where part of the famous Chicago Riverview Amusement Park was. My Grandparents had their first date at this historic spot so I'm all about it. It operated from 1904 to 1967 and was home of the 1st parachute ride and 1st suspended roller-coaster. Really it was an ahead of its time place for Chicagoans back in the day. Well legend had it that some of the original bits & pieces from the amusement park have been incorporated into the park. I took some pix and can't help but believe these whispers. If you're into dirt biking, this will totally be your jam. For a really well written article, check out this piece from WTTW on The Garden: http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2014/08/14/exploring-chicago-s-dirt-jumps

Ridiculous Jumps (bumps, loops, and whoops) in the City of Chi...right across the street from…read moreDeVry. When you just want to work on bike elevation and landing, this is your place.

The trail offers three different loops so you can pick what works for you that day depending on the…read moretime you have available. I checked out the orange loop and it was around 6 miles. Overall pretty easy terrain in my opinion and mostly flat with some small ups and downs. The trails dual as mountain bike trails so be on the lookout as you may need to step aside. I had to do this a free times but if it was busier it may be a bit of a distraction and impact your hike some.

Trails are clean. Forest is thick so lots of covering and shade. Views are awesome! Plenty parking.read more

When I visit the Elkhorn Wisconsin area I always make time for a hike on the beautiful Nordic…read moretrails. They offer seven trails brteeen .6 and 9.2 miles, which are designated as beginner, intermediate, or advanced. The 2 mile red intermediate trail is perfect as it's about 45 minutes and gets your heart pumping with some steeper elevations.

Quiet, serene and peaceful are words that come to mind when hiking through the Nordic Trail Head. A…read morebreathe of fresh air and a totally enjoyable experience. We haven't even touched a fraction of the trails available to hike down here. This particular location is in the Southern Kettle Moraine forest and takes about an hour or so to get to out of Milwaukee. It is across the street from the famed mountain bike course, John Muir trail system. We were so kindly given some advice and it was wisely heeded. The trails we went on were excellent. Rolling hills and bluffs, some in the woods and some not. Either way we took a 4.5 mile-ish jaunt through the area and were just in awe! It was simply spectacular! Wisconsin in general has some of the best well marked trails one could ask for. We spent most of the time with our dog off leash walking the trail as the place was literally dead! I think that this trail goes slightly unnoticed because of the mountain biking trail next door. This equaled a win win for us! We will be back soon as I want to do the entire 9 mile stretch. Love some Wisconsin hiking! It is the best!

Great place to fly my model airplane or watch others fly their planes. Grass is taken care of but…read morelast time i was there the asphalt on the landing area was cracked and its easy to get wheel stuck. I would like to see a north-south runway but in future since there is more room to take off/land in those directions. Nice area for family picnic or party. Close to major stores so if you forget something the store is less then a mile away. Local hobby shop is also not to far away so it makes it convenient for when I need a new prop after a bad landing.

This is a 2200 acre park in the Chicago area. It is massive. Great trails to hike or bike on with…read morebridges over the busy Higgins Road going through the middle of the park. They have an elk pasture on one side which was neat to see and great for kids. I was in town for work for 2 weeks. My wife and I stopped by here after I got off of work but in November it gets dark way too soon. We could only visit for a short time before it got dark. I would love to come back here and hike or bike for miles and miles through this lovely park.

I grew-up behind what original Sauganash and Lincolnwood locals refer to as the tracks throughout…read moremy entire youth and adolescence; until I left for California. However, new arrivals these days call it the trails; those whom are new to the neighborhood. The newly paved non-motorized trail is a massive adjustment to the overall community and has become a staple of the area. The trail comfortably accommodates bikes, runners, joggers, stroller moms, and senior walkers. In total the path is 30 miles in length combining all the twists and turns, which begins in Evanston and ends in East Forest Glen The trail is 90% pothole free and is ideal for early morning running/biking and best for late afternoon walks with family and grandparents. I feel so lucky to have grown up in this neighborhood, it centers me everytime I'm home. An absolute must in you find yourself on the Northside and have an itch for physical activity.

Beautiful walking trail. The trail is clean, well-paved and safe. Lots of people on it but not too…read morecrowded. Only one downfall for someone recouping from surgery, no places to seat for a break.

I LOVE these trails and could literally get lost in these woods for hours. I highly recommend going…read morein the beginning of fall to enjoy all of the beautiful changing leaves. The trails are nice and wide and make it easy to get around other walkers. These trails are also long enough, that once you move away from the main trail that circles the pond (pink trail maybe??), unless you move over to Half Day Forest preserve (connected trails), you'll very rarely run into anyone else. The parking fills quickly at the Everett and St. Mary's entrance, but you can also park over at Half Day Forest Preserve off of Milwaukee and easily find your way to these trails with a short added mile of walking.

We paid a visit here as an enjoyable venue for getting in some fitness steps.  The daughter and her…read morefamily frequent various forest preserves, and she mentioned this one as a recent favorite.  I personally don't have a lot of forest preserve comparison data, but found the surroundings to be tranquil and uncrowded on a Sunday afternoon, the trails all graveled and well marked, existence of a couple of bridges, a good mix of sun and shade along the trails, and folks and their pets all well behaved and courteous.  Some folks were picnic'ing and there was also a wedding party photo shoot going on.  I'm not sure where this one ranks in acreage for a forest preserve, but there were plenty of trails (4 miles worth) to get in whatever mileage you might like.  So, I guess I'll go with an "it's a good as it gets" til proven otherwise!