Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Beach Park, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The surface of this 8-foot wide trail seems to be crushed stone over an older asphalt base. It is a little tougher to ride than the typical crushed gravel surface. There are some "soft" spots throughout the length of the route, but still manageable. The trail is relatively flat with an occasional grade change. The scenery is mostly suburban backyard with a touch of industrial to the west. There is very little shade to protect you from the sun, but the openness is refreshing. Although most street crossings have minimal traffic, please take caution when approaching them. This is one of my "go to" rides.
I accessed the Powerline Trail at Cold Spring Road off of the Oak Leaf Trail. My ride on the new trail was very enjoyable and I found the route to be very pleasant passing by a number of neighborhoods. Compliments to the City of Greenfield and We Energies for their efforts to build this trail.
We rode the full length from the Chicago Botanic Garden to the end at Foster Ave. and back. About 40 miles round trip.
Nice paved trail with plenty of washrooms along the way. Saw 8 deer at various points, two just standing on the side of the trail as we passed and never moved at all.
There is a $12 fee to park at the Botanic Garden, which was no big deal to us. There are plenty of free parking areas at the many forest preserves along the trail. Botanic Garden is great also, if you have the time to go through it.
The trail makes a loop around the Skokie Lagoons, but I would recommend only doing the east side. It has way better scenery and is quiet. Not so on the west side.
I took a star off for the following:
1. There are a lot of big road crossings. Golf road, Dempster, Touhy, and a really nasty diagonal one at Devon & Caldwell. All the walk buttons worked fine and you need to be patient, but they are wide and rather intimidating. The diagonal bridge over Oakton and US-14 is quite impressive though.
2. This is a greenway, so lots and lots of blind curves. This would not normally be an issue, but the road bikers are going too fast around them and there are a lot of pedestrians.
3. Other people have commented about the rude road bikers and we did encounter a couple of them. Most are courteous and tell you when they are coming by, but we had three at road crossings that pushed their way through and cut people off like they were going to a fire.
Over all, a nice trail and a great getaway for people living in the suburbs, but you've got to pay attention so it's not as nice as many sleepy rail-trails.
The route was part road and part asphalt trail with a short section of crushed stone to keep it interesting. The asphalt trail surface was in better condition than some sections of the road. The signage, which could have been better, tested my navigational chops. In the end, though, I enjoyed the adventure. The route takes you right into downtown Racine. Beware the sidewalk section along 12th street. The center gap between concrete sections is wide enough to trap a smaller tire and bring the cyclist to an abrupt stop.
i’ve done this trail but it’s probably been 1214 years ago. Decided to take my E mountain bike and I’m sure glad I did some of. It’s pretty rough with rocks but overall it was fun. Nice long ride.
I rode the trail from Rosewood to Elkhorn. Most of the trail was flat and peaceful. Some of the crushed stone was washed away between Lyons and Burlington. Most of the trail surface was solid, but there were a few soft pockets where the stone accumulated from the wash out. Getting from the east section to the west section was tricky with no signage, but I was able to navigate the route using my i-phone GPS. If you like a flat, peaceful ride, then this is the trail for you.
All grass. Best for walkers not bikes.
It is July 2026, and the 294 closure on the trail is not open to use. Please update in the review section.
Crossing roads can be tricky but most drivers are willing to let you pass.
Although the meticulously maintained 8-foot wide asphalt trail is short, one must cross W Forest Home Avenue twice. The traffic was fast and constant. I was lucky enough to attract a courteous driver who stopped for me, so I could make it across safely. Not a good trail for the young ones. The rating of the trail would have been 5 stars, but the traffic crossings brought it down a notch.
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