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Print Friendly MapClosure Notice: Starting 05/01/2023 through 12/31/2026, there will be intermittent trail closures under the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) bridge, spanning from Ogden Ave to 31st St due to ongoing construction by the Illinois Tollway. Visit the Forest Preserves of Cook County's trail page for the most recent update.
Overview
The Salt Creek Trail travels 28.6 miles between the Busse Woods Forest Preserve and the Brookfield Zoo. Along the way, it connects several beautiful county forest preserves and other woodland areas.
Portions of the trail are paved, while others have a limestone screening, and a few short segments are an on-road route. It is well marked throughout, although takes care of some junctions, which can confuse.
About the Route
Leaving off from the northern end of the trail at the Busse Woods Forest Preserve, the trail almost immediately follows a short en-route section.
There are several on-road sections along the route, but the trail is also frequently interspersed by parks and natural areas. The northern section of the trail passes through the Woodale/Itasca Reservoir, the Cricket Creek County Forest Preserve, and the Wood Dale Grove Forest Preserve.
After passing through Elmhurst, where there are several trail connections, the trail connects to several more park areas. These natural areas include the Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center, Brezina Woods, and Twenty-Sixth St. Woods.
After Twenty-Sixth St. Woods, there is a brief gap in the trail without an on-road connection interrupted by the Brookfield Zoo. South of the zoo, there are two short sections of trail, one along Ogden Ave. and the other through Cermark Woods before coming to its southern end near the Chicago Portage National Historic Site.
Connections
At the northern end of the trail, trail users can connect to the Busse Woods Trail.
In Elmhurst, the trail connects to the Great Western Trail (DuPage) and the Illinois Prairie Path.
The Salt Creek Trail (IL) runs between Busse Woods Trail (Elk Grove Village) and Chicago Portage National Historic Site, 4800 S Harlem Ave. (Forest View).
Parking is available at:
There are numerous parking options along the route, please see TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
Cool trail, watch out for closure under 294 for construction. On the way down the trail we went around… on the way back we snuck through the construction zone given it was a Sunday. (Results may vary) ¿
Paved trail winds through forested areas along Salt Creek (trail can be flooded at times) with minimal on-street sections until north of Lake Street. From Lake Street to Busse Woods trail is either on-street or adjacent and passes through residential areas and industrial parks with little signage.
It’s peaceful, easy to follow. Not too long /short -easy ride. Water and cool air!!!
Warning the underpass at 294 is closed for construction on 294. I rode 6/10/2023. The Chicago Forest Preseve, Salt Creek Trail web site had a notice the underpass work would be complete 6/9/2023. Oops. Guess the estimate was off... by a few YEARS!
Today, we rode from Dean Nature Sanctuary to the 7-11 just south of Busse Woods and back. About 34 miles, from the parking lot of the Sanctuary. Good option during the 294 construction that has the path closed at that location. Some parts of the Salt Creek path are very bumpy.
Trail is closed at 294 underpass
In the Chicago suburban area, the Salt Creek Trail, at 27 miles long, is a great trail for what I like to do, which is cycling wayfinding. It’s not a rail to trails so the trail stiches together a variety of different segments in different surroundings: paved paths in forest preserves, separate paths along highways, gravel paths, subdivision roads and even a wood chip path. There are many connecting paths, so don’t expect a sign for every turn and that’s where wayfinding comes in. Use your TrailLink downloaded map and find your way. I made a few wrong turns but that’s part of wayfinding. I parked at Edgewater Park and did out and back rides, first to the south and then to the north. A fine 54-mile ride on a beautiful fall day. I even found two updates that are needed to the TrailLink map, which I will send to Rails to Trails Conservancy.
In general the trail is a nice ride some,rough areas.I started from Busse Woods.It begins in a residential area then industrial,where the first sign problem is.The sign for the trail ends in the middle of the block,nowhere near an intersection or any other signage.The trail actually continues about a 1/4 mile back.Turn right after the expressway underpass into what looks like a warehouse lot continue to the rear of the lot and there is the access.No sign.Second was through Elmhurst,no signage that the Salt Creek merges with Il Praire Path and where to exit the path to continue on the trail and through the residential area and in North York Preserve where you will come to an intersection to go left or right but no trail sign on how to continue.
I am a frequent rider on area trails.I think it would be a good idea. for the planners or pay someone in their office to try to follow the trails without a secondary map to see where more signage is needed.
Overall I found it a good ride. Potential flooding in various areas and certain sections in Itasca and Wooddale in need of care.
Starting at the Brookfield Zoo, the Salt Creek Trail is excellent for biking with a few roads to cross along the way. The path is well maintained all the way to I-294. I have not been on the section between I-294, where it bends north, to Addison. Once you get north of Addison, it becomes an awful, bumpy, poorly marked mess, sharing roads with semis.
Rode Greenway Trail for the 1st time, southbound from Addison. Essential to constantly pay attention to where you’re going. Had to stop to use detailed trail map a few times/TrailLink app. No sign telling you to exit Illinois Prairie Path in Elmhurst. No direction given at end of Rex Avenue: go left thru residential or right to enter Sleepy Hollow Park? Went left but no trail signs. Went back, entered park behind a guard rail where you’ll ride on a wood chips trail. At Butterfield, didn’t see direction on where to pick up the trail on the other side. (thru the parking lot behind an office building to the S.E. corner). TrailLink app is a must with occasional stops to check it. Not all that enjoyable for me. Rated Fair. Henry entered park behind a guard rail,Where are you encounter a wood chips trail. At Butterfield,
Starting at the southernmost point, near the zoo, is great for 2-3 miles. Woodsy, well-maintained asphalt. Very promising. Sadly, the trail then goes onto a big main road, next to a golf course...not fun.
Then we tried from the Northernmost point, at Busse Woods. Terrible. 3 miles through suburban streets, and then onto *terribly* maintained asphalt...bumping along waiting for it to end. We rode a total of 6.5 miles in this direction and then turned around. Very disappointing.
The middle portion of the trail looks promising, so perhaps we'll give that a try one of these days.
My friends and I first rode the original trail from the zoo to I-294 in about 1963. It was a dirt horse path and we often ran into horses near the west end of the trail. After it rained it was a sloppy mess. We often bounced over the hoof prints stamped into the wet soil after it dried up. We could only dream of it some day being paved. There was only a short distance of about 400 feet paved east of Maple Avenue (17th Ave).
There are shelters along the way on the west portion that were built during the depression. The park area just east of Il Rt 45 (La Grange Rd) is shown in aerial photographs taken in the 1930’s. The railroad underpass is part of the old horse trail.
Part of old La Grange Road is on the right just south of Cermak Road. Check out the old La Grange Road bridge abutments heading south from Cermak Road on the left. There is a yellow rope up so you don’t accidentally walk off the edge. An old subdivision that was never built is off to the right south of 31st St. Only the side walks were built and they are covered over with vegetation. There were street lights along the sidewalks when I was a kid.
The path was paved sometime in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. It nice trail and it’s been extended at both ends over the years. I have been riding up and down it for about 57 years. Time goes fast. Don’t miss it.
My friends and I first rode the original trail from the zoo to I-294 in about 1963. It was a dirt horse path and we often ran into horses near the west end of the trail. After it rained it was a sloppy mess. We often bounced over the hoof prints stamped into the wet soil after it dried up. We could only dream of it some day being paved. There was only a short distance of about 400 feet paved east of Maple Avenue (17th Ave).
There are shelters along the way on the west portion that were built during the depression. The park area just east of Il Rt 45 (La Grange Rd) is shown in aerial photographs taken in the 1930’s. The railroad underpass is part of the old horse trail.
Part of old La Grange Road is on the right just south of Cermak Road. Check out the old La Grange Road bridge abutments heading south from Cermak Road on the left. There is a yellow rope up so you don’t accidentally walk off the edge. An old subdivision that was never built is off to the right south of 31st St. Only the side walks were built and they are covered over with vegetation. There were street lights along the sidewalks when I was a kid.
The path was paved sometime in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. It nice trail and it’s been extended at both ends over the years. I have been riding up and down it for about 57 years. Time goes fast. Don’t miss it.
I think this is a very good trail. It’s very scenic, especially compared to the dull eastern leg of the Great Western Trail. Its generally an easy ride with few hills. It is tricky in spots to navigate as the signage is not always clear. So review the path before you go and stop to review if needed en route. In Wood Dale, I recommend staying on Prospect until you pick up the bike route at Forest Preserve Drive or vice versa if coming from the south. This avoids the poor quality path to the bridge over Irving Park Road.
Pretty cool trail, not too much uphill or downhill. Perfect for speed riders like me. Simple as this, if you like to ride then ride, 26 miles makes it perfect. Go for it!
I have lived in Elmhurst a majority of my life, and I love this path so so much! I recommend it to all my friends.
I started in Addison where Oak Street drops in to head north to Busse Woods, and the first 3 miles or so through the industrial park and along the power lines are crap. Not fun on a road bike, at all. Even though it's paved, it's buckled, and there are sharp bumps every like, 50 feet or so, jarred my wrists and made for a rough ride.
After reading the reviews on the Salt Creek Greenway Trail (my home trail) I wanted to make a couple comments. All the reviews are fairly accurate but please take into consideration the time frame. There have been many damaged areas repaired, then new ones that need repair over the years. Several years back I tried a new rout and got lost where the trail meets the Illinois Prairie Path which added many extra miles to my trip. That’s when I got my first “smart” phone and used Google maps and Trail Links App, they compliment each other. Trail Links has many photos, descriptions, information, and a very accurate over view of the route. Google shows the details of the rout surfaces fairly accurate, including the small trails that spur off the main route and cause people like ME to get lost.
About me, I am a 74 year old recreational rider who’s been using the trail, from Wood Dale, for more than 10 years, 20 to 40 miles round trip @ 12mph average speed. My current ride (and the last 6 years) is a 1988 Schwinn World Sport hybrid. This year I bought a Schwinn Trailway Hybrid (for the suspension) due to some rough spots (damaged asphalt) on the trail that wasn’t there a couple years ago.
My contribution is: Heading south from Busse Woods Forest Preserve (Elk Grove Village) the trail is asphalt for approximately 150 yards past Lake Street (Addison IL) where it turns to what I call crushed stone until just before it joins the IL Prairie Path where it turns back to asphalt. (NOTE) The IL Prairie Path is crushed stone in both directions many miles from this point except where the Salt Creek Trail joins it to cross over Route 83 and continues on the other side south on the side streets several blocks before it meets the asphalt trail again.
The path between Bemis Woods in Western Springs to the Brookfield Zoo is great! Nicely paved and easy to ride. You have to cross a couple of busy streets, but most of them have traffic signals.
I love this trail but a few tings to note. Be wary of walking or biking this trail after heavy torrential rainstorms, especially in the springtime, as it obviously parallels salt creek, hence the name. Several areas flood along the route.
As others have stated, it is confusing to get on this "trail" when starting from Busse Woods. You have to start at the Busse Woods entrance/exit at Arlington Heights Rd. cross the street and zig zag over to Ridge St. Ridge St. is the "trail" through Elk Grove and through the industrial Park in Wood Dale before finally hitting the gravel path and then eventually asphalt.
Good occasional views of deer and geese are common around the ponds in Addison.
I started at Busse Woods and the first 3miles or so we’re all residential streets and very confusing signs and detours ended up getting off the “path” and was headed towards O’Hare airport realized we were going the wrong direction. When we finally made it past Irving Park Road there was finally trails but poorly maintained. We decided after 8 miles to head back to Busse Woods where we parked. Next time I would consider parking further south and avoid the trails north of Irving Park Road as it is pretty much all street driving.
Full of variety, with the chance of stopping for bbq along the way, this is a trail that is fun.
Last time I rode it (last week) there were a couple of flooded spots (under the expressways), one was walkable (with the bike at your side), the other was impossible. Fortunately it was possible to go thru a side road and bypass the flooding.
This is a very good trail but don't use Busse Woods Reservois as your starting point. The trail signs are poorly marked and located. I got lost three times because the signs simply are not there. For example, as I was following the signage in Wood Dale until I came across a Salt Creek Trail sign which read it was the end of the trail at Mittel and Wood Dale Blvd. What?? I luckily found the trail after I back tracked and I glanced into an industrial parking lot. Yes, you need to go through or adjacent to a parking lot to gain access. Wood Dale is horrible, the trail is in horrible condition, and the sights are even worse, especially when it parallels direct under high tension electric power lines. Once you get past Wood Dale the trail becomes quite scenic and tranquil. Is it worth it? I hesitantly say yes if you avoid Wood Dale.
When I first started biking, my first trail was the Busse Woods trail. When I got tired of going around the 8 mile loop 3-4 times for distance, I discovered that the Salt Creek Trail starts at the Busse Woods and ends up at the Brookfield Zoo. I made it a personal goal of mine to make it from Busse Woods to the zoo and back again - unfortunately, I moved away from the area before I could back in 2013, but returning to Chicago, I finally worked myself up to the challenge this year! The trail is very nice, you go through a lot of diverse forest preserves as well as a little road biking. None of the roads that need to be biked on are particularly heavy traffic on the weekends, but there is the chance you'll have to stop and wait for a train to cross in a few areas. The trail itself is well maintained and elevation diverse to keep itself interesting. The only issue I really have is that the signage along the trail is an epic failure in certain parts - after reaching the Prairie Path trail, picking the Salt Creek Trail back up again requires a map because there's no sign marking it. The final few miles of trail are also difficult to keep track of as the trail isn't marked as the Salt Creek Trail, but rather simply as the 'red' trail of the final forest preserve you pass through on the way to the zoo. There are points where there are trail intersections and it's hard to figure out which is the natural direction of the trail. Once you figure it out though (and having the traillink app really helps!), it's one of the nicest trails in the area. Definitely remember to bring water though - there aren't any water fountains that I saw on this trail, and the trail rarely passes through any business areas where you can buy any. It'd be 5 stars if not for the navigation issues.
Rode this last Saturday from Brookfield Zoo to Villa Ave in Villa Park. Trail was fun. winds up & down while it follows most of Salt Creek. Crosses a few major roads like Mannheim, 31st & 22nd. I plan on riding Villa Park to Busse Woods soon.
On Sundays, I regularly pick up the trail on 26th Ave. in Brookfield and ride west until I join the Illinois Prairie Path in Elmhurst. The majority of this section is fantastic, paved and easy to ride with plenty of small hills and small zig-zags through the woods.
There are a few intersections that require a quick stop and careful look around before crossing. The largest road to cross is Mannheim/LaGrange Road, but once west of that the riding is fast and fun.
On one occasion, the road was flooded in several places after a rough weekend of storms. All other times it has been clean and dry. A couple of places are a bit confusing on where to go, but using the TrailLink App helps a lot. There are also Salt Creek Trail signs posted in several places of confusion.
At Oakbrook Golf Course, the road turns to gravel for a while as you ride north. It's therefore a slower section, but safe and away from cars.
There is a nice little bathroom facility in York Woods County Forest Preserve if you need a stop, and there are some tables there as well if you want to sit and rest. Watch for deer!
I'm looking forward to riding the rest of the trail north up to the end, but for now the south Salt Creek is a blast.
I love the Salt Creek Trail. It is close to my house and it offers a lot of great scenery and mileage options. You can ride the one way 7.7 miles from Brookfield Zoo Woods to Oakbrook area or you can ride the 27 miles from Brookfield Zoo Woods all the way to connect with Busse Woods. It is always kept clean and there are plenty of friendly riders to encounter.
Started in Elk Grove signs start to get confusing in Woodale,had to ask a local for directions.Got through Woodale had to ask another local.Trail is well marked from Woodale through Addison lose it at 83 and lake gave up and turned around.
In general,the guys that plan these trails ought to ride them to see how some of them don't match their maps or signs.
I have ridden the northern sections of the trail many times. Today I was riding home from Downer's Grove and picked up the trail in Oakbrook Terrace. The trail was well marked, mostly asphalt and it went over or under all the busy roads.
This trail is a great mix of forest preserves and urban riding.We took a round-trip route from Western Springs (Bemis Woods) to Elk Grove Village which showed 41.3 total miles on my GPS.
This is a nice map for showing what the trail looks like but you can not get the distance of a section of trail. I wanted to know how far a particular section was and this ap will not allow for that.
Trail starts down the street from me in EGV. I love the views and the different types of ride adventure you get throughout the towns. A must for all bicycle riders!
We rode the short 7-mile original section of the trail starting at Brookfield Zoo for the first time. Most of it is nice, winding path through forests. This was in spring, so there were plenty of flowers blooming and riding through tunnels of honeysuckle bushes smelled wonderful. There were plenty of deer, birds and other wildlife to experience as well.
We, however, are used to riding a trail system in a less urban area that follows along a river bed, so has less street crossings. I understand that having a contiguous trail in a densely populated urban area with streets on a grid will cause street crossings. This section of the Salt Creek Trail, however, has several that are poorly marked or not marked at all. At the intersection of Cermack and Mannheim, the trail seems to disappear, with no indications at all. We only were able to continue due to directions from a jogger using the trail. The crossing at 31st street is also confusing and not marked, but we were able to figure that one out with a little head scratching.
Due to it's twisty nature and many crossings, it may not be great for hard core training. The fact that it doesn't allow for great speed, does make it ideal for families.
I would recommend this trail, but one should study the route first and not trust that it will be clearly marked.
My husband and I have ridden this trail three times this year, once last year. We rode it regularly for years, but then moved away. I had heard it had deteriorated in the intervening time. Well if it did, it is ok now. It is asphalt, and some of the asphalt has buckeled, but I have seen worse. Good points: there are picnic groves where you can rest. Bad points: No water. When we rode the trail years ago, if the water pumps were not working,we would leave the trail at the Manheim Rd crossing and go buy a drink at a convience store or at the Jewel. The old outhouses have been replaced with port-a potties. The old out houses were cleaner!! The wells have been capped. You cannot even see where they were. The section we ride is from the Brookfield Zoo to Bemis Woods. There is a genuine toilet at the Bemis Woods parking area. Overall, the hill are gentle, and the trail is shady. I would submit pictures, but the photo system has a problem. It did work a month ago.
Salt Creek Trail in the Bemis Woods Forest Preserve - wooded forest preserve paved path in good condition, but subject to flooding during heavy rains, especially in the spring. From the trailhead at Mc Cormick Ave & 31st street (just west of the zoo's north parking/entry), there are five major road crossings of busy roads only one of which is at an intersection with crossing lights, however, the others are well marked. This trail is heavily used by bikers, runners, and walkers.
The original 6.6 miles from the Brookfield Zoo to the western edge of Bemis Woods Forest Preserve has been extended to a 32 mile route that ends at the Busse Woods trail loop. The project is officially complete and it is possible to ride from the zoo to Busse Woods. The 0-mile is at the intersection with the Busse loop south to the 32 mile marker near the zoo. There are some on street sections along this route, but most is paved trail and some crushed limestone trail.
More info here:
http://www.1track.org/SCGT_w.html
http://geognerd.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/salt-creek-greenway-trail/
http://www.elmhurstbicycling.org/advocacy/pdf/map-6.pdf
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