Review: Riding here was avry pleasant suprise, nice flowing single track with some suprinsingly good climbs.

Having moved from Southern California 3 years ago I had given up on finding a good place toride in Illinois - but this place ranks!

Similar Trail: Uptown, downtown at Mammath Mountain.

Review: Great trail system that's not too far from the city!!

Review: Great trail. It's got a great variety from technical to easy trails overall a lot of fun!!

Review: I've gotta say after primarily riding the kettle moraine trail in Wisconsin I was really impressed with what Palos has to offer. While kettle is a lot better maintained and mapped out, Palos just has miles and miles of natural made singletrack to offer. It is a blast to just go off and explore all that there is to offer, and because there is so much to explore the excitement is always there. The marked trails are also a blast. They are small loops, but flow nicely. Overall, I would say the course is comparable to the blue loop of kettle in technicality. However, if you decide to explore a lot of the unmarked trail it gets a lot more technical with large rock gardens in areas and steep inclines/declines. Below is the latitude and longitude coordinates for the parking lot you will want to park in. It is rather confusing to find so try plugging these into your GPS: 41°42'24.85"N 87°53'40.44"W* Review edited 6/19/2012

* Review edited 6/19/2012

Similar Trail: Kettle Moraine

Review: Great my home trail .One block from my house

Review: My hometown trail. I have ridden most of the trails around Chicago land and find this one to have the best flow. Kettle Morain's southern unit has more of everything palos offers. Being so close to Chicago it cant be beat. If you are looking for gnarly check out Saw Wee Kee near Oswego

Similar Trail: Kettle Morain Southern Unit WI

Review: My first time out there. GPS coordinates for the parking lot staging area are: 41°43'12.7" N 87°53'49.7" W

Review: Good trail for Chicago area. Not as tough as Saw Wee Kee. Didn't found all 30 miles in there but was fun to ride. It's a nice after work trails, but for a whole day riding I prefer to go somewhere else.

Review: This trail is amazing for being so close to Chicago. There's a lot of trails hidden in this forest so I recommend you just go out and explore. This trail isn't really all the technical but is still really fun due to the large changes in speed, hard compact dirt, and different trails. The only thing I think is a drawback is that it takes quite a while to dry after raining and, aside from getting slipper, you're not allowed to ride the course. So if it's been raining a lot lately, don't waste your time and just visit Saw Wee Kee (if you're not a noob). For those of you looking for directions: Take LaGrange to 95th St., take 95th West to Pulaski Woods (right when you're almost done passing the big lake on your left, turn into Pulaski Woods) then go straight past 2 stop signs and up and over a very steep hill and on your left you will see a sign that says "Mountain Bike Staging Area"

* Review edited 8/18/2010

Review: can i get directions please from romeoville please

Review: Great trail this close to Chicago.

* Review edited 7/12/2010

Similar Trail: Kettle Moraine John Muir/Emma Carlin (south section)

Review: Biggest trail system in the area (that I'm aware of). It really has something for everyone, so not sure which difficulty rating to choose. if you want more challenging trails, head to Saw Wee Kee. These can get crowded too. Also, if anyone knows where the freeride and northshore trail head is that is hidden in the area please msg me!

Similar Trail: SWK

Review: Great trails, easy to get lost, great if youre looking for something a little bit more than just xc riding, theres plenty of little jumps and drops and quick downhills, nothing huge, not that ive found anyway, ive only been there three or four times, but i hear there is some freeriding in there somewhere if you know where to look, again, i havent found anything bigger than a few log jumps etc. But nice, fast singletrack, its a great workout, of course for every nice downhill theres a tough uphill. but id say its worth it for sure. overall great trails, i dont mind driving an hour to get there

Similar Trail: kettle morraine, if youre looking for something a little more on the xc side

Review: Excellent, extensive trail system 20 minutes from the Loop (without traffic), 2 exits past Midway airport. A lot of trails and decent guideposts, some get a bit technical but mostly wide, open trails that are good for beginners, with some minor climbs. Many places to park and enter the trail system. This close to Chicago, you can't beat it.

Review: For those who don't have idea where Palos Forest Preserve is located here is the address... Write on your GPS device 95th St/Wolf Rd or you can also enter 9901 Willow Springs Rd-Willow Springs, IL Have fun.... If you need a Trainer call me at 224 5955725.... tks! Lx* Review edited 9/27/2008

* Review edited 9/27/2008

Review: For the Chicago land area this place is Fun, fast and flowing not to technical with some short climbs and not to steep down hills. I have ridden all over the US from the Rockies to Florida and I have been stoked every time I ride this trail its maintained by Cambr where you can find maps and trail status.

Review: Can anyone please tell me where these trails are exactly?

* Review edited 7/15/2008

Review: gets busy with riders.

Similar Trail: lansing, il woods

Review: Amazing trail!!! I have biked Slick Rock in Moab, UT all the way to Icy Strait in Alaska, and I will most definitely say that the Palos Section (north), leaving from the MTB Staging Area is one of the best in the US. It is not that technical but it is a great ride of single and wide track trails with steep inclines and decents, few rocks but big sticks, and water crossings. Go in the morning and do not go past the Trail Closed signs because we thought we would not get caught and there actually are rangers roaming those areas.

Similar Trail: Kettle, Wolf Trail in Lake County

Review: It used to be great, now it's just good. All the logs have been cut out, and much of the "singletrack" is now double or triple track. It will be no time before it's the prairie path. What's an s-tracker to do, it's still the best trails in the area.

Similar Trail: Dirkson overgrown but still has obnoxious ups and downs.

Review: Been riding these trails for years and every year it looses a little more. still the best trails in the chicagoland area. lots of area to cover. not the greatest place to go on weekends the good possible of a headons just about every turn. if you live in the area it is a must do. check out www.cambr.com for a good trail map ATJ

Similar Trail: Knock Knolls in Naperville Deer Grove in Palitine

Review: The trails are pretty good overall and for the most part flow pretty well. It is nice because there are varying degrees of difficulty for everyone. I personally prefer some of the faster flowing trails or the technical ridgeline. The downside is that the trails are being over run. There are so many people who know think that it is like the prarie path that you have peopl on k-mart bike bombing blind corners. Areas of the trails are becoming dangerous to ride because of this. However, for close mountain biking I cannot complain. You still cant go wrong with kettle though...

Similar Trail: Kettle or many trails in peoria IL

Review: So far, Me and my wife have been riding down the Prairie Path. It's a great trail, but for me, who grew up i a hilly Europe, it is too flat. I need hills.... We will check Palos out. If it is truly as you guys had described, I cannot wait till I get there.

Similar Trail: Prairie Path - over 70 miles of crushed limestone, almost no hills, great for a family ride.

Review: Every ride is an epic! From the deep forest to the balmy meadows, it does not disappoint.

Review: If you live in the city and miss the trails, this is closer than Kettle in Wisc. and definitely a great ride before you jet back into town before work...

Review: One of the best singletracks i tried in years. Today was just the perfect setting. It rained yesterday! Oh yeah! what do you expect! I had the best time in my life today! Sand, mud, rocks, logs, MX tracks, you name it! Going downhill on big rocks was the ultimate. Uphill needs a good rapidfire shifters. I suggest be with a buddy if it's your first time. You will get lost easily. Alone, well there will be riders who will help you for sure. If you're into timing yourself, be physically and mentally prepared, because you'll end up not enjoying it! Make sure your bike is in good condition too.. and your helmet is your best friend.

Similar Trail: Guimaras island, Philippines

Review: this is one of the best trails to ride on if you're looking for a challenge.

Review: ive been riding these trails since 1994, and i still dont have them all memorized south of the canal and west of willow springs road... simply put, riding these easily becomes an all day excursion. you will always find a new trail that you could swear wasnt there the last time you rode. i am so lucky i live less than 1.5 miles from 87th and LaGrange. some of the hills are insane,, ive seen my friend max go down many of them and do a big endo cause they were too steep. no matter how accomplished you think you may be on steep descents,, the areas around swallow cliff will still have descents to make you nearly crap yourself. and try riding UP the hill next to the cemetary on archer avenue in Willow Springs (paw paw hill) without putting your foot down. its cardio hell,, a good time will be had by all!! guaranteed!!

Similar Trail: i dont think there is anything else this good in IL.

Review: The Palos Forest Preserve trails are maintained by the Chicago Area Mountain Bikers. Go to www.cambr.org for a trail map. Chicagoland has a problem allowing trail development when so much land has been torn up for houses and strip malls, but Palos has managed to survive as it housed nuclear waste, I think, from the U of C's first reactor project. Anyway, there are miles of widetrack crushed gravel trails, but the western half sports miles of twisty singletrack. Go to the Bullfrog Lake parking lot and you'll find the MTB staging area. The board has info on the trails. You can get lost in there, but on the way, you'll find a couple big climbs (no mountains, but fairly big), some rocky sections that'll really bounce you around, some ravines to shoot down and up the other side, lots of log ride-overs, plenty of elevation changes with tight turns and short sightlines. Keep an eye out for riders coming the other way and stay off trails signed as closed to bikes. The trails aren't as technical as they could be, but this is a multi-use trail system, so hikers and horses have to be able to use it too.... Overall, it's THE best area in Chicago to find good mtb trails. Getting there: From Chicago, take I-55 south (it goes southwest though), to La Grange Road. Go south a mile to Archer Ave. Take that a few miles to 95th St and turn left. This intersection is a giant triangle, so take another left at the second point of the triangle. Go maybe an eighth of a mile and take a right. If you see a lake on your right, back up. You're in another large triangle intersection, so go right again onto Wolf Road. Go a few hundred feet to the Bullfrog Lake parking lot on your right. Park here and check out the signboard for more info. Print out the map from the cambr.org website and you'll be set!

Similar Trail: Peoria trails! Dirksen, Farmdale, Jubilee, Kickapoo!

Review: Great mountain biking closest to Chicago lots of trails vary levels of difficulty the trails are shared with eqeustrian riders .

Review: I need directions, help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Review: these trails have some of the most varied terrain in its area, both in difficulty and the short rolling hills. i highly reccomend this trail system to any biker who is looking for some off-road trails. there is both wide crushed limestone trails and rugged twisting packed dirt singletrack.