My wife and I will be moving from Boise, ID to Chicago shortly and are preparing for a considerable change. Wondering if anyone out there could recommend areas around Chicago that would be good for two active multisport people with three VERY active dogs?
Any ideas, help, or recommendations would be very much appreciated!
Thanks,
Tom Liby
Boise, ID
Chicago the city or Chicago the suburbs? If the suburbs, where?
I live in Lake County(north of Chicago) and there are quite a few dog parks(30+ acres) where your dogs can romp and swim off leash. We also do agility class with our dog.
As for multisport, Chicagoland has it all, except for downhill skiing.
Without more details it is hard to give you useful guidance.
Definitely the suburbs, with some open space, nice roads for riding and preferably trails to run on with the dogs. We were thinking North (McHenry area) but been to the area at all. As an active person, just looking for areas of suggestion, North, South, East or West?
Do you have good riding and trails to run on in Lake county?
Thank you for the reply!
Tom
Hey Tom - …and welcome to the Chicago area. Don’t know much about McHenry county since I’m also in northern Lake Co. For trails, we’ve got the Des Plaines River Trail system - packed dirt/crushed limestone, and it runs from the WI border south to Half Day Road, and the Prairie Path system which heads out south/west. Check out the Lake County Forest Preserves here: http://www.lcfpd.org/preserves/index.cfm?fuseaction=preserves.view As mentioned before, there are a number of dog parks in the area as well - I think the fee is around $10/dog, and you can go to any of the parks - they’re well worth the fee. The riding in the area is o.k., but I prefer the sweet roads of Wisconsin…just a 10 mile warmup ride from home for me. Hope this helps!
mike
McHenry county has good biking with less traffic density than Lake County. You are also bikable up to Wisconsin, which is even less crowded and has more hills.
The prairie trail(http://www.about-bicycles.com/prairie-trail.htm) runs down the center of the McHenry county and there are quite a few places such as morraine hills(http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/parks/r2/MORHILLS.HTM) and glacial park(http://jove.geol.niu.edu/faculty/fischer/429_info/429trips/NIF/glacial_park.html) that are good for trail running(x-country skiing).
Lake county has a great trail system along the Des Plaines river(http://www.lcfpd.org/docs/map_22079.pdf), along with trails running on the north side of the county.
I live in Kildeer(southwest Lake County) and I am not near very many trails so I run and bike entirely on roads.
Open water swimming is weak as only Chicago and Pleasant Prairie, WI(south of Kenosha) have accesible OW.
My wife and I will be moving from Boise, ID to Chicago
I’m sorry for your loss 
.
You’re screwed buddy. I told you not to do it! HAHAHA. Hills, um right! Ain’t no Hulls Gulch or Bogus Basin in Illinois.
I guess we’re gonna have to haul our bad-asses out to IMWI and party at the Liby’s next year. The crew will miss you guys, Boulder, Mazzie and Willy (well, maybe not Willie, he’s sort of a grump old fart!)
Sue
check out northwest suburbs: palatine, arlington heights, barrington. good health clubs, riding, parks, etc… and close to highway and train to get dowtown if needed.
Thank you all for the information!
Sue, I know…we are going to miss everything about Boise, but, if all works out as planned, we will be back by the time I age up to the 40 - 44 AG.
No hills will make Wildflower brutal but, having IMWI a couple hours away will be very cool! Come and stay with us in 2007!
Tom
I’m a city dweller myself, but if I had three active dogs I’d head to the suburbs - probably up to Antioch area - relatively open, nice lakes, recently added commuter train to the city.