Chicago-Area Gravel and Fireroad List
Simple bike-oriented list: crushed limestone, gravel, dirt, unpaved preserve trails, and a few trainable routes. Check closures and bike rules before rolling.
Barrington / Northwest
- Spring Lake / Spring Creek Barrington Hills - 45.8 miles of unpaved, bike-legal Cook County preserve trails. Best Barrington-area fireroad feel.
- Horizon Farm Barrington Hills - 1.2 miles of unpaved trail connecting toward Spring Lake; useful as an add-on.
- Barrington Hills rural-road loop Metra UP-NW to Barrington - paved but excellent rolling route glue: Spring Creek, Otis, Old Sutton, Bateman, Brinker, Cuba, Plum Tree, Kelsey, Haegers Bend, Rawson Bridge.
- Grassy Lake Lake Barrington - 5.8 miles of gravel and mowed-grass trails with Fox River access.
- Cuba Marsh Deer Park / Barrington edge - 3 miles total; includes a 0.9-mile gravel connector to Barrington's Citizens Park.
- Paul Douglas Preserve Hoffman Estates / South Barrington - 24.8 miles paved and unpaved, plus designated MTB singletrack.
- Deer Grove Palatine / Deer Park - 15.5 miles paved and unpaved; good connector into Barrington rides.
Best Local Gravel / Dirt
Amtrak-Accessible Ideas
Train / Bike Notes
- Amtrak bike service is route-specific; standard bikes generally need a reservation and may have a fee.
- Amtrak bike reservations are required on nearly all routes with bike service; check the booking flow for actual bike-space availability.
- Hiawatha bike service is listed as reserved trainside checked bicycle service.
- Most Chicago-area dirt is crushed limestone or preserve trail, not western-style endless gravel roads. For true gravel roads, look west toward Waterman, DeKalb, Freeport, and the Driftless edge.