Ride 18: Busse Woods

  Biking Illinois: 60 Great Road Trips and Trail Rides  

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Schaumburg, IL         June 21, 2005

My grandparents have lived near Busse Woods for almost three decades. My first bike ride there wasn't until I got a job in a nearby office tower in 1992. I had a 45-mile one-way commute by car that took about 90 minutes during rush hour. I soon discovered that I could save half an hour of windshield time by going for a one-hour bike ride after work. Even back then, the trail could be crowded. Nowadays, I wouldn't think of riding there on a summer weekend, but it's a nice place to go in the middle of a weekday. In 2001, I bought the bike I used for all the rides in Biking Illinois at Village CycleSport, which is located across Arlington Heights Road from the trail. At the time, they  were the only Co-Motion dealer in Chicagoland.

Although I had always planned to include this trail in the book, I decided to ride it on the spur of the moment as I was driving home from Moraine Hills State Park. There are many parking lots with trail access, but I chose one off IL 58 because it's easy to find from I-290. The " trailhead" is at the end of the parking lot.

The trail winds around the dammed Busse Lake.

The elk of Elk Grove Village weren't near the trail that day, so I had to settle for a photo of the sign.

When I first rode this trail in 1992, there were two busy crossings of IL 72. Thanks to this bridge near Arlington Heights Road, there's only one street crossing  now. But there's also a new hill!

   

   

This sign is by  I-290 near the end of the loop.

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