Fall is the perfect time to go hiking with your buddy
The air is brisk and cool. The sky is clear. Leaves turn color, fall off the trees and then crunch under your feet. Warm temperatures linger, but we can feel the cold air on its way. It’s fall in the Midwest.
I dream of hiking a scenic trail in the forest, my big dog at my side. But where to start? We can walk in our local forest preserve, we know those trails really well. But where do we go to find new trails? I found BringFido.com, a website for all us looking for places to walk with our dogs.
The website lists dog-friendly trails in Illinois, and the hiking section includes hikes from easy one hour walks to overnight trips. Each trail listed has a map, photos, reviews and a link to pet-friendly hotels in the area.
One section is the “Top 10 Dog Friendly Trails” in Illinois. The first place listed is the Valley Line Trail (Skokie Line Trail), which is a previously unused railroad corridor. It’s one of 1,600 rail-trails trails supported by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, an organization working to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors.
We can also hike with our dogs in Shawnee National Forest in Harrisburg, which covers more than 270,000 acres in parts of 10 counties in southern Illinois. The hundreds of hiking trails range in length from the 150-plus mile River to River Trail that runs between Battery Rock on the Ohio River and Devil’s Backbone on the Mississippi River, to the easy one-fourth mile Observation Trail at Garden of the Gods.
Allerton Park and Retreat Center in Monticello offers 1,500 acres of woodlands, garden meadows, hiking trails, farmsteads and sculptures.
Bloomington is the location for the Constitution Trail, which goes from Bloomington to Normal and is another rail-trail supported by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
The List of Dog Friendly Trails in Illinois also includes Beck Lake Dog Park in Des Plaines, Springbrook Prairie Dog Park in Naperville, Pratt’s Wayne Woods Forest Preserve, which has a designated area for dogs, in Wayne, and Messenger Marsh Dog Park in Homer Glen.
A little closer to the Chicago area are two other hiking trails — the Burnham Greenway, a rail-trail in Chicago, and the Chicago Lakefront Bike Path.
Traillink.com describes the Chicago Lakefront Trail, which is east of Lakeshore Drive, as an 18.5-mile linear park along Lake Michigan. The trail goes through South Shore, Hyde Park, Lincoln Park and Lake View. Cultural landmarks along the trail include The Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium.
Other sites along the trail include Soldier Field, Belmont and Monroe Harbors and Burnham, Grant and Jackson parks.
If we prefer an even more urban trail, we can hike the Riverwalk Gateway/Riverwalk. Dogfriendly.com says the gateway connects the dog-friendly Chicago Riverwalk, the pedestrian path along the river and through downtown, with the Lakefront Trail. The Riverwalk parallels the Chicago River and Wacker Drive, between Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive.
Our dogs are welcome on both the Riverwalk and Lakefront Trail, but not on the beaches.
We have so many choices of trails to hike with our dogs. And this time of year is one of the best times to get out and enjoy the scenery. See you on the trail!
Ÿ The Buddy Foundation is a nonprofit (501c3), all volunteer, no-kill animal shelter dedicated to the welfare of stray, abused and abandoned cats and dogs. The shelter is at 65 W. Seegers Road, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 290-5806 or visit thebuddyfoundation.org.