Mountain Biking, Chicago Style

The Windy City is home to much more than Da Bears.

P.L. Strazz
Windy City Sports Mag

Leaves and temperatures aren't the only things falling around Chicago-area trails these days. Mountain bikers are falling, too, on frozen puddles, dead branches, and other hazards Mother Nature dishes out this time of year.

In the spirit of fall, we've compiled a list of the Chicago-area's top mountain-bike trails where agility and balance are essential to avoiding a spill. You'll find all the requisite obstacles in each location below, such as rocks, logs, and ruts made all the more menacing by the season's chilly grip.

Arranged by proximity to the Loop, the trails are good for a quick getaway or an overnight road trip. While none are overtly dangerous, they can easily cause injury to both yourself and your bike if you're not prepared. Bring a patch kit and, as always, wear a helmet.

LaBagh Woods--Chicago
Tucked away on forest preserve property near Foster and Cicero avenues, LaBagh is the perfect spot for a quickie fix of turns, jumps and fallen logs.

Good for about five miles of riding along the Chicago River, the trail meanders beneath several low-hanging branches and passes through a few shallow ravines. Tricky man-made detours below the Kennedy Expressway and across two sets of railroad tracks complete the package.

Palos-SagValley--Willow Springs
Known for 15,000 acres of virtually uninterrupted riding, the Chicago area's mountain-bike Mecca also offers numerous technical challenges along more than 20 miles of trail.

Assorted roots and rocks embellish local hot spots like Three Ravines Trail and Dynamite Road, both of which can be accessed from the Bull Frog Lake parking lot.

Bluhm Park--Westville, Ind.
After a benign beginning, Bluhm's five-mile trail system meanders over a ridge and makes a barrage of hyper-technical turns through several individual loops.

Maximum elevation changes are only 20 feet, but the constant turning amid 100 acres of trees provides fits for the uninitiated. Keep an eye out for roots, rocks and other pesky hazards along an otherwise smooth trail.

Outback Trail--Valparaiso, Ind.
Located in 260-acre Imagination Glen park, the Outback Trail is divided into two three-mile sections separated by Salt Creek.

Both areas are loaded with rough-and-tumble features like steep switchbacks, jagged climbs and off-camber turns. The highlight starts at the highest point in the park, where the trail makes a speedy, 50-foot descent around the perimeter of a giant earthen mound.

Got brakes? Use em.

Catlin Park--LaSalle County, Ill.
The Peoria Journal-Star recently named Catlin as one of the state's 10 best mountain-biking spots.

The park's 13-mile system is highlighted by Ooooooh Heck Hill, which makes a switchback descent through a stream and up a set of switchbacks on the other side.

Also try the Wet-Foot Trail, which meanders along the bottom of a ravine and leapfrogs back and forth across a creek every 25 yards.

Milwaukee River--Milwaukee
Fourteen miles of singletrack along both banks of the Milwaukee River provide ample technical pitfalls just a few feet from the water.

The trails meander up and down small ravines with the usual assortment of natural obstacles, as well as a variety of construction materials left by illegal dumpers. Hop on at North Avenue and continue North to Capitol Drive. Return on the opposite side of the river.

Kettle Moraine State Forest--LaGrange, Wis.
Known far and wide as the best mountain biking area within a days trip of Chicago, Kettle Moraine doesnt disappoint for technical purists.

Two trail clusters and a connector trail offer more than 30 miles of riding that's littered with hard scrabble turns, bumps and climbs. As the fastest trail system profiled here, mistakes can be perilous. The biking season ends in late fall and reopens in the spring.

Devil's Head--Merrimac, Wis.
Open to mountain bikes since 1995, Devil's Head resort's most difficult sections are all uphill.

Rocks and blowdowns in some spots are so plentiful that they virtually obscure the route. The nearly 30-mile system is labeled according to ability level, with about 25 percent labeled as either advanced or expert.

But who's kidding whom? When traversing the side of a 500-foot ski hill, even the easiest trails can get tough. The grand finale is the final descent, where speeds can easily exceed 40 miles per hour. Lose control and lose it all.