{"id":11704,"date":"2022-08-22T15:04:50","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T19:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mappyhour.org\/blog\/?p=11704"},"modified":"2024-03-12T13:43:11","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T17:43:11","slug":"chi-bikepack-to-illinois-beach-state-park-near-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mappyhour.org\/blog\/2022\/08\/chi-bikepack-to-illinois-beach-state-park-near-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"CHI: Bikepack to Illinois Beach State Park near Chicago\ufffc"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><br><em>We\u2019re teaming up with GAIA GPS to create new itineraries for you to enjoy every month! There also hooking us up with one month for free \u2013 which you can redeem using this link:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/gaiafreemonth\">bit.ly\/gaiafreemonth<\/a>.&nbsp; (And if you like it head to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3v5W4CB\">bit.ly\/3v5W4CB<\/a>&nbsp;to get 25% off an annual GAIA GPS subscription).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A trip up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.illinois.gov\/dnr\/Parks\/Pages\/AdelineJayGeo-KarisIllinoisBeach.aspx\">Illinois Beach State Park<\/a> is a classic Chicago outdoor experience. But one of the most coveted ways to experience a trip up to Illinois Beach is by bike \u2013 with all of your camping gear attached. Bikepacking is growing in popularity. The concept is simple: Pack up and attach your camping gear on your bike, and set off on your own adventure on two wheels.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>North of Chicago\u2019s city center (25-min by car), Illinois Beach State Parks spans just over 4,100 acres and is full of beautiful sandy ridges blanketed by black oak and an open, savanna-like landscape. Within the park, you\u2019ll find more than 650 species of plants and wildflowers across the dunes area. (Psst\u2026keep an eye out for prickly pear too!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiagps.com\/public\/vBWIXBpZQtSDL9JZMOPXJyqE?embed=True\" style=\"border:none; overflow-y: hidden; background-color:white; min-width: 320px; max-width:420px; width:100%; height: 420px;\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"seamless\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>This overnight trip comes recommended for many reasons. For starters, bikepackers on this route get the benefit of riding on mostly bike and foot traffic-only trails for a solid portion of the ride. This route clocks in at an approachable 43 miles \u2013 and riders will travel on several sections of paved bike paths including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagoparkdistrict.com\/parks-facilities\/lakefront-trail\">Lakefront Trail<\/a> (6 miles) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.traillink.com\/trail\/green-bay-trail\/\">Green Bay Trail<\/a> (9 miles).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/Vo-lDhd49Z7DC2vSEu7EyqDTxyCFe-Bjao2UfOvC5i_QdrVf0xkm6ASP4ZuAMO0vvjFUPD1CdMcN_YuM3JPoo8Ro5NVZzcnEQZMXZ2cwWJZKPxKB3bRXeAtWDLb_hp5uztNNo-s5DHbUjAn12AGYo0o\" width=\"624\" height=\"281\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">We also love this trip because you can:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Pit-stop around the halfway point in Evanston for a beer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sketchbookbrewing.com\/\">Sketchbook Brewing Co.<\/a> or a coffee at <a href=\"https:\/\/colectivocoffee.com\/cafes\/evanston\">Colectivo<\/a>.<\/li><li>Explore 5 miles of trails through native prairies and along the beach \u2013 like the 2.2-mile state park loop trail and 1.8-mile Camp Logan trail.<\/li><li>Fall asleep at your campsite hearing the sound of waves crashing on the Lake Michigan shoreline.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Long-time Mappy Hour Chicago member, Matt Moy, recently wrote about their <a href=\"https:\/\/mappyhour.org\/blog\/2021\/07\/bikepacking-from-chicago-to-the-beach\/\">bikepacking journey to Illinois Beach State Park<\/a> for our blog.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He shares what you should consider when prepping for the trip, what to pack, and what you\u2019ll likely see and experience along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"624\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/n0w9XSjYLhoz2FiEtRDV6wer_zunvPyP_yqP45_p0LGQ8rRRifxuq1iefETCHP0reD38bR9eRh6qRhsHkrsJ7dzZcmigGgOSV6JRIIaJPWrsjkIVPWDaiUyFvyLwEhI2gr3t7Kp10BBbajxevMOF5tI\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prefer to have a guided experience?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also tag along with local bike camping guiding group, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oofd.org\/\">Out Our Front Door<\/a>, on one of their guided, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oofd.org\/illinois-beach-state-park.html\">Illinois Beach State Park bikepacking group rides<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re teaming up with GAIA GPS to create new itineraries for you to enjoy every month! There also hooking us up with one month for free \u2013 which you can redeem using this link:&nbsp;bit.ly\/gaiafreemonth.&nbsp; (And if you like it head to&nbsp;bit.ly\/3v5W4CB&nbsp;to get 25% off an annual GAIA GPS subscription). A trip up to Illinois Beach [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":11706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,66],"tags":[231,278,917,914],"yst_prominent_words":[566,632,622,704,474,507],"class_list":{"0":"post-11704","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-adventures","8":"category-maps","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-featured","11":"tag-gaia","12":"tag-map-of-the-month"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v14.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mappyhour.org\/blog\/2022\/08\/chi-bikepack-to-illinois-beach-state-park-near-chicago\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CHI: Bikepack to Illinois Beach State Park near Chicago\ufffc - Mappy Hour Archive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We\u2019re teaming up with GAIA GPS to create new itineraries for you to enjoy every month! There also hooking us up with one month for free \u2013 which you can redeem using this link:&nbsp;bit.ly\/gaiafreemonth.&nbsp; (And if you like it head to&nbsp;bit.ly\/3v5W4CB&nbsp;to get 25% off an annual GAIA GPS subscription). 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