Weekend Explorer

Fox River Trail

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by Deborah Kadin

A ride on the Fox River Trail is a scenic adventure through nature and riverside towns, a 33-mile journey from Crystal Lake in McHenry County south to Aurora in Kane County. The path’s spectacular fall color makes for an especially memorable trip. The asphalt trail, built on the railroad bed of the former Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railroad line, has become an increasingly popular recreational asset. Forest preserves and park districts have responded with picnic grounds, restrooms, benches, and parking. Bicycle shops, eateries, and other stores have flourished as spots for R&R

High-quality nature preserves abound along the trail. Starting near the north end of the trail, in an area free of homes and industry, the extensive 400-acre Fox River Shores Forest Preserve in Carpentersville is a trip back in time. The trail cuts through the preserve, with its sedge meadow and rare hanging fens, where groundwater seeps from hillsides and bluffs along the river.

South toward Elgin is the 12-acre Fox River Fen, a small remnant pocket of fen and mesic prairie. The area teems with Joe-Pye weed, mountain mint, and a variety of sedges and rushes.

Just to the south of the fen, the 14-acre Voyager’s Landing Forest Preserve in Dundee Township and the 26-acre Trout Park Nature Preserve in Elgin provide some of the most beautiful views of the Fox River, with places to watch bald eagle and osprey, great blue heron and egrets. Trout Park is an undisturbed bur and white oak woodland that boasts the rare white cedar. Toward the river, the landscape is dotted with marsh marigold, swamp goldenrod, and swamp thistle. Unusual trees such as pagoda dogwood, black ash, and blue ash provide shade.

Near South Elgin, trekkers can cross a bridge to the west side of the Fox and visit the 200-acre Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve, where birders often see goldeneyes, scaups, kingfishers, woodpeckers, orioles, and a variety of warblers. Woodland grasses provide good cover for wildlife. The interior is studded with black cherry, white oak, maple, and shagbark hickory. For history buffs, two markers designate the resting spots of soldiers who died during the Blackhawk War of 1832.

Another marker of the river’s storied past is found in the 300-acre Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva. The preserve contains a restored authentic working Dutch windmill that dates back to the 1850s. The Villa Museum, created by Frank Lloyd Wright, and a Japanese garden also are located here.

The 45-acre Les Arends Forest Preserve, on the west side of the river in Batavia, provides a unique perspective of the Fox. Arends is situated just below a dam that has been removed. Calming rivulets run through this backwater floodplain forest of silver maple, box elder, and cottonwood. Outcroppings of Silurian dolomite bedrock add a picturesque charm to the landscape.

For maps of the Fox River Trail, call (630) 232-5980.

Roaming

The Dundee Township Visitor’s Center, at 319 N. River Street, East Dundee, (847) 426-2255, is a popular rest stop for bicyclists and walkers in need of snacks, beverages, and info. The Elgin Area Historical Society and Museum, 360 Park Street, Elgin, (847) 742-4248, shares the neighborhood with Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, and Italianate homes. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for students and seniors.

Take a trip back in time at the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, (847) 697-4676. Open through November, a trolley car takes visitors on a four-mile excursion along the banks of the Fox River. Open Sundays and some Saturdays. The cost is $3.50 for adults, $2 for seniors.

Foraging

Relive the days of chilling with your friends at the Dairy Queen, 15 E. Main Street, East Dundee, (847) 428-2443, a popular local hangout for bicyclists.

If nursing a pint of Guinness is your cup of tea, Rosie O’Hare’s Public House is for you. A genuine Irish pub in an 1870s building, Rosie’s, at 702 Water Street, East Dundee, (847) 426-1116, is open for lunch on the weekends.

Benedict’s Eggs and More, on the path at 8 South River Street, East Dundee, (847) 836-2222, offers hearty breakfasts and lunches in a charming renovated homestead. Most omelets are $7. There’s usually a wait, but it’s worth it.

Just south of Trout Park near the trail, Baker Hill Pancakes, 1279 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, (847) 888-8119, offers filling family fare, from country breakfasts to sandwiches. Selections average from $5 to $8.

The landmark Mill Race Inn, 4 East State Street, Geneva, (630) 232-2030, offers lunch and dinner menus dominated by seafood. Prices range from $12 to $20.

Farmer’s markets in Crystal Lake, East Dundee, Geneva, and Aurora offer fresh produce, cheeses, breads, and coffee from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday mornings through October.

Bedding Down

One block south of the trail in Algonquin, the Victorian Rose Garden Bed and Breakfast, (888) 854-9667, features an 1886 Folk Victorian house with an inviting wraparound porch. Rooms range from $99 to $149.

The Mansion Bed & Breakfast, 305 Oregon Avenue, West Dundee, (847) 426-7777, surrounds guests with original woodwork, period fixtures, and leaded-glass windows. Rooms range from $139 to $199 per night.

Built in 1928 on the site of the old Haines Mill, the historic Hotel Baker, 100 W. Main Street, St. Charles, (630) 584-2100, has a restaurant, workout room, and other amenities. Many rooms have whirlpool tubs. Rates start at $145 a night.

Herrington Inn, 15 S. River Lane, Geneva, (630) 208-7433, on the west side of the Fox River, offers uniquely decorated rooms, each with a fireplace, whirlpool tub, and stocked private bar. Rates start at $169 a night.