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Virgil Gilman Trail Details
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trip viewed 34 times
Story: I had covered most of the Gilman Trail on foot as a geocacher, but I was really looking forward to ride the whole trail on my bike. When I started riding my bike again earlier this summer, the Gilman Trail was too long for me to ride in one shot at 20+ miles. Now that I am in better shape and have a new bike, the Gilman Trail was a challenge I could fairly easily conquer.
I started at the trailhead on Orchard Rd and started riding southeast. The recent rain and wind had taken most of the leaves off the trees and deposited them on the ground. I was concerned about the wet leaves making the trail slippery, but I didn't slip at all during my ride.
The part of the trail that follows Rathbone Ave through that industrial area is terrible. There are signs that say "Rough Road" and they are not kidding. Something really needs to be done about this street, but I don't think it will ever be fixed because of the heavy trucks that use it.
Southeast of Montgomery Rd I encountered windy conditions. The trail passes through a wetland area, so no trees to block the wind.
I turned around at the trail's end and headed northwest to the trail's other terminus at Waubonsee Community College. This is an enjoyable trail to ride. In Bliss Woods, the fallen leaves were so piled so thick on the trail that I lost track of where the pavement's edge was a few times. I never went off, but I did come close.
After a short break in the college parking lot, I made my way back to the Orchard Rd lot with a few detours through the Hannaford Woods Forest Preserve, Aurora West Forest Preserve, a trail through an unfinished housing development, and the Barnes Forest Preserve.
I started at the trailhead on Orchard Rd and started riding southeast. The recent rain and wind had taken most of the leaves off the trees and deposited them on the ground. I was concerned about the wet leaves making the trail slippery, but I didn't slip at all during my ride.
The part of the trail that follows Rathbone Ave through that industrial area is terrible. There are signs that say "Rough Road" and they are not kidding. Something really needs to be done about this street, but I don't think it will ever be fixed because of the heavy trucks that use it.
Southeast of Montgomery Rd I encountered windy conditions. The trail passes through a wetland area, so no trees to block the wind.
I turned around at the trail's end and headed northwest to the trail's other terminus at Waubonsee Community College. This is an enjoyable trail to ride. In Bliss Woods, the fallen leaves were so piled so thick on the trail that I lost track of where the pavement's edge was a few times. I never went off, but I did come close.
After a short break in the college parking lot, I made my way back to the Orchard Rd lot with a few detours through the Hannaford Woods Forest Preserve, Aurora West Forest Preserve, a trail through an unfinished housing development, and the Barnes Forest Preserve.
Tips: Montgomery Rd, Galena Blvd, and Bliss Rd had heavy traffic and were more difficult to cross than other roads.
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