Miller Meadow in Maywood, IL has served a lot of purposes over the years, from U.S. Air Mail airport to the area's first auto racing track, and more recently the site of a mountain of fill dug up to create the deep tunnel project. It retains its' flying roots by serving as the area's authorized model airplane flying field, and is also an authorized snowmobile grove when conditions permit.

The mountail of fill has slowly been reduced, and it appears that the Forest Preserve District is preparing to return the fenced-off area to public use. There are a couple of new lakes on the land, which may or may not remain, and the open picnic groves are very popular in the summer, with few places to park throughout the entire grove.

For you city dwellers, the CTA Blue Line terminates at Forest Park, and since they now allow bicycles aboard at no extra charge, you can escape the madness of city riding and experience some real singletrack action in just a few minutes!

This grove is close to the eastern trailhead of the Illinois Prairie Path as well as the southern end of the DesPlaines River trail. The singletrack is very overgrown on the south end as you follow the fenceline, but once you are about 1/3 of the way north the trails are well defined and challenging. Large coyote roam the fenced in area, as well as many deer.

The back woods area is not heavily traveled, and, unlike most stretches of trail along the river, the through trail is not along the banks, as there is an inlet that creates a penninsula on the south end and prevents a direct ride through along the riverbanks.

Look for the abandoned ship wreck as you approach Roosevelt Road. Once there, you can hang a right and then continue north through Forest Park and River Forest to pick up the very beginning of the DesPlaines River Trail at Washington Blvd.

The CTA Blue Line Rides Page
The DesPlaines River Trail
The Illinois Prairie Path

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