Kid-friendly bike paths in Chicago, IL

Each trail gets a kid score out of 100 for a smooth surface, staying away from cars, and having a playground, restroom and parking within half a mile. How we score trails

Scores are based on OpenStreetMap data and may be out of date or wrong. Always check trail conditions, closures and your child's readiness before you ride. Disclaimer

All trails on the map

Kid-friendly trail
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Tap a trail for its name and score.

Best trails for kids

312 RiverRun

100

1.8 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Dan Ryan Black Paved Loop Trail

100

0.9 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.2 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Horner Park Bike Path

100

0.6 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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North Clark Street Bikeway

100

0.6 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.3 mi away
Restroom 0.3 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Valley Line Trail

2.0 mi · 100% smooth surface · 97% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.4 mi away
Parking 0.1 mi away

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Grand Illinois Trail - McHenry to Chicago

9.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 93% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Museum Campus Access Path

0.5 mi · 100% smooth surface · 91% away from cars

Playground 0.3 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking 0.1 mi away

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North Branch Red Paved Trail

2.9 mi · 100% smooth surface · 86% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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18th Street Access Path

0.6 mi · 100% smooth surface · 83% away from cars

Playground 0.2 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking 0.1 mi away

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Lakefront Trail

3.2 mi · 85% smooth surface · 89% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Marquette Road Access Path

0.8 mi · 100% smooth surface · 66% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.5 mi away
Parking 0.1 mi away

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Grand Illinois Trail - Maywood to Lansing

17.8 mi · 100% smooth surface · 53% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Trails we can't score yet

OpenStreetMap doesn't record the surface for more than 5% of these trails, so we can't say how smooth they are. Some may be great for kids. Check before you go.

126th Street

1.1 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground 0.2 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

130th Street

0.8 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground 0.3 mi away
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

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31st Street Bikeway

1.5 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Douglas Boulevard Bikeway

1.9 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.4 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Hamlin Bikeway

0.6 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Indiana Avenue Bikeway

3.0 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.2 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Major Taylor Bicycle Trail

5.9 mi · 82% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

North Shore Channel Trail

4.1 mi · 95% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Sacramento Bikeway

1.1 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Questions parents ask

What are the best bike trails for kids in Chicago?

The top-scoring kid-friendly bike trails in Chicago are 312 RiverRun (100 out of 100), Dan Ryan Black Paved Loop Trail (100 out of 100) and Horner Park Bike Path (100 out of 100). 12 trails score 70 or higher.

312 RiverRun · Dan Ryan Black Paved Loop Trail · Horner Park Bike Path

Which kid-friendly bike trails in Chicago have restrooms?

These trails have restrooms right along the trail: 312 RiverRun, Dan Ryan Black Paved Loop Trail, Horner Park Bike Path, Grand Illinois Trail - McHenry to Chicago and Museum Campus Access Path, plus 4 more.

312 RiverRun · Dan Ryan Black Paved Loop Trail · Horner Park Bike Path · Grand Illinois Trail - McHenry to Chicago · Museum Campus Access Path

Which kid-friendly bike trails in Chicago have playgrounds?

These trails have playgrounds right along the trail: 312 RiverRun, Horner Park Bike Path, Valley Line Trail, Grand Illinois Trail - McHenry to Chicago and Lakefront Trail, plus 1 more.

312 RiverRun · Horner Park Bike Path · Valley Line Trail · Grand Illinois Trail - McHenry to Chicago · Lakefront Trail

What's the longest kid-friendly bike trail in Chicago?

Grand Illinois Trail - Maywood to Lansing is the longest, at 17.8 miles, with a kid score of 81 out of 100.

Grand Illinois Trail - Maywood to Lansing

How are the trails scored?

Each trail gets up to 40 points for a smooth surface, 40 for staying away from cars, and 20 for a playground, restroom and parking within half a mile. The data comes from OpenStreetMap.

How we score trails

Trail data from OpenStreetMap as of 2026-10-30.