| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Also on Backpacker.com
Backpacker Magazine – October 2009
Quick Escapes: 10 Trails Near Major Cities
The perfect metro-area trail: close, wild, uncrowded. Here are 10 major city options.
-
Tags:
- Destinations |
- California |
- Texas |
- Arizona |
- Massachusetts |
- Illinois |
- New York |
- Washington |
The Wild Edge: Exploring Portland's Forest Park
When urban trails blend with raw wilderness, the sum is much greater than the parts. By Bill Donahue
Free Maps! Our Contributors Favorite Local Hikes
Online or via your cellphone these trips are ready to be downloaded and explored.
When urban trails blend with raw wilderness, the sum is much greater than the parts. By Bill Donahue
Free Maps! Our Contributors Favorite Local HikesOnline or via your cellphone these trips are ready to be downloaded and explored.
Phoenix | San Diego | San Francisco | Boston | New York | Philadelphia | Chicago | Seattle | Los Angeles | Austin
Chicago, IL
Paddle to solitude on the Windy City's big river.
The lakefront is great for people-watching, but local paddlers know that the city's sweetest escape is the Chicago River, whose willow- and maple-lined banks provide habitat for muskrats, blue heron, cormorants, and snapping turtles–and plenty of mellow water for canoes and sea kayaks. For a quick getaway, put in at the 3400 N. Rockwell launch (just west of the soccer field) and cruise north through a verdant channel. You're heading toward Lake Michigan, but you'll be paddling upstream; engineers reversed the river's flow in 1900 to divert polluted water away from the city. Turn around at the dam at mile 2.3. Looking for a longer adventure? Put in at the Skokie Lagoons (20 miles from downtown) and explore seven miles of interconnected pools and marshes. Note: Avoid paddling right after heavy rains, when the Chicago River can contain high levels of bacteria. chicagoriverpaddle.com
Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter
Reader Rating:
-
My Profile
Join Now
Most recent threads
Trailhead Register
Your Thoughts on Wildlife Services and This...?
Posted On: May 19, 2013
Submitted By: TravisNWood
Submitted By: TravisNWood
Editors' Choice 2013
412 trail-tested products
Boost Your Apps
Add powerful tools and exclusive maps to your BACKPACKER apps through our partnership with Trimble Outdoors.
Carry the Best Maps
With BACKPACKER PRO Maps, get life-list destinations and local trips on adventure-ready waterproof myTopo paper.
FREE Rocky Mountain Trip Planner
Sign up for a free Rocky Mountain National Park trip planning kit from our sister site MyRockyMountainPark.com.
Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 3 FREE GIFTS
Survival Skills 101 • Eat BetterThe Best Trails in America
YES! Please send me my FREE trial issues of Backpacker
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Free trial offer valid for US subscribers only.
Canadian subscriptions |
International subscriptions
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
READERS COMMENTS
I think you forgot Portland.
that's the very area i like to hike when i'm in nyc after some appalachian tr hiking. get to nyc a day before your departure flight, the hostel's only a half mile from the park. a few blocks from the subway. perfect.
ADD A COMMENT