Chicago has this incredible thing called
the Lakefront Trail (CLFT). It is
an 18 mile paved path that is sandwiched
between the Lake Michigan shore and
Chicagos iconic Lake Shore Drive
(LSD).
The northern entrance of the CLFT is at
the eastern end of Ardmore Street (just
east of Sheridan Road) in Edgewater.
The southern entrance is at 71st Street
where South Shore Drive makes its
southward turn.
Along the way there are many points to
access the CLFT from the communities
it passes by. Many of these are simple
crosswalks but there are pedestrian
bridges or underpasses where LSD is wide
or has heavy traffic conditions.
Much of the CLFT has no street crossings
as it is right along the shore. However,
there are some points such as harbor or
park entry areas which do have crossings.
In theory at least, pedestrians have the
priority at most of these.
Not all of the CLFT is smooth. Some
sections are very old and the concrete
shows its age. While the entire trail
is marked (painted lines on cement),
some areas are well worn off. Even so,
the trail as a whole is in very usable
condition and there are several sections
which have very recent improvements.
The CLFT is designed for pedestrian,
bicycle, and roller blade usage. All
can enjoy the trail better if everybody
shows some courtesy to others. There
are several bicycle rental places where
people can obtain pedal transportation
if they choose not to hoof it.
My goal has been to walk the entire CLFT.
This page details that goal being fufilled!
Although I did it over a three day period,
this was partly due to having other agendas
during the weekend. It IS possible to walk
the entire length, taking 6 hours at an
average of 3 miles per hour. Adjust that
for your own walking speed, number of rest
breaks needed, and if you take any time to
take in some of the numerous attractions
along the way.
It happens that the weekend I did this was
a stormy couple of days. The temperature
was awesome (for me), but there were times
of drizzle, rain, and gusty winds. While
not a big problem for me, my camera did
NOT like the less sunlight conditions and
I think the picture quality of the photos
below suffered a bit. Many pictures were
not even usable as so out of focus (camera
has auto focus). However, I hope you can
enjoy the ones here.
If you are ever in Chicago, try to take in
at least part of the CLFT. There ARE many
outstanding views and pictures are not as
good as being there yourself!
Dates and sections:
9/30/2016
North Avenue northward to Ardmore
12 pictures, 2 videos
10/1/2016
North Avenue southward to Monroe (Loop)
6 pictures
10/2/2016
71st/South Shore northward to Monroe (Loop)
13 pictures
10/2/2016
Chicago Riverwalk
1 picture
First day
My first section of walking the
entire Lakefront trail started
at North Avenue walking north to
Ardmore. This is 1/4 of the
whole trail, 1/2 of the northern
section.
Second day
My second section of walking the
entire Lakefront trail started
at North Ave walking south to
Monroe (downtown). This is 1/4 of
the whole trail, the lower 1/2 of
the northern section.
Third day
On the third day, I took a train to
Hyde Park and walked to 71st Street
and South Shore Drive where the
Lakefront trail south end begins.
From there I walked the 9 miles
back to Monroe Street (in the Loop)
where I had left off the night before.
This is the entire southern section,
1/2 of the total CLFT.
This took me just over 4 hours, which
includes several rest breaks and time
taking the pictures.
RIVERWALK
The Riverwalk connects to the CLFT
at the south side where the Chicago River
meets Lake Michigan (just south of Navy
Pier). It is about 1 mile of paved path
along the Chicago River with areas of
seating and several concession stands.
It gets VERY crowded around lunch time on
weekdays as the skyscraper occupants spill
out into the outdoor.
While not a part of the CLFT, the Riverwalk
is kind of an extension of it. I include
it on this page because it relates.
Page last updated: October 06 2016 19:03:28. Page visited: 1081
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