Customer Reviews

Hiking and Biking in Dupage County, Illinois

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I moved to DuPage County 3 years ago. Having lived in Alaska, I enjoyed scenic hiking. However, it seems that no one knew anything about hiking or bike trails in the area with the exception of a few forest preserves.

Mr. Hochgesang's book has a thorough list of places to hike and bike in DuPage county. Mr. Hochgesang also gives various other pieces of useful information such as maps, parking areas, facilities, what you might see on a particular hike, area history, etc.

The book has 23 sections, each describing at least one place and the various trails (some sections describe several if they are close to each other). The book is slightly outdated, with the information being from around 1994. Despite this, it is still an excellent book to get acquainted with the various parks, forest preserves, and trailes in DuPage County, Illinois.

"Hiking and Biking in DuPage County, Illinois" is mostly a reference book. Located 25 miles west of Chicago in the midst of suburbia, DuPage County might not be where great hiking is expected, but Jim Hochgesang shows otherwise.

Hochgesang outlines the best features and reach of the Illinois Prairie Path, a 55+ mile network of almost paved paths within the forest preserves. It has the kind of information you'd find in pamphlets. The differences are that he writes well and it is all in one book. No need with to fumble through a satchel of flyers when you've got this book.

The IPP is a biker's dream, and many people use it to commute, circumventing traffic and enjoying the gorgeous northern Illinois outdoors. The forks and branches can take a traveler through some beautiful scenery and within blocks of most important western suburban locales.

He details the history of the paths, and the landmarks worth seeing. He gives us the gray tree frog in Waterfall Glen, Graue Mill at Fullersburg Woods, and Salt Creek in the Northeast Forest Preserve. He takes mile-by-mile down wooded lanes, and tells us the mileage for each link of the route.

A special chapter is devoted to the verdant Morton Arboretum, a treasure located in Lisle, Ill.

It needs an update, but the maps are still accurate. Many areas have seen changes, including the Arboretum, whose entrance area underwent a significant overhaul in the summer of 2003.

I have used it successfully to plan long bike trips and runs. If you run or bike, or like a leisurely autumn walk, and are thinking of finding out what DuPage offers, buy this book.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com