Fox River Trail: Route, Towns, Surface and How to Ride It

The Fox River Trail is the river ride beyond the city limits. It follows the water through a chain of river towns and forest preserves. It belongs among the Routes & Trails that reward a train ride out of town.

What the trail is

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County calls it the most recognized trail system in the county³. The district puts the length at 43 miles of biking, hiking and cross-country skiing³. Other sources count from just over 38 to 45.7 miles^1,2.

The path is rail-trail. It was built on stretches of three former railroads: Chicago, Aurora & Elgin; Aurora, Elgin & Fox River Electric; and Chicago & North Western³. Old rail beds mean long sections with little grade and wide curves, while the purpose-built sections sit closer to the river¹.

The route, north to south

The trail connects Algonquin, Carpentersville, Dundee, Elgin, South Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora, Aurora, Montgomery and Oswego¹.

Section	What to know
Algonquin to Elgin	Starts at the McHenry County line1
South of Elgin	About 3.5 miles on, the trail crosses the river on a bridge built along the original 1896 piers2
South Elgin	An electric trolley runs at the Fox River Trolley Museum2
St. Charles to Geneva	South of St. Charles the route runs beside Route 25 on the east bank or Route 31 on the west1
Batavia to North Aurora	The trail splits and runs along both sides of the river1
Aurora	Both sides of the river for about a mile, between East Illinois Street and East New York Street2
Oswego	Southern end at Washington Street and South Harrison Street2

The river crossings matter. The trail uses at least six bridges, some built only for bikes and pedestrians³. The path runs on both banks in places, so a wrong turn is easy³. Signage is good in most parts. Carry a map on a longer ride³.

Surface and hazards

The district calls the path paved, and warns it can be challenging at times³. TrailLink lists asphalt, concrete and crushed stone². The dedicated-use sections are asphalt¹. A few portions cross intersections or run on public streets, so this is not a continuous car-free path¹. Slow down at every crossing.

A 1-mile gap in Aurora closed in 2016 with a protected bike lane¹.

Stops worth the detour

Fox River Shores, Carpentersville. A one-mile waterfront that opened in 1988⁴. The Fox River Bike Trail runs the length of the property⁴. The trail here began in 1988, after the Chicago & North Western spur was abandoned⁴.

Fabyan Forest Preserve, Geneva. Thousands of people jog and bike its trails and cross the river on its bridge⁶. The preserve holds the Fabyan Villa Museum, the Japanese Tea Garden and the Fabyan Windmill⁶. The windmill is Dutch in style, dates to the 1850s, and was moved to the river and refurbished in 1914¹.

Les Arends Forest Preserve, Batavia. It protects over 3,600 feet of Fox River shoreline, and the paved regional trail runs its full length⁵. It has parking, picnic shelters and restrooms⁵.

Batavia Depot Museum. The west-side trail follows the former Chicago & North Western right of way past it¹.

Montgomery Dam. Four miles from the southern end, a popular fishing spot and one of 13 dams on the river².

Hudson Crossing Park, Oswego. Along the river, it has playgrounds, picnic areas, benches, restrooms and drinking fountains².

Forest preserve land opens daily from sunrise to sunset⁶.

Connecting trails

The trail meets the Illinois Prairie Path in four places: Elgin, Geneva, Batavia and Aurora¹. The Prairie Path’s own count agrees that it intersects the Fox River Trail four times⁷. See the Illinois Prairie Path guide to extend a ride east toward Wheaton. In St. Charles the Great Western Trail joins¹, and in Algonquin the Prairie Trail does¹.

The Algonquin-to-Elgin stretch is part of the Grand Illinois Trail¹. For a longer day, pair this ride with the I&M Canal State Trail.

Getting there from Chicago

Oswego is 50 miles west of Chicago². Metra allows bikes on all trains, either in the priority seating areas of ADA railcars or in marked bike spaces⁸. Space goes first come, first served⁸. Read the Metra bike rules before you board. For the wider list of rides, start from best bike rides in Chicago.