Lakefront Trail Map and Mile Markers: Landmarks from Ardmore to 71st Street

The Lakefront Trail reads two ways: by park section, on the Park District’s maps, and by mile marker, in running guides. This page lays them side by side. More routes sit in Routes & Trails.

The grid and the length

The trail is wholly inside the city limits and spans 7100 South to 5800 North on the Chicago address grid². The Park District puts the trail at 18 miles¹. Intersections along it are clearly signed for path users and motorists².

Park District sections

The Park District breaks the trail into segment maps, north to south¹:

Park	Segments
Lincoln Park	Ardmore to Montrose, Montrose to Fullerton, Fullerton to North, North to Oak, Oak to Ohio1
Grant Park	Chicago River to Roosevelt Road1
Burnham Park	Roosevelt to 31st, 31st to 35th, 35th to 41st, 41st to 55th1
Jackson Park	55th to 71st Street1

The Park District also publishes a symbols guide to review before you ride¹.

Mile by mile, heading south

Runner’s World counts miles southbound from Osterman Beach, and describes markers every half-mile for 18 miles³. Great Runs counts from Edgewater Beach and splits the trail into three sections⁴.

Mile	Landmark	What to know
0	Osterman Beach	The official beginning of the path3
0.5	Foster Beach	Restrooms at the beach house3
1.5	Cricket Hill	The path’s steepest, if short, incline by the lake3
2	Montrose Harbor	A turn east leads to a gravel path beside a golf course and bird sanctuary3
5	Lincoln Park Zoo	Take care crossing Fullerton Parkway3
5.5	North Avenue Beach	Crossing point to the lake side3
6	Chess Pavilion	A cement pavilion in the center of the path3
6.5	Oak Street Beach	High winds send waves over the narrow path to the north3
7.5	Navy Pier	Indoor restrooms and water fountains3
9	Buckingham Fountain	Almost exactly the halfway point3
9.5	Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum	The Museum Campus3
10	Northerly Island	Split off just south of the Shedd for seclusion3
10.5	McCormick Place	The unofficial line between the busy north and the quiet south3
13	Parking lot	Easy to reach from Lake Shore Drive and rarely crowded3
14	47th Street Hill	A slight incline, one of the few in the city3

Three sections

Great Runs divides the trail by character⁴:

• North, miles 0 to 7, Edgewater Beach to Navy Pier. Less crowded, with a gravel running path in parts⁴.
• Downtown, miles 7 to 11, Navy Pier to McCormick Place. Lots of sights, but crowded on a nice day⁴.
• South, miles 11 to 18, McCormick Place to Rainbow Beach Park⁴.

Access points

Underpasses, bridges and highway crossings control access, and a first-time visitor can get stuck⁵. The Park District publishes a map of designated access points⁵. From the Loop, the common entrances are Ohio Street Beach Riverwalk, Navy Pier, Ohio Street Beach, the entrances along Grant Park and the Museum Campus⁵. Public restrooms stand at beaches and harbors, including 63rd Street Beach, Promontory Point, 31st Street Beach, North Avenue, Fullerton and Belmont Harbor⁵.

Repairs on the south end

The Park District announced repairs on 9/14/26, beginning at 6300 south and working north one section at a time to Foster Avenue¹. Riders are asked to avoid active construction work zones¹. Need a bike for the day? See bike rental on the Lakefront Trail, and read best bike rides in Chicago for what to ride next.