Does anyone run on the Lake Shore Trail? (Chicago, Irving: live, safe)

[scl114]

Question for those who visit the lakefront to exercise, but live more west-

Do you drive there, and park your car? Are there places to park? Where exactly does it begin and where are the best distances to run?

Thanks!

[ChiNaan]

When I lived outside of the city I used to park on the South Side (Hyde Park-ish) and bike up to the far north side and back. I always found free parking down south, even on nice weekend days. The path runs nearly the full length of the city.

Of course, you could also take public transportation to downtown and take the path either direction from there.

You can find maps and everything else you could possibly want to know about it with a google search.

[Slanderous]

Last time I was in Chicago I ran from around Grand to the Belmont red line station. That was about 5 miles and it wasn't too hard, although I'm not sure if I could run that now. I liked running south from downtown because the foot and bike traffic was much less.

[chet everett]

Lakefront parking meters: Chicago Park District to start charging for scenic parking spots - Chicago Tribune

Going on four years ago ...

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

When I lived outside of the city I used to park on the South Side (Hyde Park-ish) and bike up to the far north side and back. I always found free parking down south, even on nice weekend days. The path runs nearly the full length of the city.

Of course, you could also take public transportation to downtown and take the path either direction from there.

You can find maps and everything else you could possibly want to know about it with a google search.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Lakefront parking meters: Chicago Park District to start charging for scenic parking spots - Chicago Tribune

Going on four years ago ...

Evidently I chose non-scenic parking spots.

[dewthedru]

i like parking at the park at LSD and Irving Park Road. As far as best distances, I think that's up to you & your training plan. When training for the marathon I run from that parking lot down to the McCormick convention center, and then back up north to the beginning of the trail.

I generally run at night and have always felt safe on the path.

[Lookout Kid]

Safety issues on the path are more due to congestion, and not any sort of violent attacks. It can get pretty hairy in the summer months as walkers, joggers, bladers, bikers, and beach goers all share the path. There was a segment on WTTW a few years ago that documented the high number of emergency room visits from lake shore path accidents. Some are quite serious.

I used to ride my bike to work nearly every day in the summer from roughly Irving Park Road south to River North (cutting through the park to get to Wells Street). I definitely had some close calls, even though I was very careful.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Safety issues on the path are more due to congestion, and not any sort of violent attacks. It can get pretty hairy in the summer months as walkers, joggers, bladers, bikers, and beach goers all share the path.

For sure. It's far worse on the North Side, too, which is another reason (besides parking) that I used to start my rides on the South Side. That way even if it got too congested up north to keep going, I could still get a halfway decent ride in.

[Jesse69]

Running / walking is a poor man's sport. Get a good road bike to workout and you will not blow out your knees or hips from too much running. I bike from North Ave & Western to Olive Park to start my LSD workout.

[BRU67]

All the time. I usually park at Montrose and run or ride south. Plenty of parking over there.