MAJOR TAYLOR TRAILKEEPERS RIDE

Registration • Routes • Places We Pass Through • Route Profile Data • Updates

Registration

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE 2021 MAJOR TAYLOR CHICAGO TRAIL KEEPERS RIDE!

Routes

The event consists of three doubleback routes centered around a central rest stop location at Whistler Woods Forest Preserve. One route follows the Major Taylor Trail north, one route goes west following the Cal Sag Trail and the other one goes southeast to Major Taylor's gravesite. All routes are fully paved (no dirt or gravel surfaces) and primarily follow low travelled residential streets as much as possible when they do not follow bike paths. The average distance of each ride segment on these routes is 13.0 miles and no ride segment is significantly longer or shorter than any other one - they are all about the same length.

• Click Here for the general route and rest stop locations overlaid on satellite imagery.

There are two additional rest stops located mid-route (not at the end) on the Cal Sag Trail and Major Taylor Gravesite routes. You can either turn around at these rest stop locations or continue on to ride additional mileage.

By combining these different route options there are many different possible route distances available (up to 90.9 miles total). Participants will be able to ride as much or as little as they want, allowing riders of all ability levels to participate in the event.

This event is perfect for riders who prefer flat riding and do not want hills. The terrain is entirely flat and the only hills are overpasses over highways and railroad tracks. In addition, since each loop begins and ends at the central rest stop location the net elevation gain and net grade for every possible ride is zero. Every foot you pedal up you'll be able to ride back down!

All routes will open at 7:00 am and close at 4:00 pm.

• Click Here for more information about the types of roads the route will follow.
• Click Here for more information about our riding policies and procedures.

Initial Check-In
All participants should initally arrive at at Whistler Woods rest stop location to park your car, officially check in, and receive all of your registration materials.

Central Rest Stop, Starting, Ending, and Parking Location Whistler Woods Forest Preserve Grove 2 735 W. 134th St. Riverdale, IL 60827

Major Taylor Trail Route
The Major Taylor Trail route is a 15.6 mile loop (7.8 miles each way) along the entire The Major Taylor Trail. This route consists of both fully off road paved bike paths and also riding on the beautiful residential streets of the Beverly neighborhood.

Cal Sag Trail Route
This route follows the existing Cal-Sag Trail to the west and has a mid-route rest stop at the Cal Sag Trail parking area in Palos Hills.

The Cal Sag Trail parking area is 12.7 miles from Whistler Woods. Past the rest stop the route continues to follow the Cal-Sag Trail until it turns around at the SAG Quarries forest preserve for a 11.7 mile round trip. So this route can be either 25.4 or 37.1 miles.

From Whistler Woods to Alsip (6.6 miles) the route primarily follows low travelled residential roads and from Alsip to SAG Quarries (12.0 miles) it is entirely on a fully paved bike path.

Because the rest stop closes at noon, this route will close soon after. We highly recommend any rider that wants to ride this route do it first so they can complete it before it closes.

Cal Sag Trail Route Rest Stop Cal Sag Trail Parking Area 8600 Calumet Sag Rd. Palos Hills, IL 60465 12.5 miles from Whistler Woods 11.7 mile round trip to SAG Quarries (optional) This rest stop will close at 1:00 pm.

Major Taylor Gravesite Route
This route goes to Major Taylor's gravesite in Glenwood and has a mid-route rest stop at the Lansing Woods Forest Preserve in Lansing.

The Lansing Woods rest stop is 12.1 miles from Whistler Woods. Past the rest stop the route continues to Major Taylor's gravesite for 7.0 miles (14.0 miles round trip). So this route can be either 24.2 or 38.2 miles.

From Whistler Woods to Calumet City (7.5 miles) the route primarily follows low travelled residential roads. It then follows the fully paved Burnham Greenway Trail for 3.1 miles, safely crossing under I-80, to Lansing Woods primarily on low travelled residential roads for 1.7 miles more. From Lansing Woods the route follows the fully paved Thorn Creek Trail for 6.3 miles then follows Glenwood Thornton Road for 0.7 miles into the cemetery and Major Taylor’s gravesite.

Major Taylor Gravesite Route Rest Stop Lansing Woods Grove 1 Lansing, IL 60438 (800) 870-3666 12.0 miles from Whistler Woods 13.9 mile round trip to the Major Taylor gravesite (optional) This rest stop will close at 3:00 pm.

Major Taylor Gravesite Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens (South) 18301 Glenwood-Thornton Road Glenwood, IL (708) 758-5663 Hours: Open until 4:00 pm 13.9 miles (round trip) from Lansing Woods

Places We Pass Through

The event will touch 13 incorporated communities over all the routes. Communities in bold indicate rest stop locations.

Route Profile Data

Note that the posted route data may not correlate exactly to the actual route you will ride due to reroutes necessary within one month of the event.

Each Ride Segment

Ride Segment Summary

Recommended Routes
Here are our recommendations on how to combine different route segments into some standard cycling distances:

Updates

Major Taylor Trailkepers Ride Specific Updates for the 2021 Season

8/19/21

• The event will now start directly from Whistler Woods and will no longer start from the parking lot at 115th and Halsted. Accordingly, all parking will be at Whistler Woods.
  • The Major Taylor Trail Route will now follow the entire Major Taylor Trail, not just the segment from 115th and Halsted to Whistler Woods.

2/26/21

• Initial web page posted!

General Updates

• Click Here for updates to our general policies and procedures for all events.