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The Skokie Valley Trail is a rail-trail that is a total of 25-mile-long (40 km).[1] It's a partial shared-use path for walking, jogging, skateboarding, and cycling.
| Skokie Valley Trail | |
|---|---|
| Length | 25 miles (40 km) |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois US |
| Trailheads | Dempster-Skokie Station, Oakton-Skokie Station, Lincolnwood, Lake Forest, Illinois, Northbrook, Illinois, Highland Park, Illinois |
| Use | Cycling, skateboarding, personal transporter, and pedestrians |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Season | Limited access during winter |
| Trail map | |
 Northern Branch
Southern Branch | |
The trail currently has two sections, the first is the north branch of the trail, which starts at Rockland Road in Lake Bluff and extends south to Lake Cook Road in Northbrook.[2][3] The southern portion of Skokie Valley Trail begins at Dempster-Skokie CTA Station and extends to Chicago city limits at Sauganash. It is a dedicated-use path, although frequent intersections do pose a threat to path users. These intersections are clearly signed both to path users and motorists.[4] The long-term goal is to join these two sections. The trail passes through the old Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad right-of-way. It also serves as a route for bicycle, skateboard and personal transporter commuters.
The Trail runs on the old Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad right-of-way. The Skokie Valley Route was constructed between 1923 and 1926, with the purpose of enabling high-speed limited-stop trains.[5] From 1925 to 1948, the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (and later the CTA) operated local rapid transit service over the Skokie Valley Route between Howard Street and Dempster Street in Skokie.[5] Susquehanna Corporation, a Delaware holding corporation formed in 1953,[6] moved to cut its losses; in 1958, the railroad filed with regulatory authorities to discontinue service. On May 17, 1962, the request was approved. The last day of service came on January 20, 1963. The Chicago Transit Authority purchased the portion of the Skokie Valley line between Howard Street and Dempster Street, Skokie, and in early 1964 obtained federal funding for what turned out to be the "Skokie Swift." In other places, parts of the North Shore right of way have been turned into recreational trails, such as the Green Bay Trail, as part of the rails to trails program.
Trail Improvements and Extensions
In 2016, Lincolnwood completed new segments of the Valley Trail which created a continuous trail south to LaBaugh Woods.[7]
In 2023, the Skokie Village announced plans to extend the Valley Line Trail from its current terminus at Dempster-Skokie Station to its northernmost village boundary at Old Orchard Road by the Old Orchard Mall. The result will be a continuous trail from the City of Chicago to the northern suburbs beyond Skokie via the North Branch Trail. The project is estimated to be completed by 2025.[8][9] In late 2023, the village of Skokie received a grant to complete land acquisition towards the project.[10]
There is an ongoing project in Northfield to connect the two disparate sections.[11]
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