About Bicycles Online > Bicycle Touring and Trails > Bike Lanes through Aurora
The Bike Lanes through Aurora are now complete! This is a welcome connection of the Fox River Trail North of Aurora to the FRT South of Aurora. The ride from Algonquin to Oswego just got a lot easier.
The photos below should give you a good look at the bike lanes and some information on getting through Aurora and continuing on the Fox River Trail either north or south.
This is where the Bike Lanes go over part of the Fox River, on North Avenue in Aurora to Hurds Island. The photo is facing southeast and you go to the right to get to Hurds Island and back on to the Fox River Trail going south.
The bike lanes are Bright Green and easy to follow.
There is an old left over sign on the right in the photo above about walking your bikes on the bridge sidewalk. I think this was from before the bike lanes were made.
Heading north after the bridge on North Avenue you take the trail along River Street as shown above. This is the main north, south section of the bike lanes. As you can see there is a nice curb separating the bike lanes from motor vehicle traffic.
The photo above is a little further north on River Street. In this photo you can see how the parking on this road is also separated from the bike trail. The white car is parked to the left of the bike lanes.
From River Street, heading north, you take a right on to Downer Place as you can see above. It's pretty hard not to notice where the bright green lanes go.
You only go on Downer place a very short distance to Hoyt. This is where the bike lanes end at Waubonsee College. I'm not sure if there is a sign for Hoyt Place but it is the brick road at Waubonsee College (in the photo below).
You take this road a short distance, stay to the right and you get back on the the Fox River Trail at Hollywood Casino. This is a pretty nice area and you have the dams along the trail here too.
The photo above is actually from the Virgil Gilman Trail photo tour but it shows where the Virgil Gilman Trail crosses the Fox River.
If you want to continue your ride south to Oswego, after going through Aurora, then you will want to double back on to this bridge and cross the Fox River to get to the east side of the river to go to Oswego.
If you want to continue south to Oswego then you will want to take the Virgil Gilman Trail over the Fox River to get to the east side of the river after you go through Aurora.
So reverse that when heading north from Oswego through Aurora. That is, get on the Virgil Gilman Trail where it crosses the Fox River then back on the the FRT heading north on the west side of the river.
Take the Bike Lanes through town then turn left at Waubonsee College where the bike lanes end to get back on to the FRT at Hollywood Casino.
Here's the Garmin GPS Map of our ride from St. Charles to and through Aurora. When you zoom way in you can see where we crossed the Fox River on the VGT to get to the east side of the river as we headed south.
We took a few wrong turns and I visited my parents cemetery before heading back so that is why the GPS route wanders around after crossing the river.
Here's the Google Maps view of the Fox River Trail on both sides of Aurora.
Fox River Trail Bike Lanes through Aurora < you are here
Here are some ride reports and photos of the Fox River Trail and Virgil Gilman Trail.
Photos © Copyright Rob Chapman, about-bicycles.com.