The completion of the Washington Street and 75th Street intersection is a welcome relief to more than 60,000 drivers who travel through it on a daily basis. The intersection project also brings long-awaited benefits to bicyclists and pedestrians:  an underpass under 75th Street and another one under Washington Street.  This means that bicyclists can ride off-road on the DuPage River Trail from Burr Oak Park at 432 Villa Avenue, just south of downtown Naperville, to Whalon Lake Preserve at 1480 Royce Road, and can access east-west trail connections as well.

After attending the ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the Washington Street and 75th Street intersection and underpass on Monday, October 4, I was excited about the new trail connection between north and south Naperville and could hardly wait to hop on a bicycle and experience it myself.

Sunday afternoon of Columbus Day weekend was warm, sunny, and a perfect time to venture out on the new bicycle trails.  Bringing a camera to capture the beautiful fall colors, I decided to take photos at each park or point of interest along the way, so that others could see the picturesque scenery and perhaps be inspired to explore the trail as well.

On Segment 1 of the DuPage River Trail heading toward Pioneer Park    

   
Destination:  Whalon Lake                                                                 

The full set of photos can be viewed here.

Even on my simple, one-speed bicycle, the trail ride was easy and pleasant. Going out toward my destination (Whalon Lake), the ride seemed mostly downhill, and led me to believe that the ride back would be more of a struggle. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the ride back also seemed easy—a testimony to Illinois’ flat landscape!

The 12-mile ride to and from Whalon Lake took approximately 2 hours, with an additional 20 minutes for photos along the way. I must have seen over 200 people on the trail, including parents with strollers, families riding bicycles together, a couple on a tandem bicycle, walkers, runners, and owners and dogs, all quietly enjoying the beautiful fall day.