The Lakefront Trail follows Lake Michigan for most of the city's shoreline, with separate paths for people on bikes and on foot along much of it. From Ardmore Beach in Edgewater the route runs south past North Avenue Beach, Navy Pier, the skyline and Museum Campus, then on through Hyde Park to Rainbow Beach.
It's flat and almost entirely traffic-free, but the wind off the lake can be strong, and summer weekends get crowded near downtown. Early mornings are the best time to ride.
Turn-by-turn directions
Lakefront Trail10 yd0.0 mi
Enter roundabout50 yd0.0 mi
Exit roundabout onto Lakefront Trail0.9 mi0.0 mi
Bear right onto Lakefront Trail4.7 mi0.9 mi
Turn right onto Lakefront Trail130 yd5.7 mi
Turn left onto Lakefront Trail1.9 mi5.7 mi- Turn left onto Lakefront Trail Connector0.2 mi7.7 mi
- Turn left onto East Grand Avenue0.3 mi7.9 mi
- Turn right onto Entrance 170 yd8.2 mi
- Turn left onto Entrance 150 yd8.3 mi
Show all 39 turns
- Turn left onto East Grand Avenue0.3 mi8.3 mi
- Continue straight onto Lakefront Trail Connector130 yd8.6 mi
- Turn right onto Lakefront Trail Connector1.3 mi8.7 mi
- Turn right50 yd10.0 mi
- Turn left0.2 mi10.0 mi
- Turn left50 yd10.2 mi
- Turn right onto Lakefront Trail0.6 mi10.2 mi
Bear left onto Lakefront Trail0.5 mi10.9 mi- Turn right onto East Waldron Drive40 yd11.3 mi
- Turn right onto South Special Olympics Drive0.4 mi11.4 mi
- Turn right onto East Solidarity Drive0.2 mi11.8 mi
- Turn left onto South Linn White Drive40 yd12.0 mi
- Turn left onto East Solidarity Drive0.2 mi12.0 mi
- Turn right onto Service Road Shedd Acquarium80 yd12.2 mi
Turn around onto Service Road Shedd Acquarium80 yd12.2 mi- Turn right onto East Solidarity Drive0.5 mi12.2 mi
- Turn left onto East Waldron Drive50 yd12.7 mi
- Turn right onto Lakefront Trail3.4 mi12.7 mi
- Bear left onto Lakefront Trail2.7 mi16.2 mi
- Turn left100 yd18.8 mi
- Turn left70 yd18.9 mi
- Turn right30 yd18.9 mi
- Turn around30 yd19.0 mi
- Turn left70 yd19.0 mi
- Turn right100 yd19.0 mi
- Turn left onto Lakefront Trail1.7 mi19.1 mi
- Turn right onto East 71st Street10 yd20.8 mi
- Turn left onto South South Shore Drive, US 410.6 mi20.8 mi
- Turn left onto East 76th Street130 yd21.4 mi
