Can long would it take to walk the length of Chicago and would it be safe to do so? (Evanston: neighborhoods, live)

[Sir_Osis_of_Deliver]

Hello All.

I am just curious as to know how long it would take to walk from the North to the South of Chicago. I know that Google maps give a feature as that allows you to get an estimate as to how long such a walk would take but it is not always accurate as far as i can tell.

Sorry for the typo in the title maybe someone could fix this for me?

[ChicagoMeO]

Pick a starting address. then and ending address, Google Map will calculate it for you.

You could try starting at the border of Evanston (Howard St) and ending at the border of 95th St (this is where i believe the suburbs begin and end along the lakefront area. If you walked along the lakefront I'd say this is the path I would take. Safe from cars and stop lights, safe enough for a pedestrian. Just don't text and walk, as people have fallen off into the lake Of course this is a kind of winding path, so its not a straight north to south walk but I think it may be your best scenic one.

Of course if you wanted a straight path, Western Ave goes all the way.

How long it will take you is depending on how fast you walk. It could take all day. Maybe even 2 days.

[ChicagoMeO]

I was thinking, if you take the lakefront path, the neighborhoods and people changes. Some people feel comfortable walking or not in those neighborhoods. I have driven down South Shore Drive all the way to Indiana, and I saw how the neighborhoods change both racially and with housing and environment. Some areas may not feel as safe as others, but thats up to you, I cannot recommend safety or not, as being in a car is just fine. If I were to walk, I'd feel pretty safe just following the lake front path from where Evanston ends on the north side near Howard and then following that path all the way south, as far as it will take you. when you need a break or dont want to go further, you can hop on a nearby bus. Just folow the lake on the lake side of Lake Shore Drive and then it will turn into South Shore Drive approx somewhere past McCormick Place.

[NARFALICIOUS]

According to Google maps, it would take 8 hours to walk from Western and Howard to Western and 119th. I would consider consider doing this walk in a group if possible and with someone carrying lol


Also 3MPH is a very doable walking speed and it's ~24 miles so I'm not sure why that wouldn't be accurate?

[Sir_Osis_of_Deliver]

Originally Posted by NARFALICIOUS

According to Google maps, it would take 8 hours to walk from Western and Howard to Western and 119th. I would consider consider doing this walk in a group if possible and with someone carrying lol


Also 3MPH is a very doable walking speed and it's ~24 miles so I'm not sure why that wouldn't be accurate?

Thanks for the reply

Maybe it is accurate. I have walked a few local paths and used Google maps to track the time and it has always been quite a bit off but i understand the walking speed can differ. Also i walk very small distances, nothing like the length of Chicago. I have never been to Chicago so i do not know exactly where the city limit extends to!

[eureka1]

The Halsted 8 bus gives a real overview of Chicago and would be more entertaining than walking.

[marothisu]

From border to border, Chicago is pretty big. There is an 18 mile long trail along the lake that covers most, but not all of Chicago. The starting point is about 7100 S, but along that path Chicago can go as far south as 135th or 140th st. That's basically another 7-9 miles on top of that. On the north, it stops at around 5800 N, and the city goes to around 7500 N, or another 2.5-3 miles.

If you walked at an average speed of 18 MPH through the lake front trail and took 2 hours of breaks, you could do that portion in 8 hours probably. If you started in an area like Hegewisch further south, that 7-9 miles would take you another 2.5 hours with 30 minutes work of break. Another 1.5 hours for the north thing and you're probably talking about 12 hours with around 3 hours work of breaks, and probably more like 14 hours total if you want to rest even better.

The part south of where the trail begins is pretty industrial, gritty, etc. I think during the day the lakefront areas would be fine on the south side, but of course anywhere in the city just remember to be aware of surroundings. You never know, but I think the trail is fine, honestly especially during the day.


This video may interest you a little bit. These guys biked the entire lakefront trail going to all 32 beaches in town. The first ones aren't on the lakefront trail for the record, but most beaches are accessible by it:
32 Chicago Beaches in 1 Day - YouTube

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by Sir_Osis_of_Deliver

Hello All.

I am just curious as to know how long it would take to walk from the North to the South of Chicago. I know that Google maps give a feature as that allows you to get an estimate as to how long such a walk would take but it is not always accurate as far as i can tell.

Sorry for the typo in the title maybe someone could fix this for me?

That's very ambitious.

Of course it could be done. People walk across the country! Google maps says 10 hrs from Hegwisch to Rogers Park, and it is usually pretty accurate--of course that doesn't take into account the fact that, unless you are a serious runner etc., you are going to get blisters that are going to stop you right in your tracks after about 2-3 hours.

If you do it, for safety, I would get to the lake front/lake front trail ASAP and stay on it until you reach the near South Side. Not the most interesting jaunt, but non-natives don't have much business just wandering around some of the far south side neighborhoods.

[Chicago87]

Take the red line to 35th, then walk down Halsted heading North until you reach Addison.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by marothisu

If you walked at an average speed of 18 MPH

I'd be a freak