Any good outdoor activities in Chicago? (Lincoln, Washington: fit in, rentals, house)

[dylan_505]

My wife and I are trying to decide if we want to move to Chicago or Seattle. We are living in NYC right now and are annoyed that a lot of the time you need to spend money to do things here in the city.

We aren't crazy outdoor people but are thinking if we live somewhere where there are more options then we will get out of the house a lot more. Chicago seems like a great transition from NYC but one thing keeping us away is the cold weather from November to April. Then on the other hand Seattle is a lot milder but is cloudy and overcast 6-8 months of the year which could get quite depressing.

We know that Seattle probably has a lot more outdoor activities then Chicago but can anyone give us any info on what there is to do outdoors in Chicago?

Thanks!

[ToriaT]

Biking, cross country skiing, going to beaches or pools, hiking on trails, ice skating in the winter. Chicago has a couple of really great ice skating parks. Some of the above are free and can be accessed at lakefront parks, or suburban parks or nature trails, such as the Prairie Path. You can also drive to neighboring states for recreation too,

[marothisu]

I'll try and break it down. A lot of stuff is in the summer, but there are winter activities too but not a ton then.

* Chicago has Lake Michigan, which is one of the largest lakes in the world. It's big enough where you wouldn't think it's a lake necessarily due to its size since you can't see the other side of it really. The other side is Michigan and even if you were 50 or more stories up along the lake, you still couldn't see the other side of it.

* There are around 30 beaches in Chicago, including a few right downtown. There are small waves actually, and it's not really the ocean, but still nice to have. Tons of people use some of the beaches and the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour even comes to North Avenue Beach. That beach has a lot of nets and a lot of people play out there.

* Lake Michigan has some "normal" activities on it like paddle boarding, jet skiing, sailing, etc. The Americas Cup for sailing is actually holding a qualifying event for the 2017 Americas Cup in Chicago on Lake Michigan next summer. Every summer there is also a sailing event which is the Race to Mackinac which is something like a 300 mile sailing race starting in Chicago and ending on Mackinac Island in Michigan. There are a lot of sailboats and boats in the city.

* There is an 18 mile long path along the lakefront that connects most of the beaches, but is used year round by many people for running, walking, and biking. It also runs through the largest park in town which is Lincoln Park.

* There is a river which goes from fairly far north in the city to all the way south (you could get to the Gulf of Mexico by this weirdly if you really wanted to), but also branches off and cuts through downtown (though so does part of the north and south branches) and connects to the lake. There is a riverwalk downtown which connects to the lake too. It has a few eateries on it, a City Winery, a small concert venue now, and kayak rentals. You can rent kayaks and canoes elsewhere on the river too, as well as boats.

* Last year a 2.7 mile long trail/park on an old elevated rail line called the 606, like the Hi Line, was completed (not downtown, but goes through a few of the trendier neighborhoods). It's more of a practical thing than the Hi Line as people use it for jogging, biking, roller blading, etc.

* There is a man made island near downtown (connects to the main land) as well called Northerly Island which recently completed a 40 acre park with a 5 acre lagoon. You can actually camp there.

* There are some long bike paths outside of the city like the Fox River Trail (40-45 miles long).

In the winter things do change obviously, though there's still things to do. Chicago is very flat, especially compared to the west coast which has mountains. There are ski areas not far away from Chicago in places like southern Wisconsin, though they won't compare to what you're going to find on the west coast for that.

In the city itself, there is some skating type of stuff like the skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park and the skating rink nearby at Millennium Park. Nobody really boats during the winter on Lake Michigan and the beaches are pretty empty for obvious reasons. People are still running and biking along the lake in the winter (especially marathon runners) but it's not as many as summer.

[nana053]

Outdoor ice rinks:

Ice Rinks | Chicago Park District

If there is snow, landscaping around Soldier Field (1410 S. Museum Campus Dr., soldierfield.net) has created a 33-foot sledding hill southeast of the stadium. The lighted spot is open daily until 11 p.m. for sledding, starting in December.

On free snowshoes borrowed from the park district, you can stomp around Northerly Island (1400 S. Lynn White Dr.; 312-745-2910, chicagoparkdistrict.com) now through February, as long as the snow is at least three inches deep.

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by dylan_505

My wife and I are trying to decide if we want to move to Chicago or Seattle. We are living in NYC right now and are annoyed that a lot of the time you need to spend money to do things here in the city.

We aren't crazy outdoor people but are thinking if we live somewhere where there are more options then we will get out of the house a lot more. Chicago seems like a great transition from NYC but one thing keeping us away is the cold weather from November to April. Then on the other hand Seattle is a lot milder but is cloudy and overcast 6-8 months of the year which could get quite depressing.

We know that Seattle probably has a lot more outdoor activities then Chicago but can anyone give us any info on what there is to do outdoors in Chicago?

Thanks!

I don't know Seattle that well but generally there is not a ton here outside of the usual city parks and beaches. Don't get me wrong; there are enough forest preserves, etc., in the burbs, but there aren't really what I would consider an overabundance of day/weekend trips in the Midwest, or at least this part of the Midwest, that the culture tends to be built around out west. The skiing tends to be abysmal and, obviously, there are no real mountains anywhere nearby.

That being said, I've often found that NYers/others are surprised (I have no idea why) at how big, beautiful and well-used the lake is. As others have noted the entire shoreline is public and in the summer/warm months, it's an absolutely gorgeous and indespensible resource. There is good fishing on the lake, sailing and all other forms of water recreation, as well as kayaking down the river.

Overall I think it's a really bike- and running friendly town. Chicagoans also tend to spend a ton of time outdoors in the summer at the dozens of street festivals throughout the city. There are also running races almost constantly.

So I would say it's about as good as possible given the geography.

[dexter1225]

I'd say go to Seattle.

The paths in the city are very crowded in the summer months - so much so that you won't be able to break a sweat until you get south of Soldier Field. The beaches are best on the east side of the lake so you'll have to drive at least an hour to find great, clean beaches (that's with no traffic). I'm glad everyone else agrees that skiing here is awful. Many of the "hills" are just old trash piles.

Yes, there is camping and numerous preserves in the suburbs, but really, how far does that get you into nature? The city light pollution stretches 60-90 miles in all directions.

And don't start thinking that Chicago is abundant with sunshine. It can be overcast and gloomy any day of the year.

If we weren't starting our own family and have some of our family nearby, we'd be in Seattle.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by dexter1225

The paths in the city are very crowded in the summer months - so much so that you won't be able to break a sweat until you get south of Soldier Field.

It actually depends on entirely where you are. If you are more north let's say around Edgewater, it's not nearly as true for what you say as downtown. Downtown the paths can for sure get crowded. If you're a serious runner/biker though, you can get around it by going earlier in the AM. I have a handful of friends who fit into this category and that's how they get around it.

It's kind of like the beaches - everyone knows they're crowded downtown, but go outside of downtown and North Avenue Beach and it's not even close to as true anymore. I'm always shocked at how un-crowded Montrose Beach is for example, though it's a pretty big beach.

The beaches are best on the east side of the lake so you'll have to drive at least an hour to find great, clean beaches (that's with no traffic). I'm glad everyone else agrees that skiing here is awful. Many of the "hills" are just old trash piles.

The skiing in southern Wisconsin is good for beginners or for someone who lives in the area and goes to real mountains a few times/year, but wants to just do some minor stuff one day. In my opinion at least. I have a friend and him and his wife are pretty avid snowboarders who go to Colorado a few times a year. They will go to southern Wisconsin (or some in northern Illinois) sometimes just to get it out of their system before they go to CO.

And don't start thinking that Chicago is abundant with sunshine. It can be overcast and gloomy any day of the year.

Agreed, but far less in the summer, and also far less than Seattle in general.

[steeps]

These were Pictures I took a couple years ago when I stayed north of downtown on a trip. This was near some beaches at Fullerton Ave. There is plenty of Parkland before you arrive at the Lakefront. But awesome on a beautiful day. Weekends will be the most busy and most boaters in the Lake.

I read the city added a 6-acre additional park by here. Needing to brace the lake-wall. Also Lake Michigan is at a HISTORIC ALL TIME HIGH. Creating higher risk of lakefront damage in storms and beach erosion sadly....


LAGOON IN PARK ON THE WAY TO SHORELINE AT FULLERTON AVE......


THEN YOU HIT THE SHORE AND FULL OF LIFE ....








Looking over the North Shore of Chicago. Over huge Lincoln Park and Shoreline.


Overlooking Downtown with a unfinished Northerly Island mentioned in the thread on right....

[deg23]

There are many forest preserves in cook county and Indiana dunes is also a short train ride away if you live downtown or on the south lakefront. The parks are really great for exploring esp. Jackson, Lincoln, Humboldt, Washington and some pretty awesome cemeteries like graceland and oak woods

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by steeps

These were Pictures I took a couple years ago when I stayed north of downtown on a trip...

Looking over the North Shore of Chicago. Over huge Lincoln Park and Shoreline.


Overlooking Downtown with a unfinished Northerly Island mentioned in the thread on right....

The only photo that loads for me appears to have been taken from a helicopter that was over the lake SE of the Loop...