The Bloomingdale Trail is one of only a handful of innovative projects in the world that creates new open space in a dense urban neighborhood on abandoned elevated rail lines. Only the second project of its type in the nation and the first in Chicago, the trail runs from the Chicago River to Ridgeway Avenue. Design and engineering are underway on this 2.8-mile linear park located on an above-grade right-of-way on Chicago’s northwest side.

Trail access facilities that double as neighborhood parks are being acquired and developed along the route, and fund raising is ongoing. This adaptive re-use of industrial infrastructure takes a pioneering approach to the Green Legacy goal of expanding neighborhood green space that will provide recreation, off-road connections across neighborhoods with non-motorized transportation and an “escape to nature” in the heart of the city. Partners in the project include the Trust for Public Land, City of Chicago and the Friends of Bloomingdale Trail.

For a print-friendly fact sheet on the Bloomingdale Trail, click here.