Dear Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail, 

The story of the Bloomingdale Trail is one of transformation. What began as a freight railroad after the Great Chicago Fire was first elevated and later reborn as a multiuse greenway. Since it opened in 2015, we’ve watched the Trail’s foliage transform from rather bare to lush. There are seasonal transformations too. The annual crescendo of nature takes us from the frozen ground of February to the crocuses pushing up through the snow, then giving way to purple redbuds, tasty serviceberries, billowing smokebush and sumac’s orange cones, until the leaves begin to change color and drop in the fall. As a regular trail walker and biker, noticing these changes means that I never set foot on the same trail twice (to borrow a phrase from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus).

And as much as the Bloomingdale Trail changes physically, it’s also a site of personal transformation. It’s a place where friends reconnect on long walks and families build memories. As for me, I just started training for the 4th Annual Bloomingdale Trail Run, jogging on the blue strips. I’ll be ready by August 12th and hope few hundred neighbors will join me.

This month we’re also transforming the Bloomingdale Trail website with its first new look in about a decade. There’s also a new Bloomingdale Trail Map, our first since well before the trail existed as a trail. It’s got so many details that can make your visit more enjoyable, from how to get up and down to the all-important publicly accessible bathrooms!

Trails like Bloomingdale have the power to transform. How will it transform you?

Look up! It’s the Bloomingdale Trail.

Ben