This is the North Branch Trail south of where I started (off of Lake Ave near Glenview). This part of the trail was between the river, on the right in the photo above and a parking lot on the left but I do not remember the exact location of the photo. I was south of Lake Ave and north of Dempster.
I did this particular ride (in October) specifically to get the fall colors along the trail and as lucky since this was a fairly sunny day and the trees had plenty of color.
I walked over to the river (which was very close to the trail here) for a few photos of the fall colors and reflections in the river.
It is hard to explain how nice the central and southern sections of the North Branch Trail is at this time of year. I chose this part of the NBT since I knew it was very wooded and another cyclist on the trail told me how nice it was in the fall when I rode the trail in the summer.
This is a short leaf covered branch just off of the main NBT. There is actually a crushed stone path under the thick cover of leaves in the photo above.
It is not at all uncommon to see deer along the North Branch Trail. I actually saw 3 or 4 deer on this short ride alone. They don't seem to fear us humans in this area nearly as much as the deer on the bike trails in the other forest preserves that I have ridden in the area.
This is the Bent Tree where I came into Miami Woods, one of my favorite parts of the NBT. I hope that tree will stay standing (for another few 100 years or so...).
This is the part of the trail that is just north of Oakton Street when it intersects with Caldwell Ave. This is a very busy intersection but fortunately the bike path has a bridge over the highway. It always amazes me how quiet and peaceful it seems here when you are such a short distance from all the chaos.
Here's the photo tour of the North Branch Trail from Devon Avenue in Chicago to the northern end of the trail, at Dundee Road and then into the Chicago Botanic Gardens, from July, 2012.
The North Branch Trail Photo Page 1
The North Branch Trail Photo Page 2
The North Branch Trail Photo Page 3
The North Branch Trail Photo Page 4
The North Branch Trail Photo Page 5
The North Branch Trail Photo Page 6
Here are some Fall Photos of the North Branch Trail from Lake Street in Glenview to south to just past Touhy Ave near Park Ridge (from October 10, 2012):
The NBT Fall Photos 7 - Lake St. to Miami Woods < you are here
The NBT Fall Photos 8 - Miami Woods and back
Here's the GPS Map of the ride above.