You have got to be kidding me :-O I live just south of Yorkhouse and just east of Greenbay. Where in Zion do you live? There a couple of areas in Zion/ W-Harbor to ride. I and my friends have managed to make it from where I live to the Northshore trail just south of 9th street. There's also a couple of "tracks" around. I have seen the sites on how the public atv areas are funded but I have never been able to figure out what happened to the funds or the areas. My next adventure is to make it all the way to the lake [yeah the big one just north east of us] and do a little sand riding. Just by using guesses and estimates I'd say there are at least 100 people in this area that use the unmarked trails/ RR tracks/ powerlines around here. I ride a 99 banshee, my friend and his wife have a 2000 Tblazer and a 99 warrior. I just sold my wifes 98 tblazer and we're gonna get her a 2000 from another friend who wants a 4x4. Junior has an atc90, like i used to have, that we're fixing up. Almost every time I/we go out we meet 2,3,4 more people and have never met the same ones twice![thus my 100 person estimat] Over the winter my friend and I went out at about 10:30 pm and rode till about 1:00 am and found people out all over. It was great. You may want to do a seach on this forum using my name as a search word for a posting I made on "Illinois ATV law". In a nut shell it says we can ride the shoulders and cross streets as long as it is at the shortest angle possible. ie straight across and not down the road across. My friend and I have been stopped at yorkhouse and the tracks waiting for the train to go by and a cop was stopped there too. not even a word. I don't even think we had helmets on [because we didn't own any yet]. All in all it's OK to ride around here but you just gotta wonder where the money's goin'. The email address on this profile is wrong so if you want to email me do so at
runnvs1@peoplepc.com
or post here.
Maybe I'll get to talk to you in person some time soon.
dave AKA Holyman

 

2001RancherES, I've tried a couple of times to email you but it never goes thru.
To answer your ?'s... it IS ILLEGAL to ride on the Northshore trail with motorized vehicles BUT it is done quite frequently. I don't think it is a problem if you don't ride on the gravel part.
Email me again with your email address maybe we can get together to ride.