Montrose Point

Can you believe this is in Chicago?

Just because I let months go by before posting my last installment of Chicago Parks, doesn't mean I have to let months go by before posting the next one. I am working on some other posts, but this is fresh in my mind, and, at any rate, ever so germane to a summer's day...

So the topic: Montrose Point. Also the intended topic of this post, at a time when it was rather less inviting...

In the downward arc of summer, however, it's an amazing place. The nature sanctuary certainly wasn't overrun by birds that day as it's not exactly the right season, but the fields of wildflowers were enough in themselves to make it awesome. The fields of wildflowers in the sanctuary are traversed by a maze of trails that turn back on themselves, so that I never knew where I was. It also made it seem like a very big area, which was nice because it wasn't just one little point right in the middle where you felt like you were away from it all. It was a very nice place to meander, enjoy the fresh air, and watch for butterflies, which were abundant.









Going north from the nature sanctuary there is a nice large beach. On this particular day there was a strong wind, so the water was choppy and not great for swimming. In fact, the lake was blown half way up the beach which was kind of funny - half the beach became like one big tidal pool, which was fine for wading and splashing your friends, which many people were.


Trespassing lake


Windsurfers

The lake proper was beset with whitecaps, but I guess that made it a good day for windsurfing or this thing:



Which on further research I find is quite appropriately known as kiteboarding. It seemed like a very easy way to get blown away and die, too, but there must be safety mechanisms for that. Right?

North of that beach is a dog beach, which is kind of fun. It's a fenced off beach where dog owners can unleash their pets and let them run free without worrying about troubling other beach goers. The dogs were mostly going crazy with the fun of it, which is a fun thing to watch for a few minutes.

North of there the lake front becomes rocky, with a nice tree lined trail stretching along it.



I followed that until I got to another beach and figured that's an exploration for another day. And since I had parked* over by the nature sanctuary I turned around and enjoyed it all again on my way back.

All-in-all, Montrose point/beach = one of my favorites.




*I borrowed my roommate's car since she was out of town. As per google maps, estimated time for me to CTA it to this location would be roughly an hour.