• Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • Explore Chicago
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

The Local Tourist

Experience the fascination of a tourist; Feel the comfort of the local

  • Travel the U.S.A.
    • The Midwest
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Missouri
      • Nebraska
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
    • The South
      • Arkansas
      • Mississippi
      • North Carolina
      • Oklahoma
      • Texas
    • The West
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • Utah
      • Wyoming
  • Travel Tips
    • Travel Now
  • Road Trips
    • Two Lane Gems
  • Cultural Travel
    • Arts and Culture
    • Attractions
    • Food and Drink
    • History
    • People
    • Roadside Attractions
  • Great Outdoors
    • Camping
    • Hiking and Active Travel
    • U.S. National Parks
  • Shop TLT
    • Travel Two Lane Gems
  • Travel the U.S.A.
    • The Midwest
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Missouri
      • Nebraska
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
    • The South
      • Arkansas
      • Mississippi
      • North Carolina
      • Oklahoma
      • Texas
    • The West
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • Utah
      • Wyoming
  • Travel Tips
    • Travel Now
  • Road Trips
    • Two Lane Gems
  • Cultural Travel
    • Arts and Culture
    • Attractions
    • Food and Drink
    • History
    • People
    • Roadside Attractions
  • Great Outdoors
    • Camping
    • Hiking and Active Travel
    • U.S. National Parks
  • Shop TLT
    • Travel Two Lane Gems
  • Contact
  • Work with TLT
  • Travel Writing
#BikeMC Bike Sharing in McHenry County, Illinois

Bike Sharing in McHenry County

Get on their bikes and ride! Explore McHenry County’s miles of trails with a county-wide bike sharing service.

June 15, 2019 //  by Theresa Goodrich//  1 Comment

6shares

Chicago has Divvy. Milwaukee has Bublr. And now, McHenry County has Zagster.

With a population of just above 300,000 spread out over 611 square miles, you might not expect to find bike sharing in McHenry County. However, the region is known for its outdoor beauty and is home to more than 45 miles of trails. Bike sharing makes it easier for residents and visitors to enjoy all of those great outdoors.

McHenry County’s bike sharing system works similarly to systems in larger communities. Bikes are stored at docks and users pay for their use by downloading an app. In this case, it’s the Zagster app (Android | Apple).

Zagster bike sharing in McHenry County Illinois
Zagster bike dock

The app will pinpoint where available bikes are located. When you indicate you want to take a ride, you’ll get a number which you then match to the number on the bike. Once you select it, the lock opens automatically and you can remove the cable.

While you’re out and about, you can make quick stops by connecting the cable to a bike rack and putting the bike on hold. When you’re done for the day, return the bike to any Zagster dock and tap “End Rental” in the app.

Easy as riding a bike.

Ribbon cutting ceremony for #BIKEMC
Ribbon cutting ceremony for #BIKEMC

What’s also easy is paying for the bikes. An annual membership is a measly $25 a year.

A YEAR.

With your membership, you can ride for two hours every single day. Want to go for a longer ride? Add half an hour for $1. Decide to linger over lunch at Duke’s in Crystal Lake and then trek to Woodstock to see the Opera House? It’ll only cost $16 for the entire day.

It’s a big city amenity with small town pricing.

Making bike sharing in such distant areas a reality was an intense and coordinated effort among towns and local businesses, but they thought it was important to provide an alternative to car commuting and to encourage tourism in this beautiful area.

Each Zagster bike has a basket to make errands and shopping easier.
Each Zagster bike has a basket to make errands and shopping easier.

So where can you ride?

You can ride to Quarry Cable Park for some wakeboarding, or take a calmer ride on the water in a kayak or canoe at Three Oaks Recreation Area. Maybe you want to chill out on the beach at Crystal Lake, or stroll the square in Woodstock.

You can also hit the trail. The longest trail in the county is the McHenry County Prairie Trail. It’s 26 miles in length, extending from the county line in Algonquin to the Wisconsin border.

The Prairie Trail’s southern point connects with the Fox River Trail, which means an avid cyclist could ride all the way from Aurora into the land of New Glarus and cheese curds.

TLTip: there’s a gas station just inside Wisconsin that stocks Spotted Cow AND has an amazing ice cream shop!

If you prefer to stay this side of the border, you could pick up the Hebron Trail in Richmond.

It’s up to you.

If you want to test it out, use code freebikemc for your first 30-minutes free. At just $25 for the year, though, it’d be silly not to sign up. My husband and I have our own bikes, but we signed up for memberships so visiting guests can ride with us.

Now let’s go for a ride, shall we?

Bike Sharing in McHenry County Map

There are thirty bikes at six docking stations: one each in Richmond and McHenry and two each in Woodstock and Crystal Lake.

Here’s a map of the six docks in McHenry County. If more docks are added, I’ll update the map.

Want to save this for later? Pin it!

  • McHenry County, Illinois, has miles of trails, and now you can bike them with #BIKEMC
    McHenry County, Illinois has miles of trails, and now you can bike them with #BIKEMC
  • McHenry County has miles of trails, and now you can bike them with #BIKEMC
    McHenry County, Illinois has miles of trails, and now you can bike them with #BIKEMC
6shares

Category: Hiking and Active Travel, IllinoisTag: McHenry County

Related Stories

Highland Restaurant and Lounge 289 at Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa, photo credit Jim Goodrich

Fresh Air and Fine Feasting at Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa

Wayside exhibit and billboard at the Dwight Illinois Visitor Center on Route 66

An Illinois Road Trip Adventure: Route 66

Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 17 – The Singing Road and Stuff Carved Into Rocks

Spumoni Bomba at 750 Cucina Rustica

Dig Into Delicious with McHenry County Restaurant Week

Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk

Hiking Indiana Dunes National Park

Flowers at Woodstock Farmers Market

Why McHenry County is the Perfect Place to be a Local Tourist

City of Elgin

Take a Photo Walk of Elgin Public Art

Pastries from Cafe Revive in Elgin, Illinois

An Epicurean Exploration of Elgin Illinois

Oak tree in Pleasant Valley Conservation Area in McHenry County Illinois

How to do a 30 Day Nature Challenge

Kayaking on the Lower Salt River

Horses & Herons & Swallows, oh my! What it’s like to Kayak Salt River

View of Sugar Creek from Suspension Bridge

Hiking the Priceless Turkey Run State Park

Massive tree at Gabis Arboretum in Valparaiso Indiana

A Day at Gabis Arboretum

Previous Post: «Looking for the best places to camp in the Midwest? Camping at Horse Thief Campground near Mount Rushmore in South Dakota Best Places to Camp in the Midwest
Next Post: Horses & Herons & Swallows, oh my! What it’s like to Kayak Salt River Kayaking on the Lower Salt River»

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. 31 Things You Must Do Before the Summer Ends in Chicagoland and Beyond - O the Places We Go says:
    August 2, 2019 at 8:12 am

    […] Get on your bike! Explore your neighborhood or go on a new trail. Option include the Fox River Bike Trail with many of the family-friendly stops like Van’s Ice Cream and Dairy Queen. The Prairie Trail in McHenry County is also a fantastic option. It would be a great way to test out one of the new bikes from their latest bike sharing initiative with Zagster.  […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Your Cart

  • Contact
  • Work with TLT
  • Travel Writing

Site Footer

Disclosure

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Privacy Policy

© 2021 · The Local Tourist · Experience the fascination of a tourist; feel the comfort of the local