Masterplan & Bike Park | Chicago, Illinois

Big Marsh is the Chicago Park District’s new regional park. After the park district acquired the nearly 300-acre brownfield site from the City of Chicago, they turned to Hitchcock Design Group (HDG) to develop a site master plan. Numerous eco-recreation opportunities were planned for the site with a focus on the development of the premier regional bike park in the Midwest. Since then, HDG has led multi-disciplinary teams to prepare construction documents for multiple phases. Phase One included environmental remediation, a new entry drive, parking lot, event space, a trail system with overlooks, and a bike park. The bike park featured a cyclo-cross course, pump track, single track trails with elements, park plaza, a series of slope style lines, signage, and natural area restoration. Currently, HDG is overseeing the construction of a 3 mile trail network, entry plaza, pavilion, overlook, a campground, a bridge connecting the trail system, and the development of the “Big Hill” which is the expansion of the bike park being led by Friends of Big Marsh.