The North Shore Line's Mundelein Branch diverted from the Shore Route at Lake Bluff, and turned west to cross under the Chicago & North Western line. View is looking northwest.
Looking east along the Mundelein Branch in Lake Bluff, a short distance west of the junction with the Shore Route. Tracks had also diverged off to the left here towards the "West Line", heading north towards North Chicago. Those tracks carried trains heading to and from the Skokie Valley Route.
The North Shore Line's "West Line" paralleled on the west side of the Chicago & North Western line from Lake Bluff to North Chicago. The original Shore Route, or "East Line", paralleled east of the C&NW over this segment. The "West Line" was not made into a path, but the right of way is visible in this scene in Lake Bluff, looking north. The "West Line" was used by Skokie Valley Route trains.
South Upton was where the Mundelein Branch crossed the Chicago & North Western (now Union Pacific) freight line. View is looking east.
Rondout is best known to today's railfans as the crossing between Metra's Milwaukee District North Line and the Elgin Joliet and Eastern, and the junction where the Metra branch line to Fox Lake diverges from the CP Rail former Milwaukee Road main line to Milwaukee. Rondout is also where the North Shore Line's Mundelein Branch crossed over those lines on bridges, and new bridges were constructed for the path. It is difficult to leave the path, and good photos are difficult to take of the right of way. This view is looking southeast over the former Milwaukee Road, a crossover switch is visible. Also visible is a foundation of the original North Shore Line bridge.
Typical view of the Mundelein Branch right of way through Libertyville.
Within Mundelein, much of the North Shore right of way has not been preserved. The "for sale" sign indicates that preservation of this segment is unlikely.
A good way to walk this segment is to ride the Metra/Union Pacific North Line to Lake Bluff and walk west. One can access the path in Mundelein but the path is somewhat more difficult to find there. On a weekday, one can walk between the Mundelein Metra station and this segment. Mundelein is also served by the Pace #572 bus route. Libertyville is at the mid-point of this segment, and Metra Milwaukee District North Line trains stop a half mile north of the path, on Milwaukee Avenue.