The River Trail Stops at Belmont. A November Open House Asks What Comes Next.

Where does a run along the North Branch go once it reaches Belmont Avenue? Heading north, it goes a long way. The 312 RiverRun is a continuous off-street path running 1.5 miles from Belmont to Montrose, according to the City of Chicago's announcement when it was finished in September 2021. Heading south, the trail ends. The next riverside path, at the Lathrop redevelopment near Diversey, is about a mile downstream.

Rockwell on the River sits right at the start of that missing mile, on the west bank just south of Belmont. It's a riverside complex with a café, a barbecue spot, a distillery, a coffee roaster, a ceramics studio and a marina. On Saturday, November 14, it also hosts a public open house about closing the gap. Roscoe Village's stretch of the river has finished paths on both sides of Belmont, and the place where they could connect has turned into a destination of its own.

North of Belmont, the River Is Already Finished

The northern half is the part most people know. The 312 RiverRun was built in stages. Its centerpiece, the Riverview Bridge, opened in 2019. It runs more than 1,000 feet over the river and links Clark Park with California Park, as Block Club Chicago reported at the time. The last piece, a path under the rebuilt Irving Park Road bridge linking California Park and Horner Park, opened on September 10, 2021. Block Club's coverage credited CDOT, the Department of Planning and Development, and the Chicago Park District with building the continuous route together.

From Roscoe Village, the way onto the trail is Clark Park at 3400 N. Rockwell St. The Chicago Park District lists the park at 22.42 acres, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the WMS Boathouse, The Garden bike park and Cubs Field on the grounds. The Park District calls the boathouse a year-round rowing training center, with heated and cooled indoor space, an ergometer room, a community room and a public dock. Its rowing programs run through a partnership with the Chicago Rowing Foundation. The foundation's calendar shows fall high school programs still underway this October. The Park District's facility page currently lists the boathouse as "Closed," so check before going in person.

Heading south from the Montrose end, here's what you pass in order:

1. Horner Park and California Park, joined by the path under Irving Park Road that opened in 2021.
2. The Riverview Bridge, more than 1,000 feet over the water, landing at Clark Park.
3. Clark Park and the WMS Boathouse, at 3400 N. Rockwell St.
4. Belmont Avenue, where the off-street trail ends.
5. Rockwell on the River, at 3057 N. Rockwell St., on the west bank just south of Belmont.
6. About a mile with no trail, until the Lathrop riverwalk near Diversey.

The Complex Sitting in the Gap

Rockwell on the River is across the river from Roscoe Village, on the Avondale side, a short trip over the Belmont bridge. Its operator lists Dolce Arte Café, Soul & Smoke, Judson & Moore whiskey distillery, a Metropolis Coffee roastery, Chicago Ceramic Center, Chicago Boat Company and Wateriders Kayak among its tenants. It also runs an event venue and a marina with riverside boat rentals. The venue says it has more than 22,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space. Dolce Arte serves Italian pastries, coffee, panini, gelato and pizza. Its posted hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily, though its page notes that hours may change.

A brewery is the next tenant on the way. Phase Three Brewing Company has taprooms in Lake Zurich and Elmhurst, and it's opening its first Chicago taproom in the space Metropolitan Brewing left in 2023. Block Club Chicago reported on August 6 that the company had just signed the lease and expected to open later this year. Co-owner and founder Evan Morris told Block Club the third location "was probably going to be our last crack at finding something truly special." Block Club also reported plans to open first with beer and hard seltzer while a kitchen is built. Phase Three's Chicago page still says "Opening Soonish," with no date.

Coffee, gelato, barbecue, whiskey, pottery, kayaks and soon a taproom, all on one riverbank, a few steps from where the trail ends. The complex already draws people to the river without a trail running past it. That's why it's a natural place to talk about extending one.

South of the Gap, Half a Mile of Riverwalk

The Lathrop riverfront, at the other end of the missing mile, has been open for years. Block Club reported in October 2019 that the redevelopment's first public amenities had opened: a half-mile riverwalk and nature trail, a kayak and boat launch, and a dog run. Lincoln Park Boat Club lists Lathrop as one of its boathouse locations for paddling on the river. The site is still growing. On April 15, 2026, the city approved funding for a third phase of the Lathrop redevelopment and said 11 acres of green space and public riverfront access are already in place.

So 1.5 miles of trail run north of Belmont and half a mile of riverwalk runs near Diversey. In between is roughly a mile, about two-thirds the length of the entire RiverRun, where a walker or cyclist has to use the street grid.

The Mile Has Been Studied Before

This gap isn't new to the people who plan trails. The Active Transportation Alliance says it started its Chicago River Trail coalition in 2017. In 2019 it ran a community-led study of the Belmont-to-Diversey stretch, with the Bill and Linda Gantz Boys and Girls Club and Port Urbanism as partners and an advisory committee of more than 20 neighborhood stakeholders and residents.

The alliance's July 2019 survey post described a mile-long gap between the 312 RiverRun and the Lathrop trail. It said Belmont Avenue near the river was a hard place to walk or bike. The study looked at on-street connections first and at whether a path along the river's east bank was feasible, with recommendations to go to the city later. A follow-up account from August 2019 described that stretch of riverbank as tight and industrial, and said on-street links were the likely short-term answer.

That work is now seven years old, and it's the most recent public record of how the gap might be closed. It offers background. The design that gets discussed next month may look different.

November 14 at Rockwell on the River

The Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce calendar describes the event in one line:

Help shape a future river trail extension to fill the gap between Belmont and Diversey.

The Chicago River Trail Extension Open House runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, at Rockwell on the River, 3057 N. Rockwell St. The listing describes the extension as a future project and gives no construction schedule, final route or funding source, so the meeting is a chance to weigh in early.

The same Saturday afternoon, a new spot opens on Roscoe Street. The Dapper Fox x theworKshop design studio holds its grand opening from 3 to 8 p.m. at 2138 W. Roscoe St., Unit 1. It's a mahjong studio and event space offering classes, private lessons, leagues and tournaments. You can go to the open house before lunch and the studio opening in the afternoon without leaving the area.

Three weeks later, Roscoe Village Winterfest fills the first weekend of December. The Roscoe Village Neighbors calendar lists it from 5:30 p.m. Saturday, December 5, through 4 p.m. Sunday, December 6. The group's October 20 announcement promises family activities, local shopping and seasonal treats.

The river trail will still stop at Belmont when Winterfest arrives. The November 14 open house is where the public can start shaping the mile that would connect Clark Park to the Lathrop riverwalk.

If you spend time on the North Branch and want to know how a future trail could change the blocks between Belmont and Diversey, The Lowe Group follows this part of Roscoe Village closely and is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.