A stretch of the Cal-Sag Trail in the south suburbs. (Source: Facebook/Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trai)

CHICAGO (CBS) — Cyclists, walkers, and runners are in for a big treat in the south suburbs this weekend. The completed 11-mile west leg of the Cal-Sag Trail will officially open between Alsip and Lemont.

When complete, the Cal-Sag Trail will be 26 miles long, and connect Burnham to Lemont. It’s supposed to be finished in 2017.

Cyclist Glenn Kraemer, of Orland Park, was taking a sneak peek of the Cal-Sag Trail on Wednesday. It officially opens Saturday morning, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Lake Katherine in Palos Heights.

“I just got to this part from the south, and I’ve not yet gone west on it all the way to Palos Park, and I’m looking forward to being able to go all the way to Lemont, and everything else,” he said..

Steve Buchtel, executive director of Trails for Illinois, said Kraemer’s not alone in checking out the trail before it officially opens.

“We have a saying in the trail-building business that users are 20 feet behind the bulldozers, and that’s been exactly the story for the Cal-Sag Trail,” he said.