We started the trail at Savanna, IL, and were very impressed for the first 2 miles. At that point a sign told us "Trail Ends Temporarily"--and nothing more. We moved out onto Hwy 84 for a few miles--lots of traffic and not much shoulder. No more signs to tell us where to go. We encountered another biker who had come up from Port Byron. We told him how to find the next leg of the trail north; he told us to follow the country (but paved) roads toward Port Byron. Roads were nice and paved with very little traffic. Lots of cornfields and houses for scenery--plenty of green. We turned around at the State Prison, because, again, there were no signs telling us which way to go and, being from out of state, were weren't sure what we might be getting in to and it was getting late.

All in all, this could have been a very enjoyable ride if we'd really had a good feeling that we knew where we were going or were on the 'trail'.

"A group of Wisconsin retirees came south in mid September to ride the Hennepin Canal Trail. On our way home we decided to ride a section of the Great River Trail. We rode from Sunset Park in Rock Island to beyond East Moline. We thought the river scenery was excellent and also enjoyed observing the “working sections” of the river towns of Rock Island and Moline. We took a detour over to the Rock Island Arsenal to see the Arsenal Museum, the Corp of Engineers Visitor Center, and the Confederate Cemetery. You must remember that the Arsenal is an active Military Base and you must check in and out. To enter you must have picture ID and if biking wear helmets. We also took another detour to the John Deere Pavilion. This was well worth the couple of blocks of city streets and was very informative. It was great fun to see all the old equipment and sit in the new equipment while learning a bit about the rich Deere heritage."

"I rode this ""trail"" from Savanna to Sunset Park in Rock Island.
It's a hodge podge of paved multi-use, rail and built crushed gravel trails, plus roads (some not really suitable for biking).
The state of Illinois has a published map showing the trail which is wrong in several instances.

Starting in Savanna, the trail starts across the tracks from the chamber of commerce railroad car on the south end of main street. It's a nice rail trail at this point which goes a couple of miles until it abruptly ends. The state map has the trail continuing at this point, but it actually doesn't. At this point there is no directional signs telling you what to do. You must proceed on Ill. 84. A high traffic highway with no shoulders. After a couple of miles on 84 I headed west on a county road to the big slough recreational area. From there I headed south still on county roads until I hit the trail head. If you ride a bit west the trail takes you to an Army corp of Engineers built camp ground and a very nice view of the Mississippi. The trail in this area is on the park's road.

Heading on south the trail becomes a crushed gravel trail through an unusual area of sand and very tall grass. This trail ends and again you find yourself on a county road. This road ends at a T and there the rail-trail starts again for several miles until you come to Fulton. There seems to be two ways to go through Fulton, at least that's what the directional sign indicated. In Fulton you are directed down a couple of streets to the trail again which ends and you ride a couple of city streets until you come to a dike which you ride on for a while until you come to a narrow gravel road, which you ride for a mile or so which becomes paved. You are directed across 84 and down a paved county road and onto a gravel road. This gravel road has pretty loose gravel and was difficult to ride. You ride through Albany side streets and then on a paved trail past some Hopewell Indian mounds. At which point you wind up on a paved county road before crossing back over 84 again onto a multi use trail right next to the highway for several miles before reaching Cordova.

Going through Cordova is on city streets, but there's a nice rest area in the middle of town on the Mississippi. From there on your on a multi use trail usually next to scenic (NOT) 84. In Port Byron you get the first of many chances to be right next to the Mississippi, at least for brief periods of time.
Once you get to East Moline you're on top of a dike or just on a regular multi-use trail right until the end. You are almost always right next to the Mississippi and occasionally on some rail-trail sections.

Because of the lack of signage in the northern part of my trip I added a few extra miles on when I became lost. But my total miles were almost 67, but the ""trail"" is advertised as 62.
If you ride rail-trails, be warned that not very much of this ""trail"" is rail-trail.

Be sure to get a map and brochure (for places to eat and rest). The map has a few mistakes on it, but it's better than nothing.
I considered the first few miles south of Savanna and the section through East Moline and Moline the most scenic."