Rail-Trail
State: WI Length: 40 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The southern segment of the Badger State Trail runs for 33 miles from the Illinois border to Purcell Road near the southwest corner of Fitchburg. This segment passes through the communities of Clarno, Monroe, Monticello, Exeter, Belleville, ...
State: IL Length: 1.2 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Bauer Memorial Path provides a short route through residential and commercial areas of Machesney Park, a northern suburb of Rockford. The trail begins at the Harlem Community Center and travels in a straight line west along Roosevelt Road ...
State: IL Length: 1.25 miles Surface: Asphalt
Baumann Park is adjacent to the Kishwaukee River in Cherry Valley, a community on the outskirts of Rockford in northern Illinois. A paved pathway runs through the park and loops around Baumann Park Lake. The park offers a playground, baseball ...
State: IL Length: 2.7 miles Surface:
The Bloomingdale Trail is a proposed 2.7-mile, elevated rail-trail on Chicago's northwest side. As a sister project of New York's High Line and Paris's Promenade Plantee, the Bloomingdale is part of a worldwide effort to promote physical activity ...
State: IL Length: 26 miles Surface:
From the Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trail Web site: The Calumet-Sag Trail will be a multi-use path built almost entirely along the banks of the Calumet-Sag Channel and Calumet River, open by 2012. Along 26 miles of waterway from Lemont in the ...
State: WI Length: 17 miles Surface: Asphalt
NOTE: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources requires a trail pass for cyclists and inline skaters for the Nine Springs E-way portion of this trail (9 miles), but Dane County provides free passes for frequent commuters. If you want to ...
State: IL Length: 3.2 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Chain O' Lakes Bike Path is a paved trail that runs between E. Grand Avenue in Fox Lake and Grant Woods Forest Preserve to the east. The trail parallels the railroad track and Rollins Road/CR 31, passing by the Ingleside Metra station before ...
State: IL Length: 2.6 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Charles Street Bike Path offers a neighborhood route through southeastern Rockford, connecting residents to CherryVale Mall on its eastern end. On its western end, Alpine Park is just north of the trail's terminus, offering recreational ...
State: WI Length: 47 miles Surface: Crushed Stone
If you're looking for an invigorating motorized trail experience, the Cheese Country Trail (a.k.a. the Tri-County Trail) will not disappoint. The 47-mile trail meanders through the heart of southwest Wisconsin's Driftless Area, a massive tract ...
State: IL Length: 1.3 miles Surface: Asphalt
The DeKalb Nature Trail provides a pleasant, tree-lined route in northern DeKalb. Its eastern end connects with the Kishwaukee-Kiwanis Trail that heads southwest along the river and the Dekalb-Sycamore Trail that connects many neighborhoods ...
State: IL Length: 20.7 miles Surface: Asphalt, Concrete
The Dekalb-Sycamore Trail (also known as the Peace Road Trail) parallels the eastern side of Peace Road from Dekalb to Sycamore in northern Illinois. Along the way, you'll pass a mixture of residential neighborhoods, businesses, and open fields. A ...
State: IL Length: 2.7 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Dorr Road Bike Path begins at South Beloit Municipal Park and parallels the roadway for its entire length. The views are primarily residential. After about three-quarters of a mile (from the northern endpoint), a short spur along Prairie ...
State: IL Length: 4 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Four Sisters Bike Path currently forms a horseshoe around the northern end of Rochelle, a town south of Rockford in northern Illinois. Future plans call for completing the loop, which would provide trail access to most of the town. The paved ...
State: IL Length: 43.4 miles Surface: Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Fox River Trail features 32 miles of spectacular biking, hiking and cross-country skiing along the scenic Fox River. The paved path can be challenging at times, but the extra pedal pushing is rewarded with some impressive scenery along the ...
State: WI Length: 6 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Fox River Trail runs diagonally along its namesake waterway through Waukesha in southeastern Wisconsin (just outside of Milwaukee). A trailhead at the E.B. Shurts Environmental Education Center in the Fox River Sanctuary offers water, restrooms, ...
State: IL Length: 2.5 miles Surface:
The Galena River Trail will extend from the current terminus South along the rail corridor to River Road. This will ad about 2.5 miles to the current trail, the town of Galens hopes to be in construction in 2012.
State: WI Length: 51.6 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Note: Trail passes are required year-round for cyclists and inline skaters, ages 16 and up. You can buy them at self-registration stations on the trail or at select parks and private businesses. The passes are good for all state trails. Hikers ...
State: WI Length: 8.6 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Before hopping on the Glacial River Trail to see the sights, consider beginning your journey at the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson. The museum is named after the Hoard family behind the nationally distributed dairy farm magazine "Hoard's ...
State: IL Length: 17 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The western segment of the Great Western Trail in Illinois follows 17 miles of an abandoned railway corridor through DeKalb and Kane counties, between Leroy Oaks County Forest Preserve and the town of Sycamore. The Chicago Great Western Railway ...
State: IL Length: 3.5 miles Surface: Asphalt
The H.U.M. Trail (a.k.a. the Huntley–Union–Morengo Trail) runs for 3.5 miles, arrow-straight, next to the old railroad tracks between Morengo and Union. This pleasant corridor passes among cultivated fields between to the two towns, ...
State: IL Length: 1.6 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Harlem Township Bike Path lies not far from the Rock River in western Machesney Park in the Rockford metropolitan area. The trail consists of a lower (southwest) and an upper (northeast) loop in the community's Schoonmaker Park, as well ...
State: IL Length: 5.2 miles Surface: Crushed Stone, Gravel
Open to runners, walkers, bikers and equestrians, the rustic and rural Hebron Trail provides the perfect nature escape. The trail does include a very small section of road that crosses an active rail line, but it is a lightly used county road. ...
The Hononegah Recreation Path begins near the Route 2 bridge over the Rock River in Rockton, a small town about 4 miles south of the Illinois/Wisconsin border. The paved trail follows Hononegah Road (County Highway 8) southeast for 3 miles, ...
State: IL Length: 14.8 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Stretching north from Freeport, Illinois, to the Wisconsin state line, the Jane Addams Trail is a natural wonder. Expect to see birds and wild animals-from exotic aerial hunters, such as owls and hawks, to run-of-the-mill squirrels and deer. ...
State: IL Length: 7.9 miles Surface: Ballast, Grass, Gravel
The Joe Stengel Trail follows an old railroad corridor for 7 miles between the town of Polo and the much smaller community of Woosung. The trail corridor traces farm country along a route scattered with trees. The natural surface can be rough ...
State: IL Length: 0.6 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel
From Main Street and Elevator Road in Roscoe, the scenic Kinstone Recreational Path winds its way northeast through woodlands along the north branch of Kinnikinnick Creek to the Stone Bridge Trail. Alternatively, you can head southwest from ...
State: IL Length: 2.5 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Kishwaukee River Front Path runs for 2.5 miles in Cherry Valley on the outskirts of Rockford in northern Illinois. The well-maintained, asphalt trail connects the Kishwaukee River Forest Preserve with Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve. The ...
State: IL Length: 6.9 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Kishwaukee Riverfront Path winds nearly 7 miles through downtown Belvidere, east of Rockford in northern Illinois. As its name implies, the paved scenic trail follows the waterway for most of its journey through the Spencer Conservation ...
State: IL Length: 4.5 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Kishwaukee-Kiwanis Trail winds through the northern Illinois town of DeKalb, coursing along a river, through woodlands, among open spaces through parks and through suburban back yards. The trail passes along the east side of Northern Illinois ...
State: WI Length: 13 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Lake Country Recreation Trail is located on the former Milwaukee - Watertown Interurban Railway. It was popular in the late 1800's as a direct like between Waukesha and the Oconomowoc lake country. This 13-mile recreation trail now utilizes ...
State: IL Length: 2 miles Surface: Asphalt
Although a relatively short trail, the Leland Path provides an important connection between the Hononegah Recreation Path and the Stone Bridge Trail. The pleasant, tree-dotted pathway travels through residential neighborhoods, as well as some ...
State: IL Length: 14.43 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Long Prairie Trail began life as a section of the Kenosha Division Rail Line in the 1850s, when most small communities in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin were serviced by the crisscrossing tracks of the "KD" Line as it traveled ...
The Lowell Parkway Trail runs through the charming town of Dixon, Illinois, boyhood home of Ronald Reagan. The trail occupies the rail bed of the old Illinois Central Railroad, between Lowell Park and John C. Roe Park, on the northwest side ...
The Mel Anderson Memorial Path, named for a long-serving alderman of the Seventh Ward, stretches nearly 3 miles, connecting Searls Park, Bressler Park and Talcott-Page Park. Mid-way, the trail offers access to the Northwest Community Center ...
State: WI Length: 45 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone
State: IL Length: 14.2 miles Surface: Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The planned 35 miles of the Millennium Trail will eventually connect communities and forest preserves in Lake County's central, western and northern sections. The first segment of the trail opened in 2002 at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. ...
State: IL Length: 10 miles Surface: Asphalt, Gravel
Safe biking trail along River Road in McHenry, along with state park biking trails
State: WI Length: 6.7 miles Surface: Crushed Stone, Dirt
The Muskego Recreation Trail follows a corridor originally used by the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light, an interurban railroad in southeastern Wisconsin. The corridor was later acquired by Wisconsin Electric Power Company, which is known ...
State: IL Length: 0.25 miles Surface: Asphalt
Oregon Park East Bike Path is nestled along the east bank of the Rock River in the small town of Oregon in northern Illinois. The 23-acre park offers athletic facilities, restrooms, grills, and picnic tables, as well as an observation deck for ...
State: WI Length: 7 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Peace Trail is a scenic tree-shaded route paralleling the Rock River in southern Wisconsin's Janesville. At its northern end, the pathway merges with the Rock River Parkway Trail, which continues east another 2.5 miles along the river. From ...
State: IL Length: 18 miles Surface: Ballast
The Pecatonica Prairie Path is an 18-mile long biking, hiking and nature trail extending from Illinois route 75 and River Road, east of Freeport, to the Village of Winnebago. It passes through the villages of Ridott in Stephenson County and ...
State: WI Length: 6 miles Surface: Dirt
The Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail runs for 6 miles along an abandoned railroad corridor, between the towns of Allens Grove and Clinton. The trail is open to snowmobiles, cyclists, horseback riders and cross-country skiers. The wooded trail passes ...
State: IL Length: 6.7 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Perryville Path runs nearly 7 miles, connecting the communities of Loves Park and Rockford, not far from the northern border of Illinois. A pleasant place to begin your journey is Rock Cut State Park, a beautiful forested area abounding ...
State: IL Length: 28 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
The Prairie Trail—not to be confused with the Illinois Prairie Path—is a 28-mile route starting just 0.8 mile from the Wisconsin–Illinois boarder in Genoa City, Wisconsin, and ending in Algonquin, Illinois. The trail is a beautiful ...
State: WI Length: 1.7 miles Surface: Concrete
The Richard Bong State Recreation Area, encompassing more than 4,000 acres, is situated in Kansasville, a small town in southeast Wisconsin. The park has amenities for a plethora of activities, including hiking, mountain biking, cross-country ...
State: IL Length: 1.9 miles Surface: Asphalt
Ridgefield Trace runs from the McHenry County College in Crystal Lake to Veteran Acres Park on Walkup Road. Along the way it offers wide open views of rural northern Illinois countryside. In the park, you'll find a nature center, athletic ...
State: IL Length: 0.63 miles Surface: Dirt, Grass, Gravel
The Riverside Recreational Path begins as a gravel lane at the base of Riverside Park on the banks of the Rock River. From there, it continues along Rowena Street, paralleling Route 251, through a residential area until it goes under 251 at ...
State: WI Length: 2.4 miles Surface: Asphalt, Concrete
The Rock River Parkway Trail in Janesville runs between Rockport Park and S. Jackson Street bridge on the north side of the river. Here, at the trail's eastern terminus, you can easily link to Spring Brook Trail from the end of Riverside Drive. ...
State: IL Length: 10 miles Surface: Asphalt
The paved Rock River Recreation Trail winds throughout downtown Rockford and environs, following the east bank of the Rock River through Shorewood Park and Martin Memorial Park. Officially, the trail begins at Davis Park on the west bank of ...
State: IL Length: 2.2 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Rock Valley College Path is a paved route looping around and through its namesake campus in Rockford. At its southern end, it connects to the Spring Brook Road bike lanes that continue east to the Perryville Path, which provides access to ...
State: IL Length: 0.8 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Rockton Main Street Path is situated off the Rock River on the southern end of downtown Rockton, a charming Midwestern village near the Illinois/Wisconsin border. It begins at Settler's Park, which offers views of the waterway, athletic ...
The Rote Road Multi-Use Path offers a paved route along the south side of Rote Road in eastern Rockford. It travels for nearly a mile, providing access to neighborhoods, businesses, and the Aldeen Golf Club. At N. Perryville Road, you can connect ...
State: IL Length: 1 miles Surface: Asphalt, Concrete
The paved trail running through Nick Saelens Memorial Park is a pretty one with a loop around a small pond and much of it following a tree-lined creek. The park is nestled in the village of Durand in northern Illinois and offers athletic facilities, ...
State: WI Length: 17.6 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel
The Seven Waters Bike Trail is a scenic corridor stretching more than 17 miles north–south between Burlington and Muskego Lake into Waukesha County. The trail was originally three trails, locally called Burlington, Waterford–Wind Lake ...
State: IL Length: 6.8 miles Surface:
From Skokie Valley Trail Feasibility Study: The proposed trail spans 6.8 miles through the Skokie Valley in Cook County, Illinois, extending south from Lake Cook Road in Northbrook to Old Orchard Road just south of Glenview. The corridor runs ...
State: WI Length: 5.6 miles Surface: Asphalt
A quick trip on Madison's 5.6-mile Southwest Commuter Path conceals the full scale of this path. It's also the northern segment of the Badger State Trail, which travels 40 miles to the state line and continues for another 32 miles into Illinois. ...
State: WI Length: 16.3 miles Surface: Asphalt
Janesville's Spring Brook Trail provides an important non-motorized route to many of the city's popular recreational amenities. The pathway begins just off the eastern terminus of the Rock River Parkway Trail and crosses the river on its journey ...
State: IL Length: 5.8 miles Surface: Crushed Stone
Built on a former rail bed dating back to the 1850s, the Stone Bridge Trail provides a crushed limestone pathway through rural countryside. A highlight of the trail is passage on Stone Bridge over the scenic South Kinnikinnick Creek. Built in ...
State: IL Length: 1.5 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Stone Mill Trail runs between Lawrence Road just west of Harvard and Maxon Road. The 1.5-mile, paved trail mostly parallels County Highway 17 (Ramer Road) and will eventually be extended along the railroad right-of-way to meet the Long Prairie ...
State: WI Length: 25 miles Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone
If you can't make it to Switzerland do the next best thing: take the Sugar River State Trail to "America's Little Switzerland"—New Glarus, Wisconsin. Settled in 1845 by a small tribe of Swiss pioneers, New Glarus today is a living monument ...
State: IL Length: 2.4 miles Surface: Asphalt
Swanson Park Recreation Path is sometimes known as the Cherry Valley Path as it's located in the Village of Cherry Valley on the outskirts of Rockford in northern Illinois. The paved path travels along a tree-lined creek through picturesque ...
State: WI Length: 19 miles Surface: Concrete, Crushed Stone, Gravel
As of 2012, the White River State Trail runs for a total of 19 miles in two separate segments. The Walworth County segment is 12 miles long and runs between Elkhorn and just west of the city of Burlington. The Racine County section is 7 miles ...
State: IL Length: 1 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Williamson Parkway Bike Path offers a pleasant, paved route through a residential area in southern Rockton. The mile-long trail follows its namesake roadway from Freeport Road (also known as S. Blackhawk Boulevard) south to Wagon Wheel Road. ...
The Willow Creek Path is a pleasant, tree-lined trail that follows its namesake creek for most of its journey through the communities of Machesney Park and Loves Park in the Rockford metropolitan area. It extends from Harlem High School into ...