Explore the best rated trails in Streator, IL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail and Grove Road Trail . With more than 27 trails covering 4204 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I walked the whole trail this past Saturday, starting in Toulon and heading south(ish) to Peoria. From a pedestrian perspective, this is two distinct trails.
From Toulon to Alta is a crushed limestone rail trail which runs mostly through farmland. Large portions of it pass through a beautiful tunnel of trees. Each town involves a short road walk, which offer good options for snacks etc. I'd certainly walk this 25 miles again.
From Alta to the waterfront in Peoria is a paved interurban trail that spends lots of time in suburban back yards. If you like miles of fences, apartments, etc, this section is for you. The trail is signed in this section, but I still found myself referring to a GPS map to make sure I was on track. The last several miles (heading south) are relatively steeply downhill to the waterfront. I would not walk this section again.
This is a real nice trail, but at times it’s more like a sidewalk than a bike trail. There are a lot of pedestrians and many many crosswalks. The trail ends in several different places so it’s a little bit confusing. This is more of a trail system than it is one trail. The trails are in pretty good shape but some of the more lonely stretches there was some broken glass. lonely stretches, have broken glass and things on them so you really need to know where you are going.
Don't bother. Trail is still closed and the canal has been drained. The wildlife is gone and the trail not maintained. This is why I gave it a one star rating. There isn't a zero rating which it deserves.
I basically drove from romeoville to morris halfway from morris i started to feel like this trail was not safe when you get out from the woods park west and the bridge is gone in morris so just avoid the trail going to seneca
My husband and I rode this trail on 9/4/2023 and enjoyed our ride. Trail is crushed limestone and is in decent condition. The trail is more sun than shade so take that into account when riding. There are places along the way to stop if needing a restroom or water.
I just rode this from Joliet to the Kankakee River and it was smooth, great, and very picturesque! I was on my way to Urbana and this is a joy to ride! It is definitely worth the visit as it goes by the Buffalo Preserve too!
We started downtown Peoria and parked at the big lot at the park on Eaton Street. This parking lot has plenty of spaces and seemed to be safe. We do not live around here so all of this was new to us.
The trail was a tiny bit hard to follow in the beginning when we had to cross public streets and there was a good amount of traffic. If you want to avoid the public streets and traffic (especially if you are riding with children) then park closer to the zoo and go riding from that area. The trail does cross over many farm roads but these roads did not have a single moving vehicle on them when we were riding. There are stop signs and it is very safe to cross over these narrow two lane country roads.
We rode all the way to Princeville and then back.....I have to admit we RAN OUT OF BATTERIES on our ebikes. It was really hard to make it back the final 5 miles but we made it!
The trail is a mix of newer asphalt, ground limestone and crushed stone. There are a few spots that are pretty bumpy from tree roots pushing up the asphalt. You do have to pay attention to these areas because they are pretty bad. There were also a few spots where there was crushed stone that had some deep indentations from previous rain storms would be my guess. Your tires could kinda get stuck so just pay attention.
The trail is about 95% flat and very shady. There were spots that definitely had more people that were walking and riding and those areas where near the homes that back up to the trail in some areas. This trail seems to be very clean and safe for people of all ages.
Not very smooth for inline skating, but great for walking, jogging and biking!
Trail is well marked and maintained . Even though I rode this trail right after a thunder storm, it was still usable. I was impressed with the natural drainage . The tree coverage was beautiful. I hope to return in the fall !
The description is incorrect. This trail is not fit for road bikes. It's a shame that the Great American Rail Rrail put this as a gateway trail as it is in such disrepair and neglect. What a mess.
My husband and I rode this trail round trip (82 miles) with our road bikes. We had breakfast at “Oak and Bean” before the journey (highly recommend; breakfast sandwiches on homemade bagels & homemade bread; custom coffees). and headed north from there. We benefited by downloading the route from the Rails to Trails App as FVT has other trails that branch off from it. We took a few wrong turns but we were able to navigate back to the trail because we had the map from R2T. There are a few spots where the trail is connected by streets going through neighborhoods. Over all this is an excellent trail. Some areas are rough due to cracks in the cement or raised areas due to roots, but it’s not terrible. I recommend this trail . I will ride it again. It’s worth my drive from Grand Rapids MI. Also. Try the “Coffee Garden onMain”. It’s a great restaurant newly opened. You’ll have to bike a few extra miles past Algonquin, but it’s worth it. It’s right off the trail to the right when you hit. A busy intersection.
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