Birding Trails in Illinois

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  • Algonquin Rd. Trail/Paul Douglas Forest Preserve Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 7.80 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    ...

  • Arches Rail Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 3 miles
    Surface: Ballast, Dirt, Grass

    The 3-mile Arches Rail Trail, following the route of a former rail line dating back to the 1850s, connects the towns of Hillsboro and Butler in central Illinois. The trail's name stems from the two limestone arch bridges that span small creeks ...

  • Bauer Memorial Path

    State: IL
    Length: 1.20 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 ...

  • Baumann Park Recreation Path

    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 ...

  • Benld to Gillespie

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 1.40 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    This 1.4 mile paved trail connects the two small Illinois towns of Benld to Gillespie. There are plans in the works to connect this trail to the town of Staunton and from there to the greater Madison County Transit trail system.

  • Bloomingdale Trail (Chicago)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 2.70 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 ...

  • Buffalo Creek Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 3.20 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Buffalo Creek Trail is a paved trail system in the Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve, outside of Buffalo Grove. The trail provides access to facilities throughout the park.

  • Burnham Greenway

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 5.30 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Burnham Greenway is composed of two trails—Burnham Greenway North and Burnham Greenway South—that run along a former railroad corridor between Chicago and Lansing, Illinois. There are plans to extend and connect these short sections, ...

  • Busse Woods Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 11.20 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Busse Woods Trail system is located within Ned Brown Forest Preserve, a 3,700-acre property in the western suburbs of Chicago. There are 11.2 miles of paved trails for cyclists, equestrians and pedestrians. The main loop is nearly 8 miles, ...

  • Calumet-Sag Trail

    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 ...

  • Centennial Trail (IL)

    State: IL
    Length: 13 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    Centennial Trail runs from Willow Springs Road to Romeo Road (135th street) between the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship - Calumet Sag Canal. It connects to the paved I&MC Trail via a concrete path along Route 83 and at Romeo ...

  • Chain O' Lakes Bike Path

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 3.20 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 ...

  • Charles Street Bike Path

    State: IL
    Length: 2.60 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 ...

  • Chicago Lakefront Bike Path

    State: IL
    Length: 18.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Concrete

    Located east of Lakeshore Drive, the Chicago Lakefront Bike Path is an 18.5 mile linear park along Lake Michigan that includes beaches, volleyball courts, playgrounds, baseball diamonds, tennis courts and soccer fields. The path system unites ...

  • Conservation District Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 2.30 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    North of the Sangamon River crossing, the Conservation District Trail closely follows Stevens Creek through a flat and dense wetlands forest on the west end of Decatur. South of the river, the trail ascends two steep grades to end at the Rock ...

  • Constitution Trail (Bloomington-Normal)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 22.60 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Constitution Trail is so named because it was dedicated on the 200th birthday of the U.S. Constitution, September 17, 1987. The asphalt trail is a system of as-yet (summer 2011) disconnected segements covering 20 miles or so between Normal ...

  • DeKalb Nature Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 1.30 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 ...

  • Deer Grove Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 3.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Deer Grove Trail runs through the Forest Preserve of the same name and includes a paved trail, nearly 4 miles long, that links to the Palatine Trail system. In the forest preserve there are also several trails for mountain bikers.

  • Dekalb-Sycamore Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 20.70 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 ...

  • Delyte W. Morris Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 3.40 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Delyte W. Morris Trail is a paved, two-lane route on the campus of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, winding past Tower Lake. The trail is named for the university's president at the Carbondale campus in the 1960s who helped create ...

  • Des Plaines River Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 56.30 miles
    Surface: Crushed Stone

    The Des Plaines River Trail and Greenway traverses north–south along the route of its namesake river along its course through both Lake and Cook counties. The corridor protects 85% of the riverine habitat in the county. The 56+-mile trail ...

  • Dorr Road Bike Path

    State: IL
    Length: 2.70 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 ...

  • East Prairie Bicycle Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 1 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    Monticello is a small, central Illinois town steeped in a railroad history it still celebrates. Its Chamber of Commerce has offices and special activities in the historic downtown Train Depot. And it has a large and very active Railway Museum ...

  • Effingham TREC

    State: IL
    Length: 3 miles
    Surface: Concrete

    This is the first portion of the TREC (Trail Recreation Effingham County) system that has plans for 30 miles of county-wide bicycling and walking trails. The trail is a wide and well-maintained ribbon of concrete that looks and feels new and ...

  • El Paso Walking Trail (IL)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 2.80 miles
    Surface: Crushed Stone

    The El Paso Walking Trail runs along part of an old railroad right-of-way through the town of El Paso, beginning at the city park on the south side of town and ending at a creek north of town among cultivated fields. The trail offers a pleasant ...

  • Fairview Park Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 1.70 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Fairview Park Trail, in western Decatur, traverses the large and beautiful Fairview Park and connects (via roadway) to the park's various attractions: an aquatic center, lake, gardens, pavilions, tennis courts, ball fields, skate park, and ...

  • Fermilab Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 5.80 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Concrete

    The Fermilab Trail garners its name by running though campus of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), home to the Tevatron particle accelerator. The 3.9 mile particle accelerator is the second largest in the world and is used ...

  • Four Sisters Bike Path

    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 ...

  • Fox River Trail (IL)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 43.40 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 ...

  • Galena River Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 4.50 miles
    Surface: Crushed Stone

    The Galena River Trail is built upon an old railroad spur of the Burlington Railroad main line, constructed in 1886. The spur linked Galena to Galena Junction, where the main railroad line—still active—follows the Mississippi River. ...

  • Galena River Trail Extension

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 2.50 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.

  • General Dacey Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 4 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The General Dacey Trail, which first opened in 2006, is a beautiful and richly varied trail located between the town of Shelbyville to the west and large Lake Shelbyville to the east. Its surface is oil and chip throughout. The two northernmost ...

  • Glen Carbon Heritage Bike Trail (MCT Heritage Trail)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 11 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Gravel

    The Glen Carbon Heritage Bike Trail forms part of more than 85 miles of rail-trails managed by Madison County Transit (MCT), which also runs busses equipped with bike racks for passenger convenience. The feel of the trail is a mix of suburban ...

  • Great River Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 60 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    The Great River Trail is a breathtaking journey along 60 miles of the Mississippi River. The route is a mixture of paved rail-trail, small-town sidewalks, dedicated bike lanes on the street and a stretch of road shoulder along the Great River ...

  • Great Western Trail (DuPage Parkway Section)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 12 miles
    Surface: Crushed Stone

    The eastern segment of the Great Western Trail in Illinois follows 12 miles of an abandoned railway corridor through DuPage County, between Villa Park and West Chicago. There are plans to extend the eastern segment of the Great Western Trail ...

  • Great Western Trail (IL)

    Rail-Trail

    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 ...

  • Green Bay Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 8.90 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

    The 9-mile Green Bay Trail runs parallel to Chicago's Metra commuter rail line north of the Chicago city limits. Stretching through North Shore towns such as Kenilworth, Winnetka, Highland Park and Lake Bluff, the corridor is flanked by restaurants, ...

  • Green Diamond Rail Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 4 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    Dedicated on August 5, 2000, the Green Diamond Trail, the first bicycling/pedestrian trail in Montgomery County, is an easy, flat ride. At 4-miles long, the trail is paved and free from motorized traffic, making it an enjoyable path for bicylists, ...

  • Grove Road Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 2 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    About the southern-most section of the Chicagoland metropolitan area. The trail begins on the east side of Grove Road, then at the parking lot entrance to the high school it changes over to the west side and continues all the way to the south ...

  • H.U.M. Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 3.50 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, ...

  • Harlem Township Bike Path

    State: IL
    Length: 1.60 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 ...

  • Heartland Pathways

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 33 miles
    Surface: Ballast

    From Heartland Pathways : Heartland Pathways consist of undeveloped trails. In the years following the purchase of the corridor, it could hiked and biked. Today, the corridors have become overgrown. They are available to biologists and natural ...

  • Hebron Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 5.20 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. ...

  • Hennepin Canal Parkway

    State: IL
    Length: 105 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    The Hennepin Canal Parkway follows an old towpath that was actually never used, although the locks and aqueducts are in still in place. It was originally built to link the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. The 105-mile path is level and easy; ...

  • Hononegah Recreation Path

    State: IL
    Length: 3.20 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    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, ...

  • Humphrey Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 2.90 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Humphrey Trail is a paved trail through Centennial Park north to the Orland Park Civic Center near Orland Park and Orland Township. The trail provides access to parks, residences, commercial and public buildings.

  • Illinois & Michigan Canal (Northern Section)

    State: IL
    Length: 8.90 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Illinois & Michigan Canal provided the first complete water route from the East Coast to the Gulf of Mexico by connecting Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River via the Illinois River. Today, the I&M Canal trail has preserved 80 of the original ...

  • Illinois & Michigan Canal NHC

    State: IL
    Length: 68.50 miles
    Surface: Crushed Stone, Gravel

    The Illinois & Michigan Canal provided the first complete water route from the East Coast to the Gulf of Mexico by connecting Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River via the Illinois River. Today, the I&M Canal trail has preserved 80 of the original ...

  • Illinois Prairie Path

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 57.40 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    The Illinois Prairie Path (IPP) is one of the country's first rail-trail conversions. It consists of five connected trail segments with three main branches that converge at Volunteer Park in Wheaton. The 61-mile trail follows the historic path ...

  • Interurban Trail (IL)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 8.80 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The paved Interurban Trail, which travels north more than 8 miles from Chatham to the Illinois state capital of Springfield along the old interurban electric rail line, provides a pleasant mix of suburban and rural scenery. The Interurban is ...

  • Jane Addams Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 14.80 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. ...

  • Joe Stengel Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 7.90 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 ...

  • Joliet Junction Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 5.80 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Joliet Junction Trail is a 4.4 mile paved path which goes south from Crest Hill to the I&M Canal Trail, just South of the city of Joliet.

  • Kinstone Recreational Path

    State: IL
    Length: 0.60 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 ...

  • Kishwaukee River Recreation Path

    State: IL
    Length: 2.50 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 ...

  • Kishwaukee Riverfront Path

    State: IL
    Length: 6.90 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 ...

  • Kishwaukee-Kiwanis Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 4.50 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 ...

  • Kiwannis Park/West Side Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 1.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    Except for short-distance walkers, the principal attraction of this trail is its connection to the other parts of Decatur's trail system. From its western terminus, one can access the Conservation District Trail and, from there, the other scenic ...

  • Leland Path

    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 ...

  • Lincoln Park Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 0.90 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Lincoln Park Trail runs along the wooded north banks of the Sangamon River. It's mostly flat with a few low hills. Visible from the trail are Decatur's Lincoln Park, some classic old neighborhoods (with brick streets), and the old sections ...

  • Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 12.90 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    The Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail runs 12 miles, much of the way along an old railroad right-of-way between County Highway 2 east of Charleston and the ball fields at 10th Street in Mattoon; an additional 1-mile loop takes you around the ball ...

  • Lincoln Prairie Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 14.80 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Lincoln Prairie Trail runs between County Road 12 at State Route 29 west of Pana and Paw Paw Street in Taylorville. The trail parallels SR 29 for nearly the entire route. Built upon an abandoned rail bed, the trail includes four original ...

  • Long Prairie Trail

    Rail-Trail

    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 ...

  • Lost Bridge Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 5.60 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Lost Bridge Trail, jointly managed by the Springfield Park District and the village of Rochester, is one of the area's earliest and most popular multiuse trails-even for locals taking a weekday break on their lunch hour. Well-maintained, ...

  • Lowell Parkway Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 3.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    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 ...

  • Madison County Transit Bluff Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 2 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Bluff Trail runs for 2 miles between County Road 69 (New Poag Road) and University Drive where the MCT Nature Trail picks up. The trail skirts farmland and athletic fields. Not too far south of New Poag Road, ...

  • Madison County Transit Confluence Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 18.70 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    Bring your camera to the MCT Confluence Trail. Part of Illinois' Madison County Transit (MCT) bikeways network, this trail is a photographic patchwork of rivers, bridges, waterfront wildlife and industrial cityscape. The trail starts at Russell ...

  • Madison County Transit Goshen Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 8.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Madison County Transit (MCT) Goshen Trail (formerly known as the Schoolhouse Connector) runs between Interstate 70/US 40 in Troy and the MCT Watershed Trail in northwest Edwardsville. The trail features two bridges and 10 tunnels, as well ...

  • Madison County Transit Nature Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 14.40 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Madison County Transit Nature Trail stretches 14.4 miles between Edwardsville (adjacent to the Lewis & Clark Community College, N.O. Nelson campus) and Horseshoe Lake. The asphalt trail is one of several linked trails in the region and is ...

  • Madison County Transit Nickel Plate Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 21.60 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail runs for 21.6 miles between Main Street in Alhambra and Old Edwardsville Road at State Route 162 in Pontoon Beach. The trail follows a greenway corridor through Glen Carbon and Edwardsville, ...

  • Madison County Transit Quercus Grove Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 18.40 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Quercus Grove Trail runs for 18.4 miles between 6th Street in Staunton and Schwarz Street at Springer Avenue in Edwardsville. The trail is mostly paved except for the sections between Jerusalem Road and Hazel ...

  • Madison County Transit Schoolhouse Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 15.90 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Madison County Transit (MCT) Schoolhouse Trail is part of the Transit District's premier, 85-mile system of urban and suburban trails—many of which are former railroad corridors, all of which are linked with public transit. The trail ...

  • Madison County Transit Watershed Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 5 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Watershed Trail runs between Wanda Road in South Roxana and High Street in northwest Edwardsville. The trail follows an abandoned rail corridor and is named for the Watershed Nature Conservatory that it borders. ...

  • Major Taylor Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 7.20 miles
    Surface: Concrete

    Named after legendary African American cyclist Marshall "Major" Taylor, who in 1899 set the world record for the one-mile and spent his last years in nearby Bronzeville, the Major Taylor Trail stretches approximately seven miles across Chicago's ...

  • Mel Anderson Memorial Path

    State: IL
    Length: 2.70 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    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 ...

  • MetroBikeLink Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 6.90 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The nearly 7-mile MetroBikeLink Trail cuts across eastern Belleville connecting the Swansea MetroLink Station and Memorial Hospital Station to Southwestern Illinois College, generally following the MetroLink rail line. Bridges carry trail users ...

  • Millennium Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 14.20 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. ...

  • Moraine Hills State Park Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 10 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Gravel

    Safe biking trail along River Road in McHenry, along with state park biking trails

  • North Branch Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 20 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The beautiful North Branch Trail is named for the North Branch of the Chicago River, along which it winds. At its northern end, the trail begins at the south end of the Chicago Botanic Garden and continues south to circle the Skokie Lagoons ...

  • North Shore Bike Path

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 7.70 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    The North Shore Bike Path runs for nearly 8 miles between Lake Bluff and Mundelein, paralleling State Route 176 for the path's entire length. The trail is one of dozens in the Chicagoland area, all of which link to one another for cross-city ...

  • North Shore Channel Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 6.70 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Concrete, Dirt

    The North Shore Channel Trail extends from the junction of Green Bay Road and McCormick Boulevard in northern Evanston to the junction of Lawrence Avenue and Francisco Avenue in Chicago. All but the last 0.25 mile runs alongside the North Shore ...

  • Northbrook Village Bike Path

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 1.10 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Northbrook Village Bike Path is a one-mile route through a mix of retail and residential areas along S. Waukegan Road. At its south end, the trail offers access to Northbrook Junior High School and Meadowhill Park, which offers ballfields, ...

  • O'Malley's Alley

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 0.50 miles
    Surface: Concrete

    O'Malley's Alley is a paved, half-mile trail through a residential area south of Kaufman Lake on the western end of Champaign. On Kenwood Road (at the eastern end of the trail), you can head south on the sidewalk along the roadway to reach Centennial ...

  • Old Plank Road Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 22 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The 22-mile Old Plank Road Trail travels over the original Michigan Central Rail Road (MCRR) line, a railroad started about 1850 that ran from Lake Station in East Gary to Joliet. The rail was nicknamed the "Joliet Cut-Off" because it enabled ...

  • Oregon Park East Bike Path

    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 ...

  • Palatine Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 15 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Palatine Trail is sinuous system of trails that run between Deer Grove Forest Preserve and Paul Douglas Forest Preserve in the city of Palatine. The trail links neighborhoods, parks and golf courses, as well as the campus of Harper College ...

  • Pecatonica Prairie Path

    Rail-Trail

    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 ...

  • Pekin Park Bike Path

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 4.30 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Pekin Park Bike Trail traverses more than 4 miles between Allentown Road and the Illinois River at Pekin bridge. The trail does a loop in Coal Miners' Park and passes through Mineral Springs Park, making for a nice family outing. The trail ...

  • Pennsy Greenway

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 4 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Pennsy Greenway begins at the south end of the south segment of the Burnham Greenway in Calumet City on the eastern edge of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Green Lake Woods. It proceeds south to Bernice Road, crosses under I-80/94 ...

  • Perryville Path

    State: IL
    Length: 6.70 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 ...

  • Poplar Creek Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 9.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Poplar Creek Trail is a 9.5-mile paved loop around Poplar Creek Forest Preserve near Hoffman Estates. The trail has a couple of hills but is otherwise level and makes for a pleasant journey through the wooded preserve.

  • Prairie Trail (IL)

    Rail-Trail

    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 ...

  • Prospect Heights Bike Path

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 4.20 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    Prospect Heights Bike Path runs between Woodland Trails Park and Country Garden Park, paralleling the commuter rail tracks on its north–south leg. The trail provides a nice off-road route through the Chicago suburb of the same name, linking ...

  • Randall Road Bike Path

    State: IL
    Length: 3.90 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Randall Road Bike Path offers a 4-mile paved north-south route along its namesake roadway in a suburb west of Chicago. A highlight of the journey is the trail's passage through the Leroy Oaks County Forest Preserve, offering beautiful prairie ...

  • Rend Lake Bike Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 20.60 miles
    Surface: Concrete, Crushed Stone

    The Rend Lake Bike Trail, in the heart of southern Illinois, circles the second-largest man-made lake in the state. Along the way, trail-goers will enjoy picturesque views of the tree-lined water, prairie grasslands, wetlands, waterfowl and ...

  • Ridgefield Trace

    State: IL
    Length: 1.90 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 ...

  • River Bend Trail (Silver Glen Trail)

    State: IL
    Length: 4.20 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The 4-mile River Bend Trail is so named for the loop of Fox River along which it follows on its eastern end. It's here that you can connect to the scenic Fox River Trail to travel 37 miles along the waterway. The River Bend Trail is also known ...

  • River Trail of Illinois (Carl "Bud" Schmitt Trail)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 7.30 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    Running from East Peoria to Morton, The River Trail of Illinois was resurfaced in summer 2011. From East Peoria, the hiking and biking trail travels southeast along the old Illinois Terminal Railway line. Trail users can experience a bit of ...

  • Riverside Recreational Path

    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 ...

  • Robert McClory Bike Path (formerly North Shore Bike Path)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 26.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    The Robert McClory Bike Trail (formerly the North Shore Bike Path) is notorious for its conglomeration of names over the years. At any given time-and depending on whom you ask-it has been called the Green Bay Trail, the North Shore Trail, and ...

  • Rock Island Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 30.60 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    The Rock Island Trail has two distinct section components. The southern section goes from W. Northmoor Road in Peoria to the community of Alta. Managed by the Peoria Park District, this newer and rapidly expanding section is currently 4.25 miles ...

  • Rock River Recreation Path

    Rail-Trail

    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 ...

  • Rock Run Greenway

    State: IL
    Length: 10.40 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Concrete

    The Rock Run Greenway Trail courses for nearly 10.5 miles between Theodore Marsh in Crest Hill and the I&M Canal NHC Trail near the Des Plaines River. At various places along the trail you'll find picnicking and playgrounds, as well as other ...

  • Rock Valley College Path

    State: IL
    Length: 2.20 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 ...

  • Rockton Main Street Path

    State: IL
    Length: 0.80 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 ...

  • Rote Road Multi-Use Path

    State: IL
    Length: 0.80 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    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 ...

  • Saelens Park Trail

    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, ...

  • Salt Creek Trail (IL)

    State: IL
    Length: 25.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Cinder

    The Salt Creek Bicycle Trail began as a 6-mile paved trail between Bemis Woods South near Oakbrook to the Brookfield Zoo. The trail now extends farther north, from Oakbrook all the way to Busse Woods Forest Preserve near Elk Grove Village, for ...

  • Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 20.40 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    Big bluffs, mighty rivers, the largest state park and one giant bird—you'll find them all along the Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail. This unique rail-trail starts in the 8,050-acre Pere Marquette State Park (named for the first ...

  • Sangamon River Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 0.60 miles
    Surface: Ballast

    For a half-mile, western Monticello's Sangamon River Trail follows the former route of the Illinois Central Railroad, which carried passengers from Chicago to New Orleans. Its surface is still the railroad ballast from those bygone days and ...

  • Sangamon Valley Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 5.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The first 5.5-mile segment of the 38-mile Sangamon Valley Trail opened in summer 2011 and runs between Centennial Park and Stuart Park in Springfield. When complete, the Sangamon Valley Trail will link Girard and Athens, as well as the towns ...

  • Skokie Valley Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 9.80 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    An excellent example of land use in greater Chicago, the entire Skokie Valley Trail corridor is a rail-with-trail, paralleled by double tracks that sit about 40 feet to the west of the trail surface. The well-maintained asphalt path offers a ...

  • Skokie Valley Trail extension

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 6.80 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 ...

  • Stevens Creek Bikeway

    State: IL
    Length: 4 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Stevens Creek Bikeway follows a scenic stream for 4 miles through neighborhoods and woodlands, connecting two parks (one at each end of the trail) on the western side of Decatur in central Illinois. The pathway is relatively flat and trail-goers ...

  • Stone Bridge Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 5.80 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 ...

  • Stone Mill Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 1.50 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 ...

  • Swanson Park Recreation Path

    State: IL
    Length: 2.40 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 ...

  • Thorn Creek CSX Bicycle Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 8.20 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

  • Thorn Creek Trail (North)

    State: IL
    Length: 4.60 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Thorn Creek Trail is currently in two segments. This northern section is in the Glenwood area and traverses the south, west and portions of the east border of Wampum Lake Woods Forest Preserve. Along the heavily wooded trail you're bound ...

  • Thorn Creek Trail (South)

    State: IL
    Length: 4.70 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Thorn Creek Trail is currently in two segments. This southern section is in Chicago Heights in the Sauk Trail Woods Forest Preserve. The trail makes a wide loop between Forest Preserve Drive and the opposite side (west shore) of Sauk Lake. ...

  • Tinley Creek Trail (North)

    State: IL
    Length: 18.80 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Tinley Creek Trail is currently in two segments. This northern segment stretches from Palos Heights to Oak Forest and largely falls with several Cook County Forest Preserve areas, including Rubio Woods, Burr Oak Woods, Turtlehead Lake, Bachelor ...

  • Tinley Creek Trail (South)

    State: IL
    Length: 3.60 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Tinley Creek Trail is currently in two segments. This southern segment is within the South Green Belt Forest Preserve between Flossmor and Matteson, just west of I-57. The trail traverses wooded areas and open green space interspersed with ...

  • Tunnel Hill State Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 47.50 miles
    Surface: Crushed Stone

    Southern Illinois' Tunnel Hill State Trail is a gem of a route, with 23 trestle bridges (including one that is 450 feet long), several ghost towns, a beautiful park, a comfortable trailhead in Vienna Station and, of course, its namesake tunnel—an ...

  • Valley Line Trail (Skokie Line Trail)

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 1.10 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    Just 1 mile long, the Valley Line Trail (a.k.a. the Skokie Line) extends between the 4400 block of Bryn Mawr Avenue and the 4400 block of Devon Avenue. The trail runs through the Sauganash community, skirting the eastern border of Sauganash ...

  • Virgil Gilman Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 11.50 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Virgil Gilman Trail travels through forest and prairie, from a quiet, rural community college campus all the way into suburban Chicago. The trail's namesake, Virgil Gilman,was director of the Fox Valley Park District for 30 years and successfully ...

  • Wabash Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 2.10 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    The Wabash Trail is the epitome of an urban rail-trail link. It's straight and flat. It has bridges over its only intersecting roadways. Just keep moving and enjoy. The trail connects city neighborhoods in its midsection with shopping areas ...

  • Waterfall Glen

    State: IL
    Length: 10 miles
    Surface: Crushed Stone, Grass

    The Waterfall Glen Trail through the forest preserve of the same name makes a loop around the entire park. The preserve is geologically significant, featuring glacier-carved rock ridges, ravines and wetland potholes, which are not found anywhere ...

  • Waubonsie Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 1.90 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    This is a short paved trail near the community of Boulder Hill. The trail extends from Douglas Road to Brock Way though a greenway corridor within a residential community.

  • Wauponsee Glacial Trail

    Rail-Trail

    State: IL
    Length: 22.30 miles
    Surface: Asphalt, Crushed Stone

    Traveling along the Wauponsee Glacial Trail, you'll be surprised just how quickly you can move from an urban environment into the rolling fields of the Midwest. Starting in Joliet, within shouting distance of Interstate 80 overhead ramps, you ...

  • Williamson Parkway Bike Path

    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. ...

  • Willow Creek Path

    State: IL
    Length: 2.60 miles
    Surface: Asphalt

    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 ...