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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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. ...
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; ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
State: IL Length: 10 miles Surface: Asphalt, Gravel
Safe biking trail along River Road in McHenry, along with state park biking trails
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 ...
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 ...
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: 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 ...
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: 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...