I walked this trail this summer and I think it's as nice a trail as you are likely to find - I highly recommend it. However, a word of warning to those who want to park at the South trailhead near Freeport: you can no longer get to the parking lot by turning West off highway 26 onto Fairview Road North of the intersection of Highway 26 and Highway 20, as the intersection where Fairview Road used to cross Highway 20 has been completely removed due to a road construction project. To get to the lot you must now turn West off Highway 26 onto Riverside Drive South of the intersection of with Highway 20 and follow that road along South of Highway 20 until it eventually meets the West end of Fairview Road, and then proceed on to the parking lot.

I recently completed the northern leg of the Grand Illinois Trail from Galena to Elgin. I was on the Jane Addams Trail on August 4th, 2010 from Buena Vista to the southern end at Route 20. The trail is a well compacted fine gravel/limestone and was in excellent condition in spite of the recent heavy rains in the area. A crew from Stephenson County was on the trail repairing washouts and gopher holes. According to the crew, the trail is scheduled to connect with the Pecatonica Prarie Trail next year. Stephenson County will take over maintenance up to Winnebago County when the 2 trails are joined.

I did not venture into the nearby towns to check out the services though. The road connection between the south end of the JA and the Pecatonica Prarie Trail was a series of open and quiet roads.

Rode this trail today from the Badger State trail about half way to Freeport. It is a great place to ride. Plenty of places to eat and drink along the way. Oragneville has a nice trail access point with johns, picknick shelter etc. There is also a gas station minimart and town is right there. I got a good look at a bald eagle there circling around the prairie there very low and slow. I saw a deer also. The only thing is the chipmunks love to burrow in the trail. Worse than that some bigger rodents are also leaving large burrow openings along the way so watch out for them. All And all I would give this trail a solid A

"The trail now goes past Beleville Wis. which is around 45 miles past Freepoet Ill. It is suppose to go all the way to Madison Wis. which will be around 61 miles one way from Freeport. Trouble is these snowmobiles dig into the wood when they go over the bridges and the way it looks they will need replaced before long.
John"

We love the Jane Adams Trail! We have biked this trail three times this year alone. Our favorite time was around memorial day when all of the spring wildflowers were in bloom. Beautiful! This trail is always so quiet and peaceful. You don't pass many roads or people along the way. The biking surface has always been great as well. This trail is our favorite in Illinois.

"The Jane Addams Trail is now connected with the Badger Trail to the north. Orangeville is a great place to start from with a nice black top parking area and a shelter to eat your lunch in or the village has numerous places to choose from with anything from a meal, sandwitches or icecream"

"I rode on it last weekend and lked it. Someone at oneco told me they are suppose to build it to Monroe, WI. starting sometime soon and there will be more hills to ride when they get done.
John"

"i just returned from a quick trip back home to freeport and took my first series of walks along the now-finished JA trail. beautiful!!!!! all along the trail, i saw birdhouses, wood duck boxes in richland creek, nesting cranes and geese, ... absolutely beautiful! it's so nice to see people take a renewed interest in nature."

"We rode the trail again recently during spring break and discovered that the trail is now open another 2.5 miles north to the Wisconsin state line. For those of you with kids like us, restrooms are available only at the southern trailhead and Orangeville, 2.5 miles south of the state line (with more than 9 miles in between). If you go east onto the main street in Orangeville, Tammy Jo's restaurant offers generous servings of deliciouis, reasonably-priced ice cream. All days but Friday, though, they close at 2 PM. On Fridays, they close at 6:00.

Overall, the trail is nice and shaded, with the exception of a mile south and mile or so north of Orangeville. The scenery is nice, and we scared some frogs off the trails. The bridges had plywood sheets on them which we believe were to prevent damage from snowmobiles. Their spacing was perfect for maximum bumpiness, and we look forward to their removal for the summer! Overall, the trail was in good condition, but we found a few soft spots. The grade is slight to the north, making the southern journey barely easier, barring the strong wind we had this time. "

"The decision to drive to Freeport from the suburbs northwest of Chicago to ride this trail was a good one.

The southern trailhead is found by taking the Freeport Route 20 bypass and turning south onto Fairview Road, which is about one mile west of the Route 26 exit. When the road ends, turn right and travel west about one-fourth of a mile. The large, gravel parking lot has an attractive and interesting sign made with railroad timbers and steel rails.

The trail leaves the lot to the north, immediately passing beneath Route 20. White and purple flowers lined the trail, and within a couple of miles we passed a gently sloped area entirely covered with these beautiful plants. Some old rail structures stood on the east side to remind us all of the abandoned line that must have thrived at one time.

The surface is hard packed fine sand or gravel which was easily ridden by bicycles with road tires. A bit farther north bison or buffalo were seen in a field to the west.

Many old trestle bridges with brand new decking spanned a steam that seemed to follow the rail line. In a few sections, the trail cut through the layered rock, traveling for a short distance with rock walls to either side.

A couple of very small towns are present along the trail and then we found ourselves in Orangeville at the northern end of what has been developed thus far on this trail, which will eventually travel to Madison, repotedly to include a 1/4 mile long tunnel along the way.

Being Memorial Day, not much was open, but a BP gas station 100 yards off the north end of the trail had a section with seating, offering sandwiches, pizza, drinks, etc., at reasonable prices. A couple of signs were passed indicating foods available on Sundays, and we heard good things about a couple of places to eat in the town of Orangeville.

On the way back, we stopped at an old caboose set on rails and joined with a deck to a screened building, all overlooking a very inviting lake. We soon found out we were on private property and quickly left, feeling sorry that this very cute arrangement wasn't meant to be experienced by trail users.

The round trip was approximately 22 miles, with lots of rural roads to explore off the trail for those looking for more miles. We did this ride on a beautiful, sunny day, and although it wasn't humid or hot, the abundance of shade along the ride told us that this would be nice to cruise even during summer's nastier conditions.

The trail was not busy with riders, although a few dozen were encountered along the way, including a few families with young kids on their bikes. Don't miss the opportunity to ride this one! And, if you can, help or encourage the quick completion of the segment that will continue north into Wisconsin. "