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 and rural, and the many people on the trail demonstrate that diversity. Spandex-clad athletes whiz past people from the neighborhood out for a leisurely stroll. Children often use the trail to get to Citizen's Park or Miner Park. It serves as the heart of an integrated transportation system that can be a model for communities in Illinois and beyond.
The flat, chip-and-seal surface is good for jogging, so many runners signed up for the Chicago Marathon use the trail as a training ground. And if people-watching gets tiresome, there's always bird-watching; the best times to spot the more reclusive creatures are in the earliest hours of sunrise and at dusk.
Start the trail in Citizen's Park in Old Town Glen Carbon, where you can also pick up the
MCT Nickel Plate Trail. Several blocks east is Miner Park, which has restrooms, and there are always trail maps and displays at the trailheads. Be sure to bring your camera for a photo of the 340-foot Silver Creek Railroad Trestle in town. The majority of the trail stretches out through farmland on either side, farmhouses dotting the landscape, especially as it approaches the Kuhn Station Road trailhead to the northeast.
Technically, the Glen Carbon Heritage Bike Trail runs between the MCT Nickel Plate Trail in Glen Carbon and just west of Old Staunton Road, at which point the trail is also known as the MCT Heritage Trail. From here the trail continues to the town of Marine.
Just east of Glen Carbon the Heritage Trail intersects the
MCT Goshen Trail.
To reach the Glen Carbon trailhead at Meridian Road and W. Main St., take State Route 157 to W. Main Street. Look for the trailhead on the right in 1 mile.
To access the Kuhn Station Road trailhead, take Staunton Road to Goshen Road; turn south on Kuhn Station Rd. and look for the trailhead just ahead.
Parking is also available in Marine at the eastern terminus of the trail and about midway off Old Troy at Mont Road.
I rode from Marine all the way to the Lewis N Clark park near Alton and back a couple of weekends ago. 86 miles round trip and the whole ride was wonderful. The Madison County Transit Authority gets big kudos from me for supporting such a wonderful network ...
I just rode on it today for the first time because it was 60 degrees outside. I rode from Glen Crossing Road to where the trail is currently closed (on Main Street by Citizens Park) because of the construction on IL 157. This trail was different from ...