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 in recreational opportunities such as swimming, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, picnicking and camping.
Continue south on the paved pathway alongside Perryville Road through residential, commercial and business areas. Conveniently, the trail also passes the Rockford Bicycle Company, one of the largest bike shops in city. The trail ends not far from a shopping and dining complex situated between Argus Drive and East State Street, and future plans include extending the trail southward to the CherryVale Mall to connect residents to more shopping and dining amenities.
Mid-trail, there is parking available at the Peace Plaza (at E. Riverside Boulevard & McFarland Road).
At the northern end of the trail, there are two places to park inside Rock Cut State Park (7318 Harlem Road):
1) The park's horse camp parking lot is about 200 yards east from the Perryville Path and is on Hart Road, which sees little vehicle traffic.
2) The park's dam parking lot is about 1.5 miles east of the Perryville Path. It's located at the Lake View Trailhead and picnic area on the west side of Pierce Lake; from there, you can take the
Willow Creek Path to the trail.
Note that the park closes at 10 p.m. during the spring and summer and 5 p.m. during the winter. Visit the
park's website for details.
The section of this trail I have hiked a couple times is along the west edge of Rock Cut State Park. It is a nice paved trail with good views of the park and mostly screened from Perryville Road, even though it is adjacent to this busy road. I like walking ...