Sangamon Valley Trail:
Illinois
Trail Map
  • Get Personalized Driving Directions!
  • Find Trail Side Shops with Google Search!
  • See Users’ Geocoded Photos!
  • Get a Print-Friendly Map and Get Outdoors!
Description:
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 between. The trail follows an abadoned right-of-way of the old St. Louis, Peoria and North Western Railway, which later became part of the Chicago and North Western Railroad. The north-south trail is located in western Sangamon County.

... Click to read more
Parking & Trail Access:
You can access the Springfield section of the Sangamon Valley Trail on the southern terminus at Centennial Park, along Bunker Hill Road just west of the intersection with Lenhart Road. Parking is also available at Stuart Park on the north end, just off Winch Lane south of Woerly Lane. Limited parking is available at the end of Hedley Road near the southern terminus.

... Click to read more
... Click to read more
Reviews: [1 trail ratings]
[View all reviews for this trail]
[register/login to Submit a Review of this Trail]
A tale of two trails
By flavius217 in March, 2012
The southern half of the trail has five grade-level crossings, which are good for access but can slow down trail users. The first two -- if you're northbound from Centennial Park -- make it easy to look ahead for cars, so you don't have to slow down if you don't need to. But the last two have various trees and topography that necessitate slowing to a crawl just to see if a car is coming.

But after the last crossing -- at about the 2.8-mile mark -- the northern half of the trail is smooth sailing all the way to Stuart Park.

The scenery is mostly suburban in the southern half with some nice wooded areas in the northern half. At the 2-mile mark, there is a cool/creepy abandoned grain elevator complex. There is ample signage along the trail and several benches are available at various points. The existing trestles have been fitted with some nice wooden approaches.
The former Archer Elevator along the Sangamon Valley Trail
Trail Facts
Trail End Points: Winch Lane to Bunker Hill Road/CR 3 S
Counties: Sangamon
Trail Length: 5.5 miles
Trail Category: Rail-Trail
Trail Surfaces: Asphalt
Trail Activities: Bike, Inline Skating, Wheelchair Accessible, Walking
TrailLink ID: 6015722

Related Links
Guidebook: Learn more about other Midwestern rail-trails in RTC's Midwestern Guidebook.