Explore the best rated trails in Bethalto, IL. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Arches Rail Trail and Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail. With more than 52 trails covering 599 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Ted Jones Trail runs for 2.2 miles between the town of Ferguson and the University of MissouriSt. Louis (UMSL), where it joins with the St. Vincent Greenway on the west side of campus. From...
The Sunset Greenway Trail begins near Sunset Park, on the banks of the Missouri River, and travels along a roadway through open space to beyond St. Ferdinand Park in Old Town Florissant. The village...
The Creve Coeur Park Trails are a collection of paved pathways winding through wetland and wooded areas within St. Louis County’s first and largest park, which spans more than 2,000 acres. (When the...
The GM&O Heritage Trail maintains the legacy of the railroad that once ran through the municipality of Columbia. The right-of-way was first built by the Cairo & St. Louis Railroad, which by another...
While exploring the seven mile Lakeside Park Trail you are treated to views of the 140 acre lake at Lakeside Park. Lakeside Park Trail's asphalt and concrete surfaces are ideal for biking, walking,...
Spanning nearly five miles, the Busch Greenway provides an important connector between Missouri’s famed Katy Trail, the August A. Busch Conservation Area, and Missouri Research Park in western St....
The St. Vincent Greenway Trail winds through the north and south campuses of the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) before emerging into the lush woodlands of St. Vincent Park. The park offers a...
The MCT Bluff Trail is the shortest trail in the Madison County network, but it highlights a feature of regional topography which can be evidenced on several other trails. The American Bottom is a...
Closure Notice: Please be advised that the Riverfront Trail will be subject to intermittent closures and disruptions at least through the end of 2021 in the area north of the McKinley Bridge due to...
Closure Notice: A roughly two-mile section of the trail, from the McKinley Bridge to E Street in Venice and Granite City, is closed due to construction on the Terminal Railroad Bridge project. The...
The MCT Quercus Grove Trail begins in Edwardsville at its junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail. It begins on city sidewalks and alleys near Edwardsville's historic downtown area and very quickly...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Goshen Trail is a namesake of the old Goshen Road that was built in 1808 to supply salt to the first permanent settlers of Madison County. The modern bike trail...
The Carlyle Lake Bike Trail is located in one of Southwest Illinois's most popular recreational areas, just 50 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri—not far from that area's abundance of great trails, as...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nature Trail goes through richly varied surroundings of city, farm and wood. In the west, it begins at beautiful Wilson Park in Granite City. From there, it makes its...
You can make connections all over the countryside from the Madison County Transit (MCT) Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail. The paved path travels 12.2 miles between the villages of Glen Carbon and...
The Greater St. Louis area is dominated by the “Great Rivers.” While the Mississippi River gets most of the attention, the Missouri River is not one to be taken for granted. An emerging trail system...
The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Watershed Trail is all about trains, bridges and waterways. It follows an abandoned rail corridor built in 1868, the first to serve the city of Edwardsville, itself the...
The trail is a popular local recreation spot. The trail first winds through the Bethalto Arboretum, about a half-mile, shaded stroll through stands of oak, maple and over 80 other tree species. The...
This mile long concrete trail connects two favorite recreation spots in southeast St. Louis. At one end sits Carondelet Park is the city's third largest park, and is 180-acres of beautifully...
The Hamilton Carr Trail begins off Woods Road in Rockwoods Reservation, a state forest and wildlife conservation area that offers hiking trails, picnic areas, caves and interesting rock formations....
You can make connections all over the countryside from the Madison County Transit (MCT) Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail. The paved path travels 12.2 miles between the villages of Glen Carbon and...
Sandwiched between towering limestone bluffs and the confluence of two mighty rivers, the Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail offers scenery once enjoyed by riverboat captains. Today, you can...
The Meramec Greenway Trail is planned to one day encompass 50 miles throughout the St. Louis metro region, expanding as far west as Pacific, Missouri. The scenic route connects residents to the...
The MCT Quercus Grove Trail begins in Edwardsville at its junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail. It begins on city sidewalks and alleys near Edwardsville's historic downtown area and very quickly...
Advisory: May 2020 - In June 2019, parts of the Katy Trail were flooded. While much has been repaired, please check trail conditions on the Missouri State Parks website before going out to ride as...
The Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail is part of two developing Illinois initiatives: the Route 66 Trail from Chicago to St. Louis, loosely following the historic highway; and the Illinois Traction System...
Hesse Trail connects two neighborhoods and a park in the city of O'Fallon with plans to extend and connect it to other trails in the large Metro-East area. It is a short, completely tree-covered...
The Sunset Greenway Trail begins near Sunset Park, on the banks of the Missouri River, and travels along a roadway through open space to beyond St. Ferdinand Park in Old Town Florissant. The village...
This mile long concrete trail connects two favorite recreation spots in southeast St. Louis. At one end sits Carondelet Park is the city's third largest park, and is 180-acres of beautifully...
Closure Notice: A roughly two-mile section of the trail, from the McKinley Bridge to E Street in Venice and Granite City, is closed due to construction on the Terminal Railroad Bridge project. The...
The MCT Bluff Trail is the shortest trail in the Madison County network, but it highlights a feature of regional topography which can be evidenced on several other trails. The American Bottom is a...
Spanning nearly five miles, the Busch Greenway provides an important connector between Missouri’s famed Katy Trail, the August A. Busch Conservation Area, and Missouri Research Park in western St....
The West Alton Trail occupies the right-of-way of an old railroad bed. The crushed-stone trail runs for 2 miles between US 67 in West Alton and the Lincoln-Shields Recreation Area at the Mississippi...
Honoring former President Ulysses S. Grant, this flat and relaxed 10-mile trail is easily accessible from downtown St. Louis. Grant’s Trail is well maintained with plentiful restrooms and drinking...
Earth City Levee Trail, which opened in June 2015, is part of a growing trail network called the Missouri River Greenway. It connects directly with the Riverwoods Trail in Bridgeton, forming a paved...
The Hamilton Carr Trail begins off Woods Road in Rockwoods Reservation, a state forest and wildlife conservation area that offers hiking trails, picnic areas, caves and interesting rock formations....
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Schoolhouse Trail offers a 15.5-mile flat, paved route through the eastern suburbs of greater St. Louis, Missouri, between Madison and Maryville, Illinois. Along the...
The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Watershed Trail is all about trains, bridges and waterways. It follows an abandoned rail corridor built in 1868, the first to serve the city of Edwardsville, itself the...
The Arnold City Park Trail follows former residential streets through a wooded area along the Meramec River in a southwestern suburb of St. Louis. It forms a loop that begins and ends at the gravel...
Centennial Greenway will one day stretch 20 miles through St. Louis County from Creve Coeur County Park at its northern end to Forest Park at its southern tip. Currently, the trail is open in three...
Opened in the Fall of 2012, Arches Rail Trail continues to be improved by an active local support group. It lies between Butler and Hillsboro, Illinois, along a section of an old 1850s route that...
This trail along Richland Creek is in two discontiguous sections that must be accessed separately. The northern section goes by the thick and quiet woods of Centennial Park, where there are also very...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Schoolhouse Trail offers a 15.5-mile flat, paved route through the eastern suburbs of greater St. Louis, Missouri, between Madison and Maryville, Illinois. Along the...
You can make connections all over the countryside from the Madison County Transit (MCT) Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail. The paved path travels 12.2 miles between the villages of Glen Carbon and...
Closure Notice: Please be advised that the Riverfront Trail will be subject to intermittent closures and disruptions at least through the end of 2021 in the area north of the McKinley Bridge due to...
Spanning nearly five miles, the Busch Greenway provides an important connector between Missouri’s famed Katy Trail, the August A. Busch Conservation Area, and Missouri Research Park in western St....
The McKinley Bridge has a long and storied past. In 1910, it opened to both railroad and vehicular traffic. Railroad tracks ran through the strong center portion of the bridge under the trusses, and...
This mile long concrete trail connects two favorite recreation spots in southeast St. Louis. At one end sits Carondelet Park is the city's third largest park, and is 180-acres of beautifully...
The River Des Peres Greenway Trail provides a flat, paved route along the River Des Peres Drainage Channel in southwestern St. Louis. Although this urban trail is seldom crowded, one of its drawbacks...
Hesse Trail connects two neighborhoods and a park in the city of O'Fallon with plans to extend and connect it to other trails in the large Metro-East area. It is a short, completely tree-covered...
The Hamilton Carr Trail begins off Woods Road in Rockwoods Reservation, a state forest and wildlife conservation area that offers hiking trails, picnic areas, caves and interesting rock formations....
The Boschert Greenway is a paved hike-and-bike trail located in St. Charles, Missouri. The greenway provides an eight-mile journey out-and-back, while connecting to other recreation destinations. The...
The MCT Bluff Trail is the shortest trail in the Madison County network, but it highlights a feature of regional topography which can be evidenced on several other trails. The American Bottom is a...
The Mississippi Greenway is a growing multi-use trail in the St. Louis area that will eventually span 32 miles. Sometimes it’s referred to as the Mississippi River Trail or the Mississippi River...
Advisory: May 2020 - In June 2019, parts of the Katy Trail were flooded. While much has been repaired, please check trail conditions on the Missouri State Parks website before going out to ride as...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nature Trail goes through richly varied surroundings of city, farm and wood. In the west, it begins at beautiful Wilson Park in Granite City. From there, it makes its...
The Sunset Greenway Trail begins near Sunset Park, on the banks of the Missouri River, and travels along a roadway through open space to beyond St. Ferdinand Park in Old Town Florissant. The village...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Goshen Trail is a namesake of the old Goshen Road that was built in 1808 to supply salt to the first permanent settlers of Madison County. The modern bike trail...
The GM&O Heritage Trail maintains the legacy of the railroad that once ran through the municipality of Columbia. The right-of-way was first built by the Cairo & St. Louis Railroad, which by another...
The Dardenne Greenway Trail follows Dardenne Creek as it makes its way through St. Charles County on its way to the mighty Mississippi. The trail, which currently passes through several suburban St....
We have ridden the trail over 25 years, camping along the trail using the Katy Trail Guide Book. We just camped at the Katy Roundhouse this fall and rode west the first day, and east to Rocheport and beyond the second day. We were very disappointed to find that because a bridge was out we had to ride on Highway 40, for over 2 miles, with cars and trucks speeding along at 50 to 60 miles per hour, and not slowing or giving a wide berth at all. We were on trikes, so felt very vulnerable, but met other users who were not happy about the situation either. Had there been a warning about this situation, we would have trucked the bikes over to Rocheport.
Saw some sun bathing snapping turtles at the small lake. Very quiet place with just a handful of walkers or bikers. Friendly place!
We rode this trail from the Daniel Boone Bridge (I-64) to St Charles for lunch at the Bike Stop Cafe. The trail is well maintained and is shaded by trees most of the way. The section adjacent to Greens Bottom Rd is exposed (no shade, except late afternoon). The trail is EASY to follow and is pretty level. The city of St Charles has businesses close to the trail.
Started at the trailhead by the Chesterfield Outlets and rode across the Daniel Boone Bridge (I-64). The Levee section was fairly smooth and pleasant to ride on. The morning we rode was cloudy, so the lack of shade was not an issue. Upon our return trip (we rode to the KATY trail across the river), the sun was out and it was getting pretty warm. Since the trail rides on the top of a levee, there are no trees, or any other sources of shade. Bring plenty of water.
Decent ride through industrial area to chain of rocks bridge. Probably worth it, but I ran out of water coming back to the city and used one of the fountains along the trail. Big mistake. Chemical smell in the water and got pretty sick on the way back west. Don't use those fountains!
My family of 4 did 9 miles on the Katy Trail starting at Cooper’s Landing. It was well maintained, a great combo of tree cover/no tree cover, and I could have stopped for photo opt after photo opt! Beautiful trail!!! Coopers landing was a great stop with yummy food trucks and terrific people watching!
If you like post-apocalyptic industrial areas, broken glass and litter-strewn highway shoulder lanes and non-existent signage at confusing highway intersections, then YOU won’t be disappointed. But we read the glowing write up of this trail, which doesn’t reflect reality in any way. With the exception of the Arch, the riverfront is sad and ugly. We gave up after riding 10 miles so maybe there’s something attractive at the northern end. 1.5 miles of the trail are closed for construction until at least August 2022.
Headed downtown with family to ride the trail only to discover that the riverfront area was closed. There were no detour signs directing how to get to the trail. We were able to ask a fellow rider for help. He was super nice and helpful. He also shared that this part of this trail has been closed for some time. Our start was way harder than it needed to be, but we all truly enjoyed our ride.
A great paved trail for casual riding! I like how it also connects to smaller paths around the soccer fields and Mallard Lake. The East side of the lake with boat rentals, etc has been fairly crowded every time I’ve gone in the summer, but the crowds thin out on the other sections.
It was my first time riding this trail. I was a bit skeptical at first because I’ve never ridden it. Started from Kirkwood all the way down to Shrewsbury and then back. Definitely scenic. Especially around Grant’s Farm. I would definitely recommend it to any explorer.
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