Explore the best rated trails in East Moline, IL. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Mississippi River Trail (Riverdale to Davenport) and Duck Creek Recreational Trail. With more than 22 trails covering 4046 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.
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The Kent Stein to Deep Lakes Park Trail (also known as the Wiggens Road Trail) provides an important connector in the southeast Iowa community of Muscatine, which is separated from Illinois by the...
The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...
Located in the scenic riverside city of Clinton, the Clinton Discovery Trail offers trail users a wonderful way to make the most of the city's prime location on the banks of the Mississippi River....
The Copper Creek Trail runs for a short distance from the town of Preston, heading northwest along Copper Creek to meet with the Bear River Recreation Trail. You'll find a nice picnic spot with a...
Paul Skeffington Memorial Trail is a 5-mile pathway in Dewitt, Iowa. The trail provides safe, well-shaded access from residential neighborhoods to the 100 acre Westbrook Park. It includes a concrete...
The trail user can be transported from the bustling Westwood Fitness and Sports Center to a beautiful wooded trail that offers Elkhorn Creek on the far outer loop of the trail, a shelter at the top of...
Located in the quaint community of Lost Nation, the Gilroy Rustic Park Trail is one of the most picturesque places in Clinton County. The half-mile path is lined with trees and, although the trail is...
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The Government Bridge is both an engineering marvel and a significant part of US history. The predecessor to the present-day bridge was the first bridge built across the Mississippi River. Three...
The Hoover Nature Trail is a developing rail-trail in southeastern Iowa being built on a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad right-of-way. The trail is named for President Herbert Hoover,...
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Muscatine’s Running River Trail System offers paved and unpaved routes crossing the riverside city. One of the most beloved segments sits right on the water’s edge: The Riverside Trail is 5.3 miles of...
The Duck Creek Recreational Trail, also known as Duck Creek Parkway Trail, traverses three riverfront cities in the Quad Cities region of eastern Iowa, offering residents the opportunity for a...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The Great River Trail is a breathtaking journey along more than 60 miles of the Mississippi River in northern Illinois. In places, the paved trail follows the former spur route of the Chicago, St....
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The Mississippi River Trail in Scott County resembles the setting of a Mark Twain novel as it travels 13.5 miles along its namesake within sight of barges, riverboats, and marine-related businesses...
The Hershey Avenue Trail, paralleling its namesake roadway for just under a mile, serves as an east-west connector for the City of Muscatine. The paved pathway begins at the intersection of Hershey...
The Cedar Street Trail begins on Houser Street in northwest Muscatine and runs until Parham Road over a mile east. It’s a neighborhood trail connecting residents to the homes, schools, businesses,...
Running between the rural communities of Eldridge and Long Grove to the north of Davenport, the Eldridge/Long Grove Trail provides a great recreational asset to these small, quiet suburbs. The path...
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One day spanning 1.75 miles, the Westside Trail will serve as an important connector in the southeast Iowa community of Muscatine, providing access to Kent Stein Park and Discovery Park. Currently,...
This off-road trail parallels the Beacon Harbor Parkway in East Moline as it gradually winds north towards the Mississippi River. The trail begins on 7th Street and cuts through a lush wetland where...
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Caution: As of August 2017, the trail is closed due to storm washouts from Mile 13.4 to Mile 13.9; this closure is located approximately 2.5 miles north of Princeville in Peoria County. The trail is...
The Duck Creek Recreational Trail, also known as Duck Creek Parkway Trail, traverses three riverfront cities in the Quad Cities region of eastern Iowa, offering residents the opportunity for a...
The Cedar Street Trail begins on Houser Street in northwest Muscatine and runs until Parham Road over a mile east. It’s a neighborhood trail connecting residents to the homes, schools, businesses,...
Located in the scenic riverside city of Clinton, the Clinton Discovery Trail offers trail users a wonderful way to make the most of the city's prime location on the banks of the Mississippi River....
The Hershey Avenue Trail, paralleling its namesake roadway for just under a mile, serves as an east-west connector for the City of Muscatine. The paved pathway begins at the intersection of Hershey...
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The Sterling Multi-Activity Recreational Trail starts at one end at the edge of the Hoover Park parking lot and heads into a scenic wooded trail crossing a wooden bridge over Woodlawn Creek and...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The Mississippi River Trail in Scott County resembles the setting of a Mark Twain novel as it travels 13.5 miles along its namesake within sight of barges, riverboats, and marine-related businesses...
The Government Bridge is both an engineering marvel and a significant part of US history. The predecessor to the present-day bridge was the first bridge built across the Mississippi River. Three...
Paul Skeffington Memorial Trail is a 5-mile pathway in Dewitt, Iowa. The trail provides safe, well-shaded access from residential neighborhoods to the 100 acre Westbrook Park. It includes a concrete...
The Bear River Recreation Trail follows part of the Maquoketa River outside of Spragueville and Preston, through bucolic countryside of woodlands, farms and river lowlands. You can start the trail in...
The Kent Stein to Deep Lakes Park Trail (also known as the Wiggens Road Trail) provides an important connector in the southeast Iowa community of Muscatine, which is separated from Illinois by the...
The Hoover Nature Trail is a developing rail-trail in southeastern Iowa being built on a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad right-of-way. The trail is named for President Herbert Hoover,...
The Great River Trail is a breathtaking journey along more than 60 miles of the Mississippi River in northern Illinois. In places, the paved trail follows the former spur route of the Chicago, St....
Located in the quaint community of Lost Nation, the Gilroy Rustic Park Trail is one of the most picturesque places in Clinton County. The half-mile path is lined with trees and, although the trail is...
This off-road trail parallels the Beacon Harbor Parkway in East Moline as it gradually winds north towards the Mississippi River. The trail begins on 7th Street and cuts through a lush wetland where...
The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...
Muscatine’s Running River Trail System offers paved and unpaved routes crossing the riverside city. One of the most beloved segments sits right on the water’s edge: The Riverside Trail is 5.3 miles of...
Caution: As of August 2017, the trail is closed due to storm washouts from Mile 13.4 to Mile 13.9; this closure is located approximately 2.5 miles north of Princeville in Peoria County. The trail is...
One day spanning 1.75 miles, the Westside Trail will serve as an important connector in the southeast Iowa community of Muscatine, providing access to Kent Stein Park and Discovery Park. Currently,...
The trail user can be transported from the bustling Westwood Fitness and Sports Center to a beautiful wooded trail that offers Elkhorn Creek on the far outer loop of the trail, a shelter at the top of...
Located in the quaint community of Lost Nation, the Gilroy Rustic Park Trail is one of the most picturesque places in Clinton County. The half-mile path is lined with trees and, although the trail is...
The Hershey Avenue Trail, paralleling its namesake roadway for just under a mile, serves as an east-west connector for the City of Muscatine. The paved pathway begins at the intersection of Hershey...
The Copper Creek Trail runs for a short distance from the town of Preston, heading northwest along Copper Creek to meet with the Bear River Recreation Trail. You'll find a nice picnic spot with a...
The Great River Trail is a breathtaking journey along more than 60 miles of the Mississippi River in northern Illinois. In places, the paved trail follows the former spur route of the Chicago, St....
The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...
The Cedar Street Trail begins on Houser Street in northwest Muscatine and runs until Parham Road over a mile east. It’s a neighborhood trail connecting residents to the homes, schools, businesses,...
Muscatine’s Running River Trail System offers paved and unpaved routes crossing the riverside city. One of the most beloved segments sits right on the water’s edge: The Riverside Trail is 5.3 miles of...
This off-road trail parallels the Beacon Harbor Parkway in East Moline as it gradually winds north towards the Mississippi River. The trail begins on 7th Street and cuts through a lush wetland where...
The Hoover Nature Trail is a developing rail-trail in southeastern Iowa being built on a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad right-of-way. The trail is named for President Herbert Hoover,...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
Paul Skeffington Memorial Trail is a 5-mile pathway in Dewitt, Iowa. The trail provides safe, well-shaded access from residential neighborhoods to the 100 acre Westbrook Park. It includes a concrete...
The Bear River Recreation Trail follows part of the Maquoketa River outside of Spragueville and Preston, through bucolic countryside of woodlands, farms and river lowlands. You can start the trail in...
Caution: As of August 2017, the trail is closed due to storm washouts from Mile 13.4 to Mile 13.9; this closure is located approximately 2.5 miles north of Princeville in Peoria County. The trail is...
Located in the scenic riverside city of Clinton, the Clinton Discovery Trail offers trail users a wonderful way to make the most of the city's prime location on the banks of the Mississippi River....
One day spanning 1.75 miles, the Westside Trail will serve as an important connector in the southeast Iowa community of Muscatine, providing access to Kent Stein Park and Discovery Park. Currently,...
Running between the rural communities of Eldridge and Long Grove to the north of Davenport, the Eldridge/Long Grove Trail provides a great recreational asset to these small, quiet suburbs. The path...
The Kent Stein to Deep Lakes Park Trail (also known as the Wiggens Road Trail) provides an important connector in the southeast Iowa community of Muscatine, which is separated from Illinois by the...
The Mississippi River Trail in Scott County resembles the setting of a Mark Twain novel as it travels 13.5 miles along its namesake within sight of barges, riverboats, and marine-related businesses...
The Sterling Multi-Activity Recreational Trail starts at one end at the edge of the Hoover Park parking lot and heads into a scenic wooded trail crossing a wooden bridge over Woodlawn Creek and...
The trail user can be transported from the bustling Westwood Fitness and Sports Center to a beautiful wooded trail that offers Elkhorn Creek on the far outer loop of the trail, a shelter at the top of...
A bit confusing due to lack of signage but it’s a great path to ride your bike on. Mountain bike preferably because lots of gravel and grass. We did 27.2 miles from Sheffield ( Hennepin state park ) to Gennezeau. , had lunch in gennezeau at Barney’s a bar & grill. Good sandwiches burgers chicken sandwiches ..... Watch out for the TOE PATHs that can take you away from where you want to go. Again this is due to lack of sinages
Last summer I finally put my bike tires to Iowa asphalt, cement, and crushed limestone. It was my first ride west of the Mississippi and my first two-state ride in some time. I traversed the Great River Trail from Campbell's Island to Credit Island round trip and experienced everything in between including Arsenal Island, a brewery, flooded segments of the trail, a minor league baseball field, artwork, ghost signs and a vast assortment of incredible views. Easily a favorite path, I'd lovee to get back out here and head north from Campbell's to experience more of this terrific trail. Cheers.
Stayed at the Thomson Causeway Campground and rented bikes from Arnold's Bikes in Thomson (highly recommended). The ride north to Savanna was beautiful as was the ride down south to see the Fulton Dutch windmill. Good diversity of fields, tree lined runs, and a general feeling of peacefulness not found near Chicago.
Only gripes were where there were stretches of bike path that had: sketchy amounts of wood debris, lack of signage when zizagging onto local roads, and deteriorating surfaces that made for a very uncomfortable ride on road bike tires (23-25mm).
I've skated the riverfront section and also from Harvard Ave to Alta. The pavements varies in quality from very nice to very rough and cracked. The stretch from Midstate College to Harvard Ave is probably the best for those that want good pavement. Also beware of the tunnel at roughly mile 11.75, as it is situated after a blind turn at the base of a hill. Easier to navigate it coming from the north, but very sketchy coming from the south. It's a great albeit narrow path once in the long tunnel though. I'd probably recommend the East Peoria trail over this one but it is still a good skate or ride.
Only had time to go from Savannah to Thomson. It is all paved. The first part is tree lined trail. The water in the rivers was high and the trail could use some weed wacking. After a while you got on to country roads that went past the river. It was windy and there wasn't a lot to shield you but it was a nice day. I would have liked to have seen more of the Mississippi River. Maybe 25% or so you can see the Mississippi but the rest of the view is blocked by houses or trees. Tons of parking in Savannah by the railroad car.
I rode from the trailhead at Sunset Park in Rock Island to the Arsenal Bridge where I crossed into Iowa, so this review is only for that short section of the trail. It's urban and it moves onto and off the high levee overlooking the Mississippi with ease.
Parking at Sunset Park is easy, and routefinding isn't a challenge at all.
Just head north and follow the signs. Once you're out of the park, you'll climb onto a flood control levee overlooking Old Man River. The views are spectacular. The trail eventually comes off the levee and into a neighborhood that has an industrial urban feel to it, but I don't mean that in a bad way. It adds flavor and it just felt very safe. The pavement is as smooth as it gets and the signage is just about right. People along the trail were kind and friendly.
Bottom line, this is a really nice section of trail that overlooks an iconic American landmark. It's well worth the ride if you get the chance.
I was traveling through the Quad Cities on the way home to northwest Iowa from Indiana and had a chance to stop and ride some of the trails on both sides of the river here. Most of my riding was on the Illinois side, but I crossed the river on the Centennial Bridge, rode through downtown Davenport on this trail and then crossed the river again on the Arsenal Bridge.
So this review is only for the section of the trail between the two bridges. That said, I loved it. Downtown Davenport was vibrant and this trail was smooth, safe, easy to navigate and well signed. To see the Mississippi up close on a bike gives you a real sense for just how big and powerful it is. I loved the entire experience and will come back to ride more.
It would be easy to view this trail in a negative light. The pavement is a mixed bag. It's not fast and smooth. Maintenance appears to be non-existent. There are hazards. There are snakes (I ran over one) and loads of bugs. You won't find a lot of services, at least at the west end.
But what you also won't find is a lot of people and sometimes that's a good thing. You won't find the type of self-absorbed roadies and triatheletes who sometimes terrorize other trail users by buzzing them at 25 mph. You won't find a lot suburban dog walkers. What you will find are cyclists and runners who genuinely enjoy being out in the natural world. If you like your nature natural instead of Disneyfied, you're gonna love this trail. If you like history, there are a number of locks along the trail. This was once a working canal. A local runner I met on the trail told me that it was the model for the Panama Canal.
I rode from Colona to Geneseo and back on Saturday June 9, 2018. It's a 21 mile round trip. It was muggy but interestingly enough, there were pockets of cooler air, too. The underpass below I80 was dark and flooded...real horror movie stuff. About a mile up, a small bridge was out but someone had carved a bypass and my Salsa Fargo with 29 x 2.25 WTB Rangers handed it just fine. I was surprised at how empty it felt out here. This is a part of the country where it's really hard to get away from civilization, but on this stretch at least, you can. The miles flew by and soon enough I was back at my car.
I've read a number of comments from people who tried to tackle this on road bikes. It's probably doable if you're adept at picking a line, but there are better bikes to choose for this. I got lucky and picked the right one and that no doubt added to my enjoyment. You could ride it on just about anything though. It's just not that rugged. It is pockmarked and goes from mostly paved to mostly unpaved and back many times. Between the mud and berries, my bike was filthy when I got back to the car. Bring a rag and clean it off when you're done or you'll have a mess when you get home.
The moral of the story here is to know what it is you're getting into and plan accordingly. Bring Deet unless you want to be eaten alive. Don't go traipsing through the weeds unless you want to get up close and personal with snakes. You're traversing what is mostly a wild wetland and if my experience was any indication, you'll have it mostly to yourself. That's pretty special in this day and age. Five stars, only because I can't give it six.
Rode the Hennepin canal from Wyanet to the end of trail in Bureau Junction. Took our road bikes and that was not a mistake. We parked at the Bureau Valley Wyanet Elementary school which is about a ½ mile easy ride to the trail. The trail started out as dirt/crushed limestone which made it a bit of a slow go at first. It then changed to old asphalt type material.
7.5 miles from the end there was about a ½ mile of packed down gravel which wasn’t the best to ride on with our road bikes but it was passable. After that stretch it was a combination of old asphalt and some dirt on top of old asphalt.
There were also 2-3 parks along the way with toilets (no running water though). In fact, you should be prepared to ride the whole way with however much food and water you need as there really are no places to stop.
All of it was pretty level and the condition of the surface was decent until the last 2-3 miles. This was still ok for the road bikes but the condition of the surface was just not as good.
Road 60 miles (30 out and back) from trailhead at Rock River in Colona. We brought our road bikes (23mm tires), expecting paved trails. It was slow going, but certainly doable. The trail is definitely in need of repair and maintenance. It is flat, peaceful and quite beautiful. The canal history and artifacts (locks, etc) are a very interesting perk.
Fortunately we packed extra water. We had trouble finding water stops along the way. There was a fountain at the lock (14 miles from the trailhead) but it was not working in late September even though it was almost 90 degrees.
We rode from Toulon to Dunlap and back. It was a beautiful day and the trail setting is very nice with a mix of woods and fields. The trail was in pretty good shape but you need to be alert for ground squirrel burrows. In the wooded sections there is a fair amount of debris so you need to watch out for the larger branches. It's fun riding but if you get too relaxed you may be jolted back to alertness by a branch or a hole.
The DNR web site lists several closures but there is really only one north of Princeville. Like the previous reviewer we rode around it on county roads to the east and it was no problem. The Toulon to Wyoming section has the worst trail conditions (but is perfectly rideable in spite of the trail closed signs) and we will probably start in Wyoming if we do it again.
We ride hybrids with reasonably wide tires and I'm not sure how much fun it would be on a road bike.
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