Explore the best rated trails in Edwardsville, 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 47 trails covering 583 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.
Caution: While construction continues on the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, be alert for trail restrictions or closings north of the parking lot access. The trail will remain open from...
Although a relatively short route, the Riverwoods Trail offers plentiful scenic views of the Missouri River and historic St. Charles. The trail closely follows the river's shoreline through wetland...
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 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 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...
Maline Greenway is an east-west shared use trail in St. Louis, Missouri. The planned length of the trail in 7 miles and will join Mississippi Greenway to the St. Vincent Greenway. In the summer of...
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 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...
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 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...
This trail gets its name from the MetroLink Red Line train track it parallels through eastern Belleville and (briefly) the village of Swansea. It is a classic rail-with-trail configuration, where...
When you think of St. Louis, some iconic images likely come to mind: the Mississippi River, the Gateway Arch, and Lewis and Clark. The St. Louis Riverfront Trail lets you experience all of this and...
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...
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 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...
Caution: Trail closures are occurring in two areas along the southern half of this trail: 1) near the construction site of the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, and 2) at the construction...
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 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....
For nearly 5 miles, the Columbia Bottom Trail meanders through the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, which features forests, wetlands, and open fields. The trail is part of the Missouri River...
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...
Maline Greenway is an east-west shared use trail in St. Louis, Missouri. The planned length of the trail in 7 miles and will join Mississippi Greenway to the St. Vincent Greenway. In the summer of...
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...
This trail gets its name from the MetroLink Red Line train track it parallels through eastern Belleville and (briefly) the village of Swansea. It is a classic rail-with-trail configuration, where...
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...
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 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...
For nearly 5 miles, the Columbia Bottom Trail meanders through the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, which features forests, wetlands, and open fields. The trail is part of the Missouri River...
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 Madison County Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail is the longest of the county’s trails and perhaps the most diverse in its offerings. On the west, it begins at a junction with the MCT Nature Trail,...
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 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...
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...
Caution: Trail closures are occurring in two areas along the southern half of this trail: 1) near the construction site of the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, and 2) at the construction...
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...
Dedicated on August 5, 2000, the Green Diamond Rail-Trail was the first bicycling/pedestrian trail in Montgomery County. Partially funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the trail is...
Wildwood Greenway is an eight-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian trail in Wildwood, a western suburb of St. Louis. It is part of a trail system offering twelve miles of asphalt trail throughout the...
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...
Caution: While construction continues on the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, be alert for trail restrictions or closings north of the parking lot access. The trail will remain open from...
The Metro-East Levee Trail offers a semicircle route around Cahokia, which lies south of St. Louis and east of the Mississippi River. It parallels a canal and sits atop a levee that is 30 feet high at...
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...
Caution: While construction continues on the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, be alert for trail restrictions or closings north of the parking lot access. The trail will remain open from...
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...
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...
Dedicated on August 5, 2000, the Green Diamond Rail-Trail was the first bicycling/pedestrian trail in Montgomery County. Partially funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the trail is...
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 Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was part of the renowned Route 66 and crosses a scenic stretch of the Mississippi River. It links two states—Illinois and Missouri—north of St. Louis. The bridge is short...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail is the longest of the county’s trails and perhaps the most diverse in its offerings. On the west, it begins at a junction with the MCT Nature Trail,...
The Rock Hollow Trail offers a beautiful, wooded excursion in the City of Wildwood, just west of St. Louis. The paved 2.3-mile trail is built on what was once Lawler-Ford Road. A trailhead with...
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 Metro-East Levee Trail offers a semicircle route around Cahokia, which lies south of St. Louis and east of the Mississippi River. It parallels a canal and sits atop a levee that is 30 feet high at...
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...
The Delyte W. Morris Trail lies entirely on the campus of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE). It is named for the university's president at the Carbondale campus in the 1960s who helped...
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...
When you think of St. Louis, some iconic images likely come to mind: the Mississippi River, the Gateway Arch, and Lewis and Clark. The St. Louis Riverfront Trail lets you experience all of this and...
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 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 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...
Wildwood Greenway is an eight-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian trail in Wildwood, a western suburb of St. Louis. It is part of a trail system offering twelve miles of asphalt trail throughout the...
Caution: Trail closures are occurring in two areas along the southern half of this trail: 1) near the construction site of the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, and 2) at the construction...
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...
On a beautiful November day we 65 yr olds started at Augusta trailhead, and rode about 10 miles to Washington MO on the south side of the MO river for lunch and shopping. (Its a great little town, with Amtrak service and some lodging options within half mile of downtown) I wanted readers to be aware of the hazard of biking between Washington MO and the closest KATY trailhead at Dutzow MO. Although there is a new highway bridge crossing the MO river at Washington with a protected bike lane, this Dutzow-Washington route requires biking on a narrow shoulder of a very busy highway 47 for 3 miles. I recommend as an alternative, using the Augusta Bottoms Road for about 3 miles, which connects the north end of the river bridge with the KATY trail at mile 70.5, approximately 3.5 miles east of Dutzow. For those coming westbound from the St. Louis area, this road is a great shortcut to Washington. For those coming eastbound from Sedalia/ Boonville/Jeff City, this route will add about 3.5 miles to your ride to Washington, but may save your life. This makes it easier to incorporate AMTRAK into your plans, where you can ride the train and bike the KATY between river towns Washington, Hermann, and Jefferson City and the town of Sedalia where no river crossing is needed. You can cross the river safely at Jefferson City by protected bike trail from North Jefferson trailhead. Between Hermann MO and the McKittrick trailhead, the river bridge has a protected bike lane, but you have to bike about 1.5 miles on a wide paved shoulder on highway 19. As of this writing, there is only one eastbound and one westbound AMTRAK train per day between St. Louis and Kansas City that stops at the above-named towns, but when the COVID issue gets resolved, AMTRAK could resume 2 trains per day each way. I believe the AMTRAK charge for hauling a bike is an additional $10 above your ticket price.
Nice pathway, beautiful tree lined path, however, as of October 2020 a big part of the trail was washed out. You can walk through the forest to get through but if you’re on bikes the sand makes it really difficult.
I love riding this trail and the whole MCT system. Goshen is beautiful, interesting, and a perfect way to spend the day. Make sure you grab a map at the trailhead or keep one on your phone because none of their trails are marked well. Pay attention to forks in the road so you know which one to take to get back (or just do one of the seven loops). Trails are flat and fun. I’ve ridden during the week and on the weekend, and while the weekend was more crowded, there are so many trails so spread out that I never had a problem. Really fantastic ride!
I recently got to experience the MCT trails for the first time. They are AMAZING! I’ve ridden several of them, and my favorite so far is Goshen for it’s beauty and interests along the way. The trails are paved (with a few short exception areas), well-maintained and mostly flat and easy. For those going for distance, you can certainly ride all day throughout the system. The only negative point is the trails are not marked well at all, which is shocking given how nice they are. At each junction, there is sometimes a faded marking on the pavement and usually a trail map, but the first time I got lost as did a friend so be aware of which trail you are on and bring extra water/snack in case you get lost and it takes you longer to get back. There are free trail maps at the main building on United Drive in Collinsville can’t wait to check out more of these trails!
Scenery was marginal at best until the 3 or so miles near SIU edwardsville
Nice ride for clocking in some miles (over 25 miles), and fine for both faster and slower riders. Isolated, but that’s part of the appeal. You won’t find places to grab a snack right off the trail, but it made a great first longer ride for me. Really satisfying view at the end and some very short hills that made my legs work toward the end. I hit construction north of the Arch, but was able to jump on after. Minor headache all things considering.
Rode this trail from Hartford to Alton because it was paved. This is not a good trail compared to rest of the MCT system. A mile or so span around Hartford has large cracks with weeds growing which is dicey. And by the river, it’s very rough from flooding. It’s also not scenic and you get the aromatic smells of the refineries in the area! I had a good workout but don’t recommend.
We rode this for the first time today & loved it! The parking in OFallon was easily accessible and the paved path was well maintained for the full 19 miles! Enjoyed stopping at Global Brew Tap House on the return..it was right off the trail in Edwardsville. Only improvement would be to add restroom facilities. We saw 2 porta-potties (not well kept) but that was it!
I found this trail to be full of people and on both occasional a nice number of people weren’t willing to follow etiquette I.e. passing without announcing. There are a lot of stops because of where the trail is, so you can catch your breath, but you also lose momentum. Don’t forget your sunscreen. This is a sunny ride.
Missouri's Katy trail is a well maintained fine gravel trail, well compacted in most places, so you could use a road bike, but slightly wider tires would be better. We're in our 60's and like to ride up to 25 miles/day, with a lunch break before returning to the car. We've found three such rides in mid MO with simple dining options within a few blocks of the trail. Before taking these trips, call ahead to verify that restaurants are open when you plan to bike. 1) park the car at Boonville trailhead, (where there is a nice museum) and ride to Pilot Grove, one way distance about 11.5 miles, where there is a small cafe (Katarina's) a few blocks Sw of trailhead, open typically until about 2PM. The ride is mostly a gentle grade uphill from Boonville, where you leave the MO River valley and enter the great plains; this is the steepest section of the Katy trail. It is a mostly shaded route, with nice forest canopy. 2) For a weekend trip, park the car in downtown Jefferson City near the river bridge. Bike across the river on the safe bike lane, down the spiral ramp and bike across the river valley to the North Jefferson trailhead, then head west to Claysville Store, a block off the trail, where you can get a nice family style meal or sandwiches. Open typically weekends only with limited hours, best to call ahead for reservation. One way distance about 12.5 miles. This section of trail has lots of open farmland with some canopy cover. 3) Park car at McBaine trailhead just off Highway K, about 14 miles SW of Columbia, head west. This segment passes through some of the best scenery the Katy has to offer in Missouri. After about 1.5 miles, at a highway crossing look west into the farmland, see the largest bur oak tree in MO. Go visit it, its a monster! Within a few miles you will be under some deep forest canopy, then pass under high bluffs right next to the trail, then enjoy a good stretch along the Missouri river with benches where you can stop and watch the river. Lunch at Meriwethers cafe in Rocheport right on the trail. Before returning to the car, ride around Rocheport, a cute town with B&B's, go an additional half mile west on the trail thru the only tunnel on the Katy Trail. Total distance is about 19 miles round trip. If you're a long distance rider, in 2020 there are a few problems on Missouri's Katy Trail- there's a bridge washed out a few miles west of Rocheport with a somewhat-marked detour on a highway, and east of Jefferson City there is a big rockslide blocking the trail- the trail is officially closed there but you can walk a bike through a path around it. Recumbants or trailers may be more difficult to get through. Check with the Missouri State Park website or bike stores in Jefferson City or Washington MO for more details.
Excellent trail considering it runs between 2 small towns. Waggoner has no businesses left. I didnt see any soda machines.Nice parking.trail is level, in good condition
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails conservancy
(a non-profit) and we need your support!
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
