Explore the best rated trails in Freeport, IL. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Badger State Trail and Peace Trail. With more than 57 trails covering 579 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 Charles Street Community Path offers a neighborhood route through southeastern Rockford, connecting residents to CherryVale Mall on its eastern end. On its western end, Alpine Park is just north...
The Harlem Township Bike Path lies not far from the Rock River in western Machesney Park in the Rockford metropolitan area. The trail consists of a lower (southwest) and an upper (northeast) loop in...
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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 Military Ridge State Trail finds the high ground as it rolls across 40 miles of idyllic farmland from the outskirts of Madison to the historic mining town of Dodgeville. It follows an American...
This path runs along the west side of the North Alpine Road in the Village of Machesney Park. It starts at the Schnuks parking lot and stretches about a mile north to the Lowe’s store parking area....
The Cannonball Path runs on a railbanked Union Pacific corridor from near downtown Madison to Fitchburg, a southern suburb. A majority of the paved trail is complete between Madison's...
The Hononegah Recreation Path begins near the State Route 2 bridge over the Rock River in Rockton, a small town about 4 miles south of the Illinois–Wisconsin border. The paved trail follows Hononegah...
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....
Built on a former rail bed dating back to the 1850s, the Stone Bridge Trail provides a crushed limestone pathway through rural countryside. A highlight of the trail is passage on Stone Bridge over the...
The Rockton Main Street Path is situated off the Rock River on the southern end of downtown Rockton, a charming Midwestern village near the Illinois–Wisconsin border. It begins at Settler's Park,...
From Main Street and Elevator Road in Roscoe, the scenic Kinstone Recreational Path winds its way northeast through woodlands along the north branch of Kinnikinnick Creek to the Stone Bridge Trail....
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...
There’s no debating the historical significance of the Jane Addams Trail. Not only is it named for a Nobel Peace Prize-winning social activist who grew up nearby, but the trail also passes the site of...
In southeastern Rockford, a paved pathway begins at a connection with the Charles Street Community Path then heads south along Mulford Road through a residential area. At Harrison Avenue, the path...
The Long Prairie Trail journeys across the width of agricultural Boone County for nearly 14 miles on the railroad corridor previously used by the Kenosha and Rockford Railroad, later known as the...
The Stone Mill Trail runs between Lawrence Road in Harvard and Maxon Road in Chemung. The 1.5-mile, paved trail mostly parallels County Highway 17 (Ramer Road) and active railroad tracks, and will...
Stretching from Afton to Janesville, the northern section of the Peace Trail offers a paved, tree-shaded route paralleling the Rock River and an active rail line. At its northern end, the trail merges...
The Rock River Parkway Trail in Janesville runs between Rockport Park and S. Jackson Street bridge on the north side of the river. Here, at the trail's eastern terminus, you can easily link to Spring...
The Glacial River Trail provides bikers, pedestrians, and in-line skaters with a 55.8-mile off-road/on-road rural route winding through farmland, prairie, wetlands, and woodlands as it passes through...
The paved trail running through Nick Saelens Memorial Park is a pretty one, with a loop around a small pond and much of it following a tree-lined creek. The park is nestled in the Village of Durand in...
The Kiwanis Bike Trail, named for the Kiwanis Club that spearheaded the effort to build the trail, parallels the western bank of the Rock River through the southern Wisconsin community of Janesville....
The Rock Valley College Path is a paved route looping around and through its namesake campus in Rockford. At its southern end, it connects to the Spring Brook Road bike lanes that continue east to the...
The Stone Mill Trail runs between Lawrence Road in Harvard and Maxon Road in Chemung. The 1.5-mile, paved trail mostly parallels County Highway 17 (Ramer Road) and active railroad tracks, and will...
There’s no debating the historical significance of the Jane Addams Trail. Not only is it named for a Nobel Peace Prize-winning social activist who grew up nearby, but the trail also passes the site of...
The Harlem Township Bike Path lies not far from the Rock River in western Machesney Park in the Rockford metropolitan area. The trail consists of a lower (southwest) and an upper (northeast) loop in...
Janesville's Spring Brook Trail provides an important non-motorized route to many of the city's popular recreational amenities. The pathway begins just off the eastern terminus of the Rock River...
This is a newly constructed path that runs between S. Main Street and the Rock River in Rockford. It was built as part of the re-building of S. Main Street and runs from South Park south to the...
Baumann Park is adjacent to the Kishwaukee River in Cherry Valley, a community on the outskirts of Rockford in northern Illinois. A paved pathway runs through the park and loops around Baumann Park...
The Military Ridge State Trail finds the high ground as it rolls across 40 miles of idyllic farmland from the outskirts of Madison to the historic mining town of Dodgeville. It follows an American...
The Lowell Parkway Trail runs through the charming town of Dixon, Illinois, boyhood home of Ronald Reagan. The trail occupies the rail bed of the old Illinois Central Railroad, between Lowell Park and...
If you’re looking for an invigorating motorized-trail experience, the Cheese Country Recreation Trail (aka the Tri-County Trail) won’t disappoint. If you’re on foot, hoof, or self-propelled two...
This path runs along Mitchell Road, starting in Machesney Park. The trail heads north and then travels east where it terminates at Sunny Meadow Drive outside of Russ Park. This short path is just...
The Kishwaukee Riverfront Path winds nearly 7 miles through downtown Belvidere, east of Rockford in northern Illinois. As its name implies, the paved scenic trail follows the waterway for most of its...
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...
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 Cannonball Path runs on a railbanked Union Pacific corridor from near downtown Madison to Fitchburg, a southern suburb. A majority of the paved trail is complete between Madison's...
The paved trail running through Nick Saelens Memorial Park is a pretty one, with a loop around a small pond and much of it following a tree-lined creek. The park is nestled in the Village of Durand in...
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 Joe Stengel Trail follows an old railroad corridor for 7 miles between the town of Polo and the much smaller community of Woosung. The trail corridor traces farm country along a route scattered...
The Rockton Main Street Path is situated off the Rock River on the southern end of downtown Rockton, a charming Midwestern village near the Illinois–Wisconsin border. It begins at Settler's Park,...
The Puri Path is a paved route in Rock Cut State Park, a beautiful outdoor destination of more than 3,000 acres for the city of Rockford. The path runs through the heavily wooded northeast corner of...
The Harlem Township Bike Path lies not far from the Rock River in western Machesney Park in the Rockford metropolitan area. The trail consists of a lower (southwest) and an upper (northeast) loop in...
The Pecatonica State Trail is never far from water as it takes the easygoing Bonner Branch Valley through the rolling hills and rocky bluffs of southwest Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, a region that the...
The Rock River Parkway Trail in Janesville runs between Rockport Park and S. Jackson Street bridge on the north side of the river. Here, at the trail's eastern terminus, you can easily link to Spring...
From Main Street and Elevator Road in Roscoe, the scenic Kinstone Recreational Path winds its way northeast through woodlands along the north branch of Kinnikinnick Creek to the Stone Bridge Trail....
The Glacial River Trail provides bikers, pedestrians, and in-line skaters with a 55.8-mile off-road/on-road rural route winding through farmland, prairie, wetlands, and woodlands as it passes through...
This is a newly constructed path that runs between S. Main Street and the Rock River in Rockford. It was built as part of the re-building of S. Main Street and runs from South Park south to the...
The Rock Valley College Path is a paved route looping around and through its namesake campus in Rockford. At its southern end, it connects to the Spring Brook Road bike lanes that continue east to the...
This path runs along Mitchell Road, starting in Machesney Park. The trail heads north and then travels east where it terminates at Sunny Meadow Drive outside of Russ Park. This short path is just...
Rail-trail fans know that Wisconsin’s Elroy-Sparta State Trail is famous for its three tunnels. The Badger State Trail, which heads south from Madison to the Illinois state line (where it connects...
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 Bauer Memorial Path provides a short route through residential and commercial areas of Machesney Park, a northern suburb of Rockford. The trail begins at the Harlem Community Center and travels in...
The Rote Road Multi-Use Path offers a paved route along the south side of Rote Road in eastern Rockford. It travels for nearly a mile, providing access to neighborhoods, businesses, and the Aldeen...
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...
The Willow Creek Path is a pleasant, tree-lined trail that follows its namesake creek for most of its journey through the communities of Machesney Park and Loves Park in the Rockford metropolitan...
The Long Prairie Trail journeys across the width of agricultural Boone County for nearly 14 miles on the railroad corridor previously used by the Kenosha and Rockford Railroad, later known as the...
The Riverside Recreational Path begins as a gravel lane at the base of Riverside Park on the banks of the Rock River in Roscoe. From there, it continues along Rowena Street, paralleling State Route...
The Charles Street Community Path offers a neighborhood route through southeastern Rockford, connecting residents to CherryVale Mall on its eastern end. On its western end, Alpine Park is just north...
The Pecatonica Prairie Trail, formerly known as the Pecatonica Prairie Path, is a 14.3-mile rail-trail extending from the western edge of Rockford to N. Farwell Bridge Road west of Pecatonica. The...
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...
We rode the Sugar River round-trip the weekend of July 27-28, 2019. We are experienced riders and were on hybrid bikes. The trail was in very poor condition, with many ruts, potholes and even mole holes. On the return ride, I caught the side of a pothole, fell, and broke a bone in my hand. Not good. The trail is in serious need of maintenance.
We planned to bike from Albany to New Glarus. The trail out of Albany is in terrible condition. Two "tracks" with overgrown weeds in the middle and many branches overhanging. About 5 miles in my wife hit a pothole and went over her handlebars. She landed off the trail and, minus a few bruises and scrapes, wasn't hurt. The hole was about 15" across and about 6" deep. We feel fortunate she wasn't hurt. We decided to abandon our trip. We won't be back.
I rode the entire Long Prairie Trail today, round trip, from its east trailhead just east of Capron, over to the west trailhead at Roland Olsen FP. The ride is roughly 30 miles round trip. At both ends of the path there's a parking lot with a bathroom, picnic tables and maps.
The path itself is totally enjoyable. Except for a small section of path near the end of the east trailhead, the trail is in great shape. It transitions from blacktop to limestone, both of which are in good condition. Along the way there are plenty of benches, bathrooms and small towns where some amenities can be found. Most of the trail has a tree-covered canopy which was nice on a day like I had with total sunshine. There are some smaller stretches where you do get full sun exposure. The trail has an ample amount of signs warning riders about farm entrances, changes to the trail composition, informative signs and directions. I only saw 5-10 bikers on my route and maybe a few walkers/joggers. For the most part I think you can count on some peace and quite out here! Once I arrived at Roland Olsen FP I realized that the trail continued east. This isn't part of the Long Prairie Trail but as the map indicated, it goes up into Roscoe then turns north and goes all the way to Rockton Rd not far from the WI border. I suspect this is a nice section of trail.
A few pieces of advice while riding this trail, especially if you'll be riding the entire stretch. Wear glasses. Lots of bugs out here and they'll kill your eyes if they aren't covered. If it's sunny you'll want to put sunscreen on. Even though the majority of the path has tree cover, the sun still gets through. Apply bug spray in 'bug season'. You probably only need to do this if you plan on stopping frequently. Bring a couple of waters. Aside from a gas station in Capron and a small restaurant in Polar Grove, food and drinks are tough to find. Enjoy!
Biked the Jane Addams again today (7/22/19). Last time was August of 2018. Rode from the Tutty's Crossing trail head in Freeport all the way to the Wisconsin state line and beginning of the Badger State trail. 35 miles round trip. It was beautiful last August and even more so today. This has to be about the best maintained and overall most excellent trail in northern Illinois. Weather was perfect and the trail was in almost impeccable shape. Smoother in some parts than some roads around here. Whoever's in charge, keep up the good work. Gorgeous scenery as well. Added bonus when you get back to Freeport - stop in at Union Dairy, which is just a minute from the trail head, and enjoy the best ice cream. A perfect summer combination! Highly recommended. Only downside is that Badger State trail if you are thinking of continuing on past the state line. Not sure the Wisconsin DNR is keeping it up to Jane Addams standards.
My review if for three paths; South Main Street Path north to the top of the Bauer Memorial Path. I really enjoyed this trail. I'm not sure why it's not all interconnected, a few lapses can easily be considered part of the trail. Well, at least, that's what I did. The three paths combine to offer great views of the Rock River, Rockford and it's surrounding area. Along the way there are great nature views as well as man-made. If you're looking for a challenge try to find the trail-side pay phone and the massively oversized basketball hoop. All in all I think I came away with around 30 miles from all three paths round trip and can easily see myself riding it again. Cheers.
My first ride on this path was with my son two years ago when he was in the 3rd grade. I'd just bought him a new bike which he was eager to ride. I'd also just bought a car bike rack, making road-trip rides possible. After doing some homework we headed northwest for an hour and a half to give this trail a whirl. We did not walk away unsatisfied. To shorten the ride we started at the parking lot near Hwy 20. This offers a straight shot north to the Wisconsin border. Away we went. We went on a summer weekday and probably saw no more than a few riders on our 22+ mile trip. Along the way, we enjoyed the sites and experience. My son loved seeing the open farms filled with cows and the occasional critter that wandered across our path. I really liked the rock formations and movement from small town to small town. We took our time biking and made the 22 miles an almost 3-hour journey that, at the time, was my sons longest bike trip. We rode to Orangeville and had a late lunch there before heading back. The trail itself was in great shape. I'd heavily recommend this path to any type of biker. Cheers.
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.
I parked in western Rockford and picked this trail up at it's far eastern point. A mile or so into the trail heading west, it turned from compacted earth/small rock to full-on grass, at which point a pool of water from treeline to treeline made it impossible to continue. Ok, headed back to the car and drove down to Winnebago where I picked up the trail heading west again. The trail isn't bad, but I ride a hybrid bike with smaller tires than a mountain bike. Riding wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy either. Halfway between Winnebago and Pecatonica I got tired of the trail and its inconsistent composition and went off-road down hilly side streets to complete my ride to the north side of Pecatonica. What you should know about this path is that the trail is comprised of flattened earth and some gravel (ranging sizes from crushed to large pebbles). The trail also has grass areas either in full, or partially. Personally, I don't care for the grass. The trail itself is 95% non-canopy. For those looking for direct sun and a lot of it..this trail is for you. Along the trail there isn't much in the way of scenery. I'd say it's mostly a 'put your head down and peddle' path. The trail composition wasn't favorable for me nor was the scenery, so I'm at two stars here. I think the trail could be maintained more to improve that side of it. Cheers
I rode the Sugar River State Trail from New Glarus to Albany on July 2, 2019. The scenery was beautiful, and the grade mild.
The trail conditions from New Glarus to Monticello (5.6 mi) was very good: mostly crushed limestone surface and the trail width 5 feet. The shoulder was recently mowed, this was the best portion of the ride.
South of Monticello into Albany (10.4 mi), the trail conditions were really unsatisfactory. The surface was overgrown with grass, weeds, and wild flowers, with a resulting pair of narrow trail paths, ranging from 6- 12 inches.
There were multiple gopher holes in the trail, some marked with dead branches and one with an orange traffic pylon. These were hard to see given the weed and grass overgrowth.
Until the trail in overhauled between Monticello and Albany, I recommend turning around in Monticello.
We park near Rt. 20 at the stone part of the trail. Always surpasses every other trail around. Wide and very clear. Kept up perfectly. I would recommend this trail to at least the state line of Wicconsin, where it has not been well maintained lately.
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