Explore the best rated trails in Lake Zurich, IL. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail and Tall Grass Greenway Trail. With more than 142 trails covering 5034 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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Lake Arlington is an artificial lake and popular recreation area in Arlington Heights in Cook County. The park features amenities to interest visitors of all ages and it is a local favorite for family...
The WE Energies Trail, so named because it uses a Wisconsin Energy Corporation utility corridor for much of its route, links Racine and Oak Creek in Racine and Milwaukee counties. Despite the presence...
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The Tinley Creek Trail is currently in two segments. This southern segment is within the South Green Belt Forest Preserve between Flossmor and Matteson, just west of I-57. The trail traverses wooded...
About an hour northwest of Chicago, the beautiful Grant Woods Forest Preserve spans more than 1,000 acres, offering an outdoor respite of prairie, woodlands and marshes. The crushed limestone pathway...
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The Prairie Trail runs the length of McHenry County and is managed by the McHenry County Conservation District. The rail-trail spans just over 26 miles from the Wisconsin border and the farms and...
The Seven Waters Bike Trail is a scenic corridor stretching more than 17 miles northsouth between Burlington and Muskego Lake into Waukesha County. The trail was originally three trails, locally...
The DuPage River Trail spans over 30 miles across two counties: DuPage and Will. It's currently open in several disconnected segments mainly in parks and forest preserves beginning in Warrenville and...
The John Husar I&M Canal Trail is the northernmost trail developed on the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor. The Illinois & Michigan Canal provided the final link in the water route...
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The Salt Creek Trail travels nearly 27 miles from the Brookfield Zoo to Busse Woods Forest Preserve. Along the way it connects several beautiful county forest preserves and other woodland...
The City of Franklin Hike and Bike Trail follows a corridor originally used by the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light, an interurban railroad in southeastern Wisconsin. The corridor was later acquired...
The Prairie Crossing Bike Path is a hard surface trail connecting Mundelein to Grayslake in central Lake County, Illinois. The trail is perpendicular to the 30-plus-mile Millennium Trail, which it...
The Kishwaukee-Kiwanis Trail winds through the northern Illinois town of DeKalb, coursing along a river, through woodlands, among open spaces through parks and through suburban back yards. The trail...
The Bartlett Trail is a recreational trail in the Village of Bartlett, Du Page county. Though short, the trail is conveniently located as a space for exercise, while providing a safe route to school...
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 Major Taylor Trail is named after legendary African American cyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor, who was one of the most celebrated bicycle racers of the late nineteenth century, setting several...
The Stearns Road Bike Path is a dedicated sidepath traveling from Hanover Park to the Bartlett, in the Chicago suburbs. The asphalt path sits on the north side of Greenbrook Boulevard/ Stearns Road,...
The Chain O' Lakes Bike Path is a paved trail that runs between E. Grand Avenue in Fox Lake and Grant Woods Forest Preserve to the east. The trail parallels the railroad track and Rollins Road/CR 31,...
The Hickory Creek Bikeway offers nearly 4 miles of paved pathway through a wooded preserve. On its western end, the trail begins at Hickory Creek Barrens Nature Preserve and Lincolnway Road; on the...
The Lake Geneva Bike Path runs through the scenic resort city, offering connections to many of the community’s amenities. The trail has five unique, color-coded segments. The Blue Route is the...
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...
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The Bloomingdale Trail, part of “The 606” park system, is a 3-mile, elevated rail-trail on Chicago’s northwest side. Built on a former rail line, the trail sits 17 feet above four of the city’s...
The Prairie Point Trail is a scenic neighborhood route that connects twice to the longer Grove Road Trail. While never far from houses, the trail offers surprising scenery, including a stretch along a...
The Kuhn Road Trail starts on Lies Road, at Glenbard North High School and continues south along Kuhn Road, past single-family homes and Friendship Park. The trail officially ends at Barbara O'Rahilly...
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Running between the suburbs of Chicago Heights and Joliet, the Old Plank Road Trail offers views of oak trees and sugar maples, prairie grasses, and wildflowers that peek up through the...
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 Lily Cache Greenway travels east-west across Bollingbrook, from the ComEd Greenway to the Plainfield border. The trail more or less follows the course of its namesake creek, and is characterized...
Note: Erosion caused by surging waves off Lake Michigan has caused the trail to collapse in sections. The eastern half of the trail along Lake Michigan is closed indefinitely. See the Chicago Park...
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The 4.4-mile River Bend Trail is so named for the loop of Fox River along which it follows on its eastern end. It's here that you can connect to the scenic Fox River Trail to travel 43 miles along the...
Lake Renwick Preserve is home to an artificial lake of the same name that was created from former quarries where aggregates for concrete were once mined. Today, the lake is a recreational amenity in...
The Burnham Greenway is composed of two distinct portions that both run along a former railroad corridor between Chicago and Lansing, Illinois. There are plans to extend and connect these short...
The Pennsy Greenway stretches between Calumet City, Illinois, and Schererville, Indiana. The trail begins at the southern end of the Burnham Greenway on the eastern edge of the Forest Preserve...
In just a few short miles, the Wauponsee Glacial Trail leaves the urban confines of Joliet to bask in open farmland and reclaimed tallgrass prairie where the bison roam again. Named for a glacial lake...
The 13.5-mile Lake Michigan Pathway keeps you in close touch with the sixth-largest freshwater lake in the world as it links rail-trails north and south of the port city of Racine. Along the way, the...
The Major Taylor Trail is named after legendary African American cyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor, who was one of the most celebrated bicycle racers of the late nineteenth century, setting several...
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...
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The Skokie Valley Trail in Cook County parallels active train tracks in the Village of Skokie, providing easy access to both the Oakton–Skokie and Dempster–Skokie stations on the CTA’s Yellow Line....
Blackberry Trail follows a stretch of Blackberry Creek in Montgomery, Illinois. The trail is accessible from the forest preserve entrance at Caliendo Circle. Heading north, the trail reaches Mayfield...
The Cal-Sag Trail (or, Calumet-Sag Trail) is currently under active construction. It currently has a competed section of over 15 miles, stretching from near its western terminus at the John Husar I&M...
The Prairie Trail runs the length of McHenry County and is managed by the McHenry County Conservation District. The rail-trail spans just over 26 miles from the Wisconsin border and the farms and...
Prospect Heights has very few sidewalks, so biking, inline skating or walking are moved to the streets or in the parks. Don't underestimate the Prospect Heights Bike Path which is over four miles of...
The Prairie Trail runs the length of McHenry County and is managed by the McHenry County Conservation District. The rail-trail spans just over 26 miles from the Wisconsin border and the farms and...
The Ridgefield Trace is a multi-use pathway that runs through suburban Crystal Lake, Illinois. The trail takes its name from the original Indian trace that once ran along the route of what is now...
The Kishwaukee-Kiwanis Trail winds through the northern Illinois town of DeKalb, coursing along a river, through woodlands, among open spaces through parks and through suburban back yards. The trail...
The Kenosha County Bike Trail is open in two sections separated by dense neighborhoods in the City of Kenosha. The northern segment runs northeast from 35th Street in the city to 1st Street at the...
The Oak Leaf Trail is the jewel in the crown of Milwaukee County’s extensive trail system. The trail meanders for more than 125 miles in and around the city of Milwaukee on a changing terrain of flat...
The 9-mile Green Bay Trail runs parallel to Chicago's Metra commuter rail line north of the Chicago city limits. Stretching through North Shore towns such as Kenilworth, Winnetka, Highland Park and...
Moraine Hills State Park Trail offers a wonderful experience for any geology or nature aficionado. A moraine is an accumulation of earth and stones carried and finally deposited by a glacier....
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The Fort Beggs Bike Trail (North) is a nearly mile-and-a-half long trail in Plainfield, Illinois. The trail shares the electric utility right-of-way, stretching from Fort Beggs Drive south to Spring...
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The northern section of the Tinley Creek Trail is a series of color-coded connected loops and spurs that weave through several forest preserves in Cook County. The 24-mile trail system is paved,...
The Pennsy Greenway stretches between Calumet City, Illinois, and Schererville, Indiana. The trail begins at the southern end of the Burnham Greenway on the eastern edge of the Forest Preserve...
The Prairie Point Trail is a scenic neighborhood route that connects twice to the longer Grove Road Trail. While never far from houses, the trail offers surprising scenery, including a stretch along a...
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...
Blackberry Trail follows a stretch of Blackberry Creek in Montgomery, Illinois. The trail is accessible from the forest preserve entrance at Caliendo Circle. Heading north, the trail reaches Mayfield...
Note: Erosion caused by surging waves off Lake Michigan has caused the trail to collapse in sections. The eastern half of the trail along Lake Michigan is closed indefinitely. See the Chicago Park...
This regional trail connects two of DuPage County's forest preserves—Herrick Lake and Danada—on a crushed stone pathway nearly 6 miles long. Together, the preserves cover more than 1,600 acres of...
The Muskego Recreation Trail follows a corridor originally used by the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light, an interurban railroad in southeastern Wisconsin. The corridor was later acquired by...
The DuPage River Trail spans over 30 miles across two counties: DuPage and Will. It's currently open in several disconnected segments mainly in parks and forest preserves beginning in Warrenville and...
The Seven Waters Bike Trail is a scenic corridor stretching more than 17 miles northsouth between Burlington and Muskego Lake into Waukesha County. The trail was originally three trails, locally...
The North Branch Riverwalk is a 0.6 mile biking and walking trail located on Chicago's northside along the North Branch of the Chicago River, nestled between Gordon Tech High School and Lane Tech High...
The DeKalb Nature Trail provides a pleasant, tree-lined route in northern DeKalb. Near its western trailhead, it crosses the Kishwaukee River and passes through the Nehring Forest Preserve. Further...
I rode this trail on my commuter bike from start to end about 18 miles round trip. I give an average review because of all the steer crossings and in some spots really bad root heave. The areas I enjoyed the most were JJC north to McDonough road. I would not ride this trail again but for runners walkers or fat tires it is probably just fine.
Like other reviews have stated, this new CHUNK rock they decided to use eliminates the enjoyment this trail use to provide. We always start In Symerton so we can have lunch and a cheap beer after the ride. ..sorry no more
I really liked Grant Woods--a little difficult to get there via other trails, but worth it. Watch out for snowmobile trails that are a little rough--my bike computer routed me on to one of these and I ended up in a muddy rutted path.
This is a good connector if you're trying to reach some of the forest preserves, but you're right on the road the whole way and traffic is heavy.
I took the Metra from Chicago to Harvard, IL to connect with this trail. The roads from Harvard to the trailhead are not ideal, but the trail itself is well-maintained and good even with 25mm road tires. I took the quick detour up to the WI border and than back south to connect with the Fox River trail--overall a good experience!
06/20/ 22 Rode the trail today from Poplar Grove to the west end on to the Stone Bridge Trail to Rockton Rd and returned.
I was born and raised in the Belvidere area but have never been on this trail but I remember watching trains on it when I was a kid.
Kind of a spur of the moment thing I loaded my bike and drove up to Poplar Grove to pick up the trail. I traveled west from Poplar Grove and the trail was vary pleasant despite it being a 90 degree day with low humidity. Trees cover most of the trail so it's vary shady. I was a little surprised how rough the asfalt trail is between Poplar Grove and Caledonia even for a fat tire bike. I would be vary careful with a road bike. West of Caledonia the trail is in better shape. The Stone Bridge Trail is crushed stone and alot smoother then the asfalt of the Long Prairie Trail.
Not a lot to see along the trail where you can see thru the trees and brush on both sides, but you get a few glimpses of farm fields and a few houses.
Not a lot of people on the trail so it's easy to find long empty stretches.
I don't really understand why they felt the need to place signs at every farm crossing. Your not likely to meet anything crossing outside of planting and harvest season and some of those crossing are so overgrown no one has used them in a long time. Just think the sign money could have been used else where.
Where the trail crosses HWY 173 there is a button to activate warning lights for traffic on 173. (I didn't notice that until after I had crossed on my return trip.) There are no warning lights at the HWY 76 crossing. Think they could be used there also.
There are no water points anywhere along the trail except at the west end. Why? You would think at least the towns would have water points.
There are restaurants just off the trail in Poplar Grove and the HWY 76 crossing but don't know of anything in Caledonia.
All in all my first rail trail ride was a pleasant experience. I'm looking forward to doing the trail from Poplar Grove to the east end.
About a 24 mile round trip from Poplar Grove to the west end of the Stone Bridge Trail and back.
With my ebike I returned to Poplar Grove with 5% battery.
I'm not sure if ebikes are a loud on the Long Prairie Trail or not. Guess I need to find out.
Two of us road from Caledonia west and back. I usually love shade but, with shade, we couldn't see upcoming bad spots on the trail. From Caledonia, we went east intending to go to Poplar Grove and back. Bump after bump. After halfway or so there, we turned around to leave. It was hard on our bikes and no fun. I hope it gets over-hauled someday.
What was once one of the best trails in Southwest suburban Chicago has deteriorated due to tree roots continually pushing up through the pavement from Frankfurt throughout new Lenox. In addition traffic has increased on the north south roads with cars barely paying attention let alone stopping for bikes. Frankfort and new Lenox need to put some serious work into their sections of the trail
We planned to ride the entire trail on our trip north from Illinois to Milwaukee. The route was a great off-road link for our trip.
Trail marking could be better. I do not recall any signage of the Seven Waters Trail. There were no good maps on the route and the two we saw were faded and barely readable.
One mid-block crossing of the highway was interesting.
After going through Saller Woods we left the trail briefly to go into Rochester for food and rejoined it on Main on the east side of town. Found a decent convenience store on the road.
As I recall most of the south section of the trail was crushed limestone. Around Waterford a segment was paved. The worse conditions on the trail we’re the segment north of the Muskego access. Rather than nice limestone screenings it appeared to be a coarse material of ground recycled asphalt. We had wide tires but it was not pleasurable at all especially we were touring “loaded”. Road bikers will not appreciate the surface. To avoid anymore of that surface, we jumped off on Champion Drive to get to the end of the trail at Cape Road and ultimately to Ryan Road.
That last rough section and lack of way finding lowered our rating of the whole trail. Tie this trail to the Oak Leaf into Milwaukee and you would have a big winner.
I read the review of this trail but went anyway and rode an 11 mile section out and back. It is 100% paved but there is root heave along the entire length from Frankfort to New Lenox and boy is it annoying. It’s like riding over a 1” piece of steel rod over and over.
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