Explore the best rated trails in Palatine, 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 131 trails covering 4911 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.
Gradual down hill slope (or uphill depending in which end you start on). Busy road but peaceful area. We added the dead end at the south end of the bike path for a total of 4 miles.
Centennial Trail in good shape with a few minor bumps. Mostly flat and worth the trip to get there. Rode it in June 2023 and enjoyed it!
Trail is in great condition, hardly any bumps and just a small hill climb east of the trout farm.
It can get congested on weekends/holidays.
Very scenic views with forested and open areas.
It is about a 5-mile round trip from Royce Road to Indian Boundary Park.
There is a 2 mile connecting loop from the trout farm that goes around Whalon Lake.
Is what my cycling companions noted about this trail when we rode it to its end and back. The scenery is varied, there isn’t that much traffic (no Lycra Brigades) and the surface is nice and smooth. Yes, there are two places where you will cross busy highways, but there are stoplights in both places. We parked in the Lake Forest train station parking lot and took the Robert McClory to the trailhead in Lake Bluff. Another bonus: there’s a Culver’s and a Dairy Queen-type place along the trail. It also connects to other bike trails.
Just as the previous people mentioned, if you are looking for a scenic trail, then this is not a trail for you. It's what I call a "functional" trail. It serves a function to allow you to travel from one point to another. It parallels Douglas Ave (which is a main street in Racine) and I found it very useful for getting around the area and not have to worry so much about cars. The packed gravel is very easy to ride on. There are areas where you have to cross a road, but the busiest road has a stop light.
Looked this up spontaneously and it was just a beautiful ride! Perfect date for my husband and I!
Perfect if you’re looking for a leisurely ride. Paved trails. Great for beginners. Several bridges to cross in the woods. You have to cross a few busy streets but nothing to bad. We did about a 10 mile loop on the red trail starting by Arrowhead Lake.
Today, we rode from Dean Nature Sanctuary to the 7-11 just south of Busse Woods and back. About 34 miles, from the parking lot of the Sanctuary. Good option during the 294 construction that has the path closed at that location. Some parts of the Salt Creek path are very bumpy.
Rode from hammel woods (on black road) north to trailhead at sunset park in plainfield then south back through woods to trailhead at jefferson street in shorewood, about 10 miles roundtrip.
North of black road the asphalt pavement is flat and in excellent shape. Trail goes from the woods parking lot then north under black road and through a wide prairie along the river with no shade. South of black road the trail winds through the woods with very little slope and asphalt pavement is in good shape. Easy riding all the way.
watch out for construction in the southern end of the trail—passable right now, but it may not be in a few weeks.
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