Explore the best rated trails in Plainfield, 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 106 trails covering 4736 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.
This trail begins off of Voltz near Sunset Ridge and goes about a mile and a half or so across Sunset up to Dundee Rd. If riding through Northbrook, it's a very handy way to avoid Skokie Blvd and make your way up to the North Trail entrance off of Dundee across from Botanic Gardens. It's mostly just a nice, secluded, wooded, but paved strand behind some residential neighborhoods and runs parallel to Skokie. When riding, please be a little more mindful of residents walking, often with dogs and children. It doesn't get very crowded, and people generally aren't expecting bikers like on the major trails.
This trail continues for 10 miles , 20 miles round trip. I start the trail at Belmont ave by Clark Park and continue thru new connection over Addison Ave continue thru Horner Park . You can travel on Manor Ave to enter the trail at Lawrence Ave and connect to the trail on Argyle. I continue the. Trail thru Green Bay Road . I am able to ride the trail their and back usually in 90 to 100 minutes . Excellent trail not very busy , I have been riding five times a week for 3 months Lou
This has been long overdue. From Harlem Ave. in Frankfort to Schoolhouse Rd. in New Lenox is getting resurfaced. As of 10/26/2022 Harlem to Wolf Rd. in Frankfort is complete. Now if they could resurface the rest too, it would be a 5 star trail.
Rode from Ballou to Manhattan, 2p mile round trip. TraIl is in excellent condition. Yrsil has a nice wind break on both sides of the trail for almost all of the ride. Will rode again.
They just replaced the first 4ish miles that start in Willow springs to the bridge, a serious game changer, the last three miles near lemont have bumps in the trails but that’s what happens when you build on a wetland near a river. freeze thaw expansion… the brewery at the end the best part
This trail is a nice one if you are looking for something other than a super straight rails to trails corridor. I parked at the nearby and beautiful DuPage County St James Forest Preserve and took a connecting trail to the start of the officially named West Branch DuPage River Trail that heads south. Most of the route is in Forest Preserves, alongside the West Branch of the DuPage River.
Once you come upon the spectacular Naperville Riverwalk, north of downtown Naperville which does not allow bikes, you must use city streets. That provides a nice variety. South of downtown the trail is again in parks. One can travel all the way south into Will County, with more options for connecting trails.
In the Chicago suburban area, the Salt Creek Trail, at 27 miles long, is a great trail for what I like to do, which is cycling wayfinding. It’s not a rail to trails so the trail stiches together a variety of different segments in different surroundings: paved paths in forest preserves, separate paths along highways, gravel paths, subdivision roads and even a wood chip path. There are many connecting paths, so don’t expect a sign for every turn and that’s where wayfinding comes in. Use your TrailLink downloaded map and find your way. I made a few wrong turns but that’s part of wayfinding. I parked at Edgewater Park and did out and back rides, first to the south and then to the north. A fine 54-mile ride on a beautiful fall day. I even found two updates that are needed to the TrailLink map, which I will send to Rails to Trails Conservancy.
I started from the south entry point and only made it a few miles in before deciding to just take the roads back south. It hadn't rained for a few days and the bridge underpasses were still full of pooled water and soft mud. I don't even know if I'd ride through them on a mountain bike unless I was really looking to get nasty.
The hills and areas of trail traveling through evergreen trees make this trail very unique for metro Chicago. However, as others have mentioned, I felt this was really more of a hiking trail than biking. So be prepared for a hilly gravel ride and arrive when it's not busy as it can get very busy with hikers on weekends.
The eastern side of this well maintained trail contains a wide variety of habitat including riverside, prairie, woodland, lakeside, wetland, and urban making this a 4 season ride. We biked through acres of golden rod in bloom which was just magnificent. The trail does get more urban traveling west and has intersections but does a good job of staying by the river.
Started out from Utica and rode to trails end in LaSalle. Trail was in fairly good shape, but needed weeds cut down. Went back to Utica and headed towards Ottawa. The trail was like an old maintenance road that had been neglected. Very tall weeds that prevented me in many places from seeing where I could ride. After going about two miles I turned around because I didn't feel safe. It's a shame that there is so little maintenance on what is a beautiful area.
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