Explore the best rated trails in Washington, IL. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail and Hennepin Canal Parkway. With more than 11 trails covering 4035 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.
Rode this trail yesterday from central Bloomington to where it ends north of Towanda. Trail is in very good condition and easy to ride. I felt safe along the trail - it is far enough away from the old Route 66 Hwy. which was a plus! There are ample stopping/resting points along the way if needed. Now this trail needs to be completed all the way to Lexington and northward from there! ¿
Surprised to see this amazing trail that has great bed and breakfasts along it is not noted as part of the Great American Rail Trail. It sure would help demonstrate more GART completion if it was.
Amazing path and trees, best foliage from late spring to early fall
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.
A nice ride. The hub is a good place to start.
This trail is in great shape. Easy riding and cute little photo ops along the way. Another plus-this is close enough to hop on from the Constitution Trail.
We started out at the park on E 2nd Street in Rock Falls. Very nice park along the river....had bathrooms but they were locked (in July???). Hit the trail in Rock Falls and headed south on the trail. First 3 miles of the trail were on asphalt, very bumpy conditions. After that, it was what appeared to be packed dirt, maybe had limestone on it at one time. Had to be watchful of craters and debris on the path. Could have used some pruning as well. Some areas of the trail were very narrow. Was fairly quiet on the trail, ran across a few people fishing, some walking, and only one other set of people biking. Could only go 16.2 miles and then came upon a Trail Closed sign. If you like less traffic, this is a good trail...but could use some maintenance. We saw some snakes, rabbits, squirrels, and deer. There were a couple places along the way to stop to go to the bathroom...but no place to get water.
We took electric scooters and did 16miles of this trail was so beautiful seen 6 deer 5 turkeys will glad go back and explore more
Trail biked - I started at the east end in Bureau. The parking lot there has bathrooms and trashcans, and plenty of parking. I biked east to Wyanet, and back.
Bike used - a Specialized Sirrus hybrid.
Bike accommodations - hybrid to mountain bike mostly. Road bikes will not survive many portions of this trail. I was leery to ride my hybrid in some sections near Tiskilwa because of the mid sized gravel in spots.
The trail composition from Bureau to Wyanet varies. From Bureau to the Tiskilwa area the trail was a mix of dirt, small gravel and portions of asphalt..although those overed by cindery rocks. Some areas are nicer than others and I didn't see any areas that were unmanageable for my hybrid tires.
The trail composition greatly improved heading west of the Tiskilwa area. The trail becomes a powdery earth and can even accommodate road bikes. Until you get to this point, however, you'll need to keep both hands on the grips.
The trail follows a series of disconnected water canals that serve as nice scenery. Every so often you'll come across a lock, which are numbered, giving you an idea of how many away you are from your starting point. A river also carves the trail in many areas, offering some nice views. As for wildlife..I spotted several turtles in canals and one trailside (almost accidentally biked over him). I also saw a pair of deer and a ton of colorful birds (red, yellow, blue, orange, black, white, gray, brown). The Orioles were a rare treat.
In the stretch I took there were only a couple of places where I spotted benches. One is in the Tiskilwa area. Bridges span the lock areas which offer nice water drains to view and areas to sit on the edge for a break. During my two hour ride I saw a dozen other bikers, and this was on a 75 degree, cloudless Saturday in mid-June. Suffice it to say, there aren't many folks out here unless you count the occasional fisherman.
Other nuances, the trail offers a nice split of shade and sun, but more on the sunny side. I saw one parking lot with trail signs in my stretch.
Seeing as the trail quality greatly improved on the eastern outskirts of Wyanet, I would love to come back and continue biking west on this trail some day.
Cheers.
We rode from Toulon, through Wyoming, to just outside of the Stark area on our e-bikes. It was a fun & pleasant ride. The trail is mostly flat & packed gravel. The trail is well maintained, but you have to stay alert for ground squirrel holes. Trees line most of this section of the trail which makes it beautiful & shady. There is a beautiful long bridge just a few minutes outside of Toulon that is worth stopping at. We turned around just after a second bridge outside of the Stark area. The ride there & back took us 2 hours. Both Wyoming & Toulon have nice places to stop & eat.
Started at the Bureau Jct TH. Walked bikes across the bridge, started out and found the trail to be a combo of slightly paved, not paved, gravelly, sandy, and deep sandy. A real challenge but not advisable for a road bike. Lots of debris (rock, branches, husks, etc). However, there was no-one else on this section so privacy over crowds is the tradeoff. Saw at least 4 snakes on the trail - prairie kingsnakes and one trapped in the canal. Rode all the way to Lock 6. Nice trail except for the beginning. On the way back we bailed the trail and rode thru Bureau Jct to get to the TH.
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