Find the top rated walking trails in Alton, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Hesse Trail connects two neighborhoods and a park in the city of O'Fallon with plans to extend and connect it to other trails in the large Metro-East area. It is a short, completely tree-covered...
This trail gets its name from the MetroLink Red Line train track it parallels through eastern Belleville and (briefly) the village of Swansea. It is a classic rail-with-trail configuration, where...
Centennial Greenway will one day stretch 20 miles through St. Louis County from Creve Coeur County Park at its northern end to Forest Park at its southern tip. Currently, the trail is open in three...
The Rock Hollow Trail offers a beautiful, wooded excursion in the City of Wildwood, just west of St. Louis. The paved 2.3-mile trail is built on what was once Lawler-Ford Road. A trailhead with...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail is the longest of the county’s trails and perhaps the most diverse in its offerings. On the west, it begins at a junction with the MCT Nature Trail,...
This mile long concrete trail connects two favorite recreation spots in southeast St. Louis. At one end sits Carondelet Park is the city's third largest park, and is 180-acres of beautifully...
The Boschert Greenway is a paved hike-and-bike trail located in St. Charles, Missouri. The greenway provides an eight-mile journey out-and-back, while connecting to other recreation destinations. The...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Schoolhouse Trail offers a 15.5-mile flat, paved route through the eastern suburbs of greater St. Louis, Missouri, between Madison and Maryville, Illinois. Along the...
Wildwood Greenway is an eight-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian trail in Wildwood, a western suburb of St. Louis. It is part of a trail system offering twelve miles of asphalt trail throughout the...
The Arnold City Park Trail follows former residential streets through a wooded area along the Meramec River in a southwestern suburb of St. Louis. It forms a loop that begins and ends at the gravel...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nature Trail goes through richly varied surroundings of city, farm and wood. In the west, it begins at beautiful Wilson Park in Granite City. From there, it makes its...
The Meramec Greenway Trail is planned to one day encompass 50 miles throughout the St. Louis metro region, expanding as far west as Pacific, Missouri. The scenic route connects residents to the...
Maline Greenway is an east-west shared use trail in St. Louis, Missouri. The planned length of the trail in 7 miles and will join Mississippi Greenway to the St. Vincent Greenway. In the summer of...
The MCT Quercus Grove Trail begins in Edwardsville at its junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail. It begins on city sidewalks and alleys near Edwardsville's historic downtown area and very quickly...
The Carlyle Lake Bike Trail is located in one of Southwest Illinois's most popular recreational areas, just 50 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri—not far from that area's abundance of great trails, as...
The Hamilton Carr Trail begins off Woods Road in Rockwoods Reservation, a state forest and wildlife conservation area that offers hiking trails, picnic areas, caves and interesting rock formations....
The Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail is part of two developing Illinois initiatives: the Route 66 Trail from Chicago to St. Louis, loosely following the historic highway; and the Illinois Traction System...
Spanning nearly five miles, the Busch Greenway provides an important connector between Missouri’s famed Katy Trail, the August A. Busch Conservation Area, and Missouri Research Park in western St....
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Goshen Trail is a namesake of the old Goshen Road that was built in 1808 to supply salt to the first permanent settlers of Madison County. The modern bike trail...
The MCT Bluff Trail is the shortest trail in the Madison County network, but it highlights a feature of regional topography which can be evidenced on several other trails. The American Bottom is a...
The Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail is part of two developing Illinois initiatives: the Route 66 Trail from Chicago to St. Louis, loosely following the historic highway; and the Illinois Traction System...
The St. Vincent Greenway Trail winds through the north and south campuses of the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) before emerging into the lush woodlands of St. Vincent Park. The park offers a...
The Meramec Greenway Trail is planned to one day encompass 50 miles throughout the St. Louis metro region, expanding as far west as Pacific, Missouri. The scenic route connects residents to the...
Hesse Trail connects two neighborhoods and a park in the city of O'Fallon with plans to extend and connect it to other trails in the large Metro-East area. It is a short, completely tree-covered...
The Rock Hollow Trail offers a beautiful, wooded excursion in the City of Wildwood, just west of St. Louis. The paved 2.3-mile trail is built on what was once Lawler-Ford Road. A trailhead with...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail is the longest of the county’s trails and perhaps the most diverse in its offerings. On the west, it begins at a junction with the MCT Nature Trail,...
The MCT Bluff Trail is the shortest trail in the Madison County network, but it highlights a feature of regional topography which can be evidenced on several other trails. The American Bottom is a...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Schoolhouse Trail offers a 15.5-mile flat, paved route through the eastern suburbs of greater St. Louis, Missouri, between Madison and Maryville, Illinois. Along the...
The Ted Jones Trail runs for 2.2 miles between the town of Ferguson and the University of MissouriSt. Louis (UMSL), where it joins with the St. Vincent Greenway on the west side of campus. From...
The River Des Peres Greenway Trail provides a flat, paved route along the River Des Peres Drainage Channel in southwestern St. Louis. Although this urban trail is seldom crowded, one of its drawbacks...
The Creve Coeur Park Trails are a collection of paved pathways winding through wetland and wooded areas within St. Louis County’s first and largest park, which spans more than 2,000 acres. (When the...
The MCT Quercus Grove Trail begins in Edwardsville at its junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail. It begins on city sidewalks and alleys near Edwardsville's historic downtown area and very quickly...
This mile long concrete trail connects two favorite recreation spots in southeast St. Louis. At one end sits Carondelet Park is the city's third largest park, and is 180-acres of beautifully...
The GM&O Heritage Trail maintains the legacy of the railroad that once ran through the municipality of Columbia. The right-of-way was first built by the Cairo & St. Louis Railroad, which by another...
The McKinley Bridge has a long and storied past. In 1910, it opened to both railroad and vehicular traffic. Railroad tracks ran through the strong center portion of the bridge under the trusses, and...
Closure Notice: Please be advised that the Riverfront Trail will be subject to intermittent closures and disruptions at least through the end of 2021 in the area north of the McKinley Bridge due to...
Dedicated on August 5, 2000, the Green Diamond Rail-Trail was the first bicycling/pedestrian trail in Montgomery County. Partially funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the trail is...
Opened in the Fall of 2012, Arches Rail Trail continues to be improved by an active local support group. It lies between Butler and Hillsboro, Illinois, along a section of an old 1850s route that...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nature Trail goes through richly varied surroundings of city, farm and wood. In the west, it begins at beautiful Wilson Park in Granite City. From there, it makes its...
This trail gets its name from the MetroLink Red Line train track it parallels through eastern Belleville and (briefly) the village of Swansea. It is a classic rail-with-trail configuration, where...
Hesse Trail connects two neighborhoods and a park in the city of O'Fallon with plans to extend and connect it to other trails in the large Metro-East area. It is a short, completely tree-covered...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Goshen Trail is a namesake of the old Goshen Road that was built in 1808 to supply salt to the first permanent settlers of Madison County. The modern bike trail...
Opened in the Fall of 2012, Arches Rail Trail continues to be improved by an active local support group. It lies between Butler and Hillsboro, Illinois, along a section of an old 1850s route that...
Dedicated on August 5, 2000, the Green Diamond Rail-Trail was the first bicycling/pedestrian trail in Montgomery County. Partially funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the trail is...
Caution: While construction continues on the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, be alert for trail restrictions or closings north of the parking lot access. The trail will remain open from...
The Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail is part of two developing Illinois initiatives: the Route 66 Trail from Chicago to St. Louis, loosely following the historic highway; and the Illinois Traction System...
Closure Notice: Please be advised that the Riverfront Trail will be subject to intermittent closures and disruptions at least through the end of 2021 in the area north of the McKinley Bridge due to...
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was part of the renowned Route 66 and crosses a scenic stretch of the Mississippi River. It links two states—Illinois and Missouri—north of St. Louis. The bridge is short...
The Carlyle Lake Bike Trail is located in one of Southwest Illinois's most popular recreational areas, just 50 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri—not far from that area's abundance of great trails, as...
The Boschert Greenway is a paved hike-and-bike trail located in St. Charles, Missouri. The greenway provides an eight-mile journey out-and-back, while connecting to other recreation destinations. The...
The Ted Jones Trail runs for 2.2 miles between the town of Ferguson and the University of MissouriSt. Louis (UMSL), where it joins with the St. Vincent Greenway on the west side of campus. From...
This trail along Richland Creek is in two discontiguous sections that must be accessed separately. The northern section goes by the thick and quiet woods of Centennial Park, where there are also very...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Schoolhouse Trail offers a 15.5-mile flat, paved route through the eastern suburbs of greater St. Louis, Missouri, between Madison and Maryville, Illinois. Along the...
The River Des Peres Greenway Trail provides a flat, paved route along the River Des Peres Drainage Channel in southwestern St. Louis. Although this urban trail is seldom crowded, one of its drawbacks...
This trail gets its name from the MetroLink Red Line train track it parallels through eastern Belleville and (briefly) the village of Swansea. It is a classic rail-with-trail configuration, where...
The Meramec Greenway Trail is planned to one day encompass 50 miles throughout the St. Louis metro region, expanding as far west as Pacific, Missouri. The scenic route connects residents to the...
The St. Vincent Greenway Trail winds through the north and south campuses of the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) before emerging into the lush woodlands of St. Vincent Park. The park offers a...
The Rock Hollow Trail offers a beautiful, wooded excursion in the City of Wildwood, just west of St. Louis. The paved 2.3-mile trail is built on what was once Lawler-Ford Road. A trailhead with...
The Sunset Greenway Trail begins near Sunset Park, on the banks of the Missouri River, and travels along a roadway through open space to beyond St. Ferdinand Park in Old Town Florissant. The village...
Honoring former President Ulysses S. Grant, this flat and relaxed 10-mile trail is easily accessible from downtown St. Louis. Grant’s Trail is well maintained with plentiful restrooms and drinking...
We have ridden the trail over 25 years, camping along the trail using the Katy Trail Guide Book. We just camped at the Katy Roundhouse this fall and rode west the first day, and east to Rocheport and beyond the second day. We were very disappointed to find that because a bridge was out we had to ride on Highway 40, for over 2 miles, with cars and trucks speeding along at 50 to 60 miles per hour, and not slowing or giving a wide berth at all. We were on trikes, so felt very vulnerable, but met other users who were not happy about the situation either. Had there been a warning about this situation, we would have trucked the bikes over to Rocheport.
Saw some sun bathing snapping turtles at the small lake. Very quiet place with just a handful of walkers or bikers. Friendly place!
We rode this trail from the Daniel Boone Bridge (I-64) to St Charles for lunch at the Bike Stop Cafe. The trail is well maintained and is shaded by trees most of the way. The section adjacent to Greens Bottom Rd is exposed (no shade, except late afternoon). The trail is EASY to follow and is pretty level. The city of St Charles has businesses close to the trail.
Started at the trailhead by the Chesterfield Outlets and rode across the Daniel Boone Bridge (I-64). The Levee section was fairly smooth and pleasant to ride on. The morning we rode was cloudy, so the lack of shade was not an issue. Upon our return trip (we rode to the KATY trail across the river), the sun was out and it was getting pretty warm. Since the trail rides on the top of a levee, there are no trees, or any other sources of shade. Bring plenty of water.
Decent ride through industrial area to chain of rocks bridge. Probably worth it, but I ran out of water coming back to the city and used one of the fountains along the trail. Big mistake. Chemical smell in the water and got pretty sick on the way back west. Don't use those fountains!
My family of 4 did 9 miles on the Katy Trail starting at Cooper’s Landing. It was well maintained, a great combo of tree cover/no tree cover, and I could have stopped for photo opt after photo opt! Beautiful trail!!! Coopers landing was a great stop with yummy food trucks and terrific people watching!
If you like post-apocalyptic industrial areas, broken glass and litter-strewn highway shoulder lanes and non-existent signage at confusing highway intersections, then YOU won’t be disappointed. But we read the glowing write up of this trail, which doesn’t reflect reality in any way. With the exception of the Arch, the riverfront is sad and ugly. We gave up after riding 10 miles so maybe there’s something attractive at the northern end. 1.5 miles of the trail are closed for construction until at least August 2022.
Headed downtown with family to ride the trail only to discover that the riverfront area was closed. There were no detour signs directing how to get to the trail. We were able to ask a fellow rider for help. He was super nice and helpful. He also shared that this part of this trail has been closed for some time. Our start was way harder than it needed to be, but we all truly enjoyed our ride.
A great paved trail for casual riding! I like how it also connects to smaller paths around the soccer fields and Mallard Lake. The East side of the lake with boat rentals, etc has been fairly crowded every time I’ve gone in the summer, but the crowds thin out on the other sections.
It was my first time riding this trail. I was a bit skeptical at first because I’ve never ridden it. Started from Kirkwood all the way down to Shrewsbury and then back. Definitely scenic. Especially around Grant’s Farm. I would definitely recommend it to any explorer.
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