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.
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...
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 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...
When you think of St. Louis, some iconic images likely come to mind: the Mississippi River, the Gateway Arch, and Lewis and Clark. The St. Louis Riverfront Trail lets you experience all of this and...
Although a relatively short route, the Riverwoods Trail offers plentiful scenic views of the Missouri River and historic St. Charles. The trail closely follows the river's shoreline through wetland...
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 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...
Honoring former President Ulysses S. Grant, this flat and relaxed 7.9-mile trail is easily accessible from downtown St. Louis. Grant’s Trail is well maintained with plentiful restrooms and drinking...
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...
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 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 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...
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 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...
Caution: Trail closures are occurring in two areas along the southern half of this trail: 1) near the construction site of the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, and 2) at the construction...
The Delyte W. Morris Trail lies entirely on the campus of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE). It is named for the university's president at the Carbondale campus in the 1960s who helped...
For nearly 5 miles, the Columbia Bottom Trail meanders through the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, which features forests, wetlands, and open fields. The trail is part of the Missouri River...
Advisory: As of June 2019, parts of the Katy Trail are flooded. Please check trail conditions on the Missouri State Parks website before going out to ride. At nearly 240 miles long, Katy Trail...
The Greater St. Louis area is dominated by the “Great Rivers.” While the Mississippi River gets most of the attention, the Missouri River is not one to be taken for granted. An emerging trail system...
The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Watershed Trail is all about trains, bridges and waterways. It follows an abandoned rail corridor built in 1868, the first to serve the city of Edwardsville, itself the...
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...
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 Metro-East Levee Trail offers a semicircle route around Cahokia, which lies south of St. Louis and east of the Mississippi River. It parallels a canal and sits atop a levee that is 30 feet high at...
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 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...
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 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...
While exploring the seven mile Lakeside Park Trail you are treated to views of the 140 acre lake at Lakeside Park. Lakeside Park Trail's asphalt and concrete surfaces are ideal for biking, walking,...
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...
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 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 West Alton Trail occupies the right-of-way of an old railroad bed. The crushed-stone trail runs for 2 miles between US 67 in West Alton and the Lincoln-Shields Recreation Area at the Mississippi...
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...
The Delyte W. Morris Trail lies entirely on the campus of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE). It is named for the university's president at the Carbondale campus in the 1960s who helped...
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...
Honoring former President Ulysses S. Grant, this flat and relaxed 7.9-mile trail is easily accessible from downtown St. Louis. Grant’s Trail is well maintained with plentiful restrooms and drinking...
Sandwiched between towering limestone bluffs and the confluence of two mighty rivers, the Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail offers scenery once enjoyed by riverboat captains. Today, you can...
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 short, but beautiful trail, takes travelers from Truman Park's lake north to Aubuchon Creek through a lush wooded area. The park offers places to fish, play sports and picnic. Future plans...
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 West Alton Trail occupies the right-of-way of an old railroad bed. The crushed-stone trail runs for 2 miles between US 67 in West Alton and the Lincoln-Shields Recreation Area at the Mississippi...
The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Watershed Trail is all about trains, bridges and waterways. It follows an abandoned rail corridor built in 1868, the first to serve the city of Edwardsville, itself the...
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...
When you think of St. Louis, some iconic images likely come to mind: the Mississippi River, the Gateway Arch, and Lewis and Clark. The St. Louis Riverfront Trail lets you experience all of this and...
The Mississippi Greenway is a growing multi-use trail in the St. Louis area that will eventually span 32 miles. Sometimes it’s referred to as the Mississippi River Trail or the Mississippi River...
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...
Caution: Trail closures are occurring in two areas along the southern half of this trail: 1) near the construction site of the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, and 2) at the construction...
Sandwiched between towering limestone bluffs and the confluence of two mighty rivers, the Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail offers scenery once enjoyed by riverboat captains. Today, you can...
The Delyte W. Morris Trail lies entirely on the campus of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE). It is named for the university's president at the Carbondale campus in the 1960s who helped...
Advisory: As of June 2019, parts of the Katy Trail are flooded. Please check trail conditions on the Missouri State Parks website before going out to ride. At nearly 240 miles long, Katy Trail...
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...
Honoring former President Ulysses S. Grant, this flat and relaxed 7.9-mile trail is easily accessible from downtown St. Louis. Grant’s Trail is well maintained with plentiful restrooms and drinking...
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...
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 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...
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 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 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 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....
Several miles of this trail (just north of Laclede’s Landing) are currently inaccessible due to adjacent construction. The city has not designated any safe detour routes with signage. Even some parts of the trail that are still accessible are unsafe because the path is buried in industrial debris and gravel. It seems like the industrial neighbors treat this trail like their own personal right-of-way. Such a shame given it’s the city’s longest, contiguous off-street route.
St.Charles West. Just a few detours, trail excellent. If you tent camp at Missouri Fairgrounds Sedalia, be careful of your belongings. Choose any electric site and honestly with the factory across street southeast corner away from vagrants living in tents and away from showerhouse better. Always lock your bikes too.
My wife and two older kids joined me on this one. We started at the Nuclear Waste Park which had a huge amount of free, easy parking right off 94. The Hamburg path runs through the park and we traveled north-east and connected to Busch as it went under 94. The Busch path ends at the Katy trial so we jumped on that and went west until we could jump back on the Hamburg path north back to the parking spot.
This is a wonderful trail and connects seamlessly with the other MCT Trails. We really enjoyed a cafe called "Taste of Country". Watch for the bright yellow bike with signs. The cafe is in a former vegetable stand at 4200 Hanfelder Rd, Granite City 62040. Worth a stop!
The trail is a nice combination of city & country terrain. The Amelung section near SWIC needs some TLC. The asphalt is buckled in multiple places which can make it difficult for some to navigate without an accident. The excess brush & vegetation along most of the trail has been very well maintained. Most of the wooden bridges are splintering and I met one rider that caught a flat from a piece of wood. Stay aware of pedestrians at the Belleville Station crossing. Consider adding the Orchard Loop to this ride for an extra challenge!
I would not rollerblade or skateboard on this trail. There are hills that lead into turns that force you to brake down the hill. Not great for advanced skaters without brakes on their skates. Beginner skaters SHOULD NOT use this trail. Would recommend for those looking to add hills in their long distances runs or cycling.
A mostly shaded trail that opens to flat farmland. Enjoyed the comfortable serene setting. Not as crowded as the other trails can get, which I liked. A good option for those who are new to longer distance rides. The park at the Eastern end in Marine has a covered pavilion and immaculate restrooms. Convenient parking lots at both ends make for simple access.
Really well maintained, great trail with plenty of places to park!
Rough, unmaintained surface. Cracks with weeds growing. Flood debris, sticks. Close to highway. Beautiful scenery, but has been abandoned by states/counties. Go to Edwardsville for nice maintained trails.
I love this trail for two primary reasons:
- there's hardly anyone ever on it
- it has very long contiguous sections that are great for training on my bike.
An added bonus is the trail passes by the Clydesdale stables at Grant's Farm, and I have seen the young foals come up to the fence on a couple of my rides. This is one of those bike trails that's close to everything but sometimes makes you feel like you're getting away from it all.
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