Bethalto, IL Birding Trails and Maps

454 Reviews

Looking for the best Birding trails around Bethalto?

Find the top rated birding trails in Bethalto, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

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Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type
57 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Arnold City Park Trail

2 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Busch Greenway

4.8 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Creve Coeur Park Trails

7.7 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Dardenne Greenway Trail

8 mi
State: MO
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Fee Fee Greenway

2.8 mi
State: MO
Asphalt, Concrete

GM&O Heritage Trail

1.7 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Grant's Trail

9.9 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Katy Trail State Park

238.7 mi
State: MO
Crushed Stone, Gravel

Lakeside Park Trail

7 mi
State: MO
Asphalt, Concrete

MCT Goshen Trail

19.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

MCT Nature Trail

14.4 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

MCT Nickel Plate Trail

28.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

MCT Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail

12.2 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

MCT Schoolhouse Trail

15.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

MCT Watershed Trail

1.3 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

McKinley Bridge Bikeway

1.2 mi
State: IL, MO
Concrete

MetroBikeLink Trail

14 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Mississippi Greenway

8.3 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Monarch-Chesterfield Levee Trail

10.7 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Old Chain of Rocks Bridge

1 mi
State: IL, MO
Concrete
Accordion

Rock Hollow Trail

2.3 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

St. Vincent Greenway Trail

5.5 mi
State: MO
Asphalt, Concrete

Wildwood Greenway

5.7 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Arches Rail Trail

2.2 mi
State: IL
Dirt, Grass

Boschert Greenway

4.1 mi
State: MO
Asphalt, Concrete

Carlyle Lake Bike Trail

10.3 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Concrete

Deer Creek Greenway

2.1 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Delyte W. Morris Trail

2.4 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Earth City Levee Trail

3 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Green Diamond Rail-Trail

4.3 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Illini Trail

0.8 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

MCT Bluff Trail

2 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

MCT Quercus Grove Trail

18.4 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Meramec Greenway Trail

20.2 mi
State: MO
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Richland Creek Greenway Trail

3.8 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

River Des Peres Greenway Trail

9.2 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail

20.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Ted Jones Trail

2.2 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail

1.4 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

MCT Confluence Trail

18.7 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Gravel

Metro-East Levee Trail

7.6 mi
State: IL
Gravel

Sunset Greenway Trail

3.9 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

Centennial Greenway

7.3 mi
State: MO
Concrete

Eagle Points Trail

7.2 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

West Alton Trail

1.1 mi
State: MO
Crushed Stone

Bethalto Arboretum Trail

0.9 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Carondelet Connector

1 mi
State: MO
Concrete

Cottage Hills Trail

1.1 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Maline Greenway

1.6 mi
State: MO
Asphalt

St. Ellen Trail

1 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Trestle Trail (Lebanon)

0.3 mi
State: IL
Crushed Stone

Veteran's Honor Trail

5.1 mi
State: IL
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
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...
MO 2 mi Asphalt
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....
MO 4.8 mi Asphalt
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...
MO 7.7 mi Asphalt
The Dardenne Greenway Trail follows Dardenne Creek as it makes its way through St. Charles County on its way to the mighty Mississippi. The trail, which currently passes through several suburban St....
MO 8 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Fee Fee Greenway provides a scenic and peaceful escape into nature along Fee Fee Creek, while making connections to local and regional recreation destinations. The trail paved is anchored by the...
MO 2.8 mi Asphalt, Concrete
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...
IL 1.7 mi Asphalt
Overview Honoring former President Ulysses S. Grant, this flat  and relaxed 9.9-mile trail is easily accessible from downtown St. Louis. Grant’s Trail is well maintained with plentiful restrooms...
MO 9.9 mi Asphalt
Overview At 239 miles long, Katy Trail State Park spans nearly the full width of Missouri and is the country’s longest continuous rail-trail, intersecting with rural farmland, scenic small towns,...
MO 238.7 mi Crushed Stone, Gravel
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,...
MO 7 mi Asphalt, Concrete
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...
IL 19.5 mi Asphalt
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...
IL 14.4 mi Asphalt
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,...
IL 28.5 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
You can make connections all over the countryside from the Madison County Transit (MCT) Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail. The paved path travels 12.2 miles between the villages of Glen Carbon and...
IL 12.2 mi Asphalt
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...
IL 15.5 mi Asphalt
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...
IL 1.3 mi Asphalt
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...
IL, MO 1.2 mi Concrete
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...
IL 14 mi Asphalt
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...
MO 8.3 mi Asphalt
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...
MO 10.7 mi Asphalt
Overview  The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge links two states–Illinois and Missouri—as the mile-long bridge crosses the Mississippi River. The bridge carries bikes and pedestrians between the two...
IL, MO 1 mi Concrete
Accordion
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...
MO 1.7 mi Asphalt
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...
MO 2.3 mi Asphalt
Completed in 2020, the Saint Clair County Transit District's Orchard Loop Trail is a gorgeous, smooth asphalt pathway that traverses the rolling hills on the suburban outskirts of Belleville. The...
IL 4 mi Asphalt
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...
MO 5.5 mi Asphalt, Concrete
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...
MO 0.6 mi Asphalt
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...
MO 5.7 mi Asphalt
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...
IL 2.2 mi Dirt, Grass
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...
MO 4.1 mi Asphalt, Concrete
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...
IL 10.3 mi Asphalt, Concrete
This trail extends from Lorraine Davis Park in Webster Groves through Barnickel Park and Deer Creek Park to Deer Creek Shopping Center at Big Bend Avenue in Maplewood. Most of the trail is separated...
MO 2.1 mi Asphalt
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...
IL 2.4 mi Asphalt
Earth City Levee Trail, which opened in June 2015, is part of a growing trail network called the Missouri River Greenway. It connects directly with the Riverwoods Trail in Bridgeton, forming a paved...
MO 3 mi Asphalt
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...
IL 4.3 mi Asphalt
The Illini Trail (formerly known as the Hesse Trail) connects two neighborhoods and a park in the city of O'Fallon. It is a short, completely tree-covered rail-trail, well used by local residents....
IL 0.8 mi Asphalt
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...
IL 2 mi Asphalt
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...
IL 18.4 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
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...
MO 20.2 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
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...
IL 3.8 mi Asphalt
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...
MO 9.2 mi Asphalt
Overview Paralleling the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers along the border between Illinois and Mississippi, the Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail (also known as the Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike...
IL 20.5 mi Asphalt
Closure Notice: Please be advised that the Riverfront Trail is currently subject to intermittent closures and disruptions due to construction; please see the Great Rivers Greenway site for the latest...
MO 12.2 mi Asphalt
The Ted Jones Trail runs for 2.2 miles between the town of Ferguson and the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL), where it joins with the St. Vincent Greenway on the west side of campus. From...
MO 2.2 mi Asphalt
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....
MO 1.5 mi Asphalt
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...
IL 1.4 mi Asphalt
Bring your camera to the MCT Confluence Trail. Part of Illinois' Madison County Transit (MCT) bikeways network, this trail is a photographic patchwork of rivers, bridges, waterfront wildlife and...
IL 18.7 mi Asphalt, Gravel
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...
IL 7.6 mi Gravel
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...
MO 3.9 mi Asphalt
Centennial Greenway will one day stretch 17 miles from Forest Park in the City of St. Louis through Creve Coeur County Park to St. Charles County. Currently, the trail is open in three segments,...
MO 7.3 mi Concrete
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...
IL 7.2 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
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...
MO 1.1 mi Crushed Stone
The trail is a popular local recreation spot. The trail first winds through the Bethalto Arboretum, about a half-mile, shaded stroll through stands of oak, maple and over 80 other tree species. The...
IL 0.9 mi Asphalt
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...
MO 1 mi Concrete
This paved path, also known as the Wood River Township Multi-Use Trail, runs along a former railroad corridor between the communities of Cottage Hills and Rosewood Heights. The trail heads east from S...
IL 1.1 mi Asphalt
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...
MO 1.6 mi Asphalt
Th St. Ellen is a mile-long paved recreational trail in O'Fallon, Illinois. The trail connects residents of the nearby neighborhoods to local schools as well as the St. Ellen Mine Park, a former coal...
IL 1 mi Asphalt
Named for the former Baltimore & Ohio (CSX) railroad bridge it passes under, the Trestle Trail provides a quiet short passage through the woods along Little Silver Creek on southeastern edge of the...
IL 0.3 mi Crushed Stone
The Veteran's Honor Trail is an asphalt trail that forms an incomplete ring around the community of Highland, Madison County. The paved trail provides a safe and enjoyable walking and biking route...
IL 5.1 mi Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

Arnold City Park Trail

First planned Ride

October, 2024 by cmac09.d

Tomorrow will be May 1st ride through Arnold Park for a bike ride. I was disappointed that the reviews are so old. Hopefully we can get these updated. I will definitely give my review afterwards for this year of 2024. I’m excited to check it out. ( I only rated the ride so I could post my review) hopefully my next review will be a 5 star.

Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail

Good trail!

October, 2024 by july300ng

Good trail!

Katy Trail State Park

Good job Missouri!

October, 2024 by nk2zvxqyvd

Rode the trail the first week in October! Perfect weather, beautiful tree tunneled trails most of the way. Don’t have any more to add than has already been said. Only improvement would be more guaranteed water at the depot stops. Good job Missouri and Thank you!!

Accordion

Saint Clair County Orchard Loop Trail

Beautiful!

October, 2024 by rvjordan

This is a very nice, scenic - absolutely beautiful trail and you can either start out or end up at Eckerts!

Katy Trail State Park

A milestone ride

September, 2024 by robert.richter89

I've been looking at riding the entirety of the KATY for a few years as a milestone ride for myself. I was able to check this off of my bucket list over the Labor Day week of 2024. Given the length of the KATY Missouri does an outstanding job keeping it in such good condition despite the Missouri River posing a flood risk. There were two very small closures along the entire trail that were well marked and required a very short on road detour to bypass. I completed the trail in five days of riding.

I utilized a shuttle service at Bike Stop Café in St. Charles to take me to the Western Terminus at Clinton. I highly recommend Bike Stop Café as you can leave your car there during your ride and the owners are great people! Riding from Clinton to Booneville is definitely the hardest part as there are long sections of rolling hills that are barely perceptible to the eye but you will feel them as you have to pedal harder. Sedalia provides a good option to stay the night with many places to eat and sleep. I also stayed in Rocheport, Hermann and St. Charles all of which provided many dining options and were beautiful places to stay.

I completed the trail on a gravel bike and only had one flat during the entire ride. Most people along the trail were very friendly and the sense of community you have in riding such a trail is really felt over the course of many days. During the few times the trail is in an urban area it is extremely well marked and almost impossible to loose. Any time there were even slight washouts or rough trail the areas were well marked.

The KATY is not the most breathtakingly scenic trail I have ever ridden but its combination of length, multiple towns along the way and its great overall condition earns its place in the Rail Trail Hall of Fame

St. Louis Riverfront Trail (Mississippi Greenway)

cleaned up

August, 2024 by pgough400

Reading past reviews, I was apprehensive about this trail, but it seems to have been cleaned up nicely. I rode about 8 miles south from the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and back in the evening. There’s a climb in the woods near the north end, the rest is level. No trash, no glass, no people at all except at the parks.

Metro-East Levee Trail

I personally loved this bike trail. It is close to home and takes me straight to Belleville. It actually starts in Dupo. It definitely needs resurfaced and it would be a lot better

July, 2024 by brownlcindy44

I personally loved this bike trail. It is close to home and takes me straight to Belleville. It actually starts in Dupo. It definitely needs resurfaced and it would be a lot better

Illini Trail

New trail signs are up. It is renamed the Illini Trail. It a short ride from the trail head down Illini Drive to the Goshen Trail.

July, 2024 by dale.brandl

New trail signs are up. It is renamed the Illini Trail. It a short ride from the trail head down Illini Drive to the Goshen Trail.

Katy Trail State Park

dgjacobs55

July, 2024 by dgjacobs55

Rode from Sedalia to Hermann. Nice trail, mostly shaded. Most scenic section is around Rocheport. Sedalia to Boonville section has a slight elevation and goes on for a few miles. Most towns along the trail are small and there aren't many services (water, restrooms, etc.). Enjoyed riding the trail (marked it off my bucket list), but at times it became a little boring seeing nothing but trees and rocks. Like I said, it is very scenic, but 130 miles of the same scenery......

Katy Trail State Park

Nice Ride

June, 2024 by teresakwilliams

I rode the Katy trail from Clinton to St Charles in 5 days . I started before Mother’s Day and completed the ride after. What a lovely gift to myself. The trail is well maintained, easy to follow, and I always felt safe riding alone. The towns on the trail are very accepting of bicyclist . Make sure to refill your water bottles every chance you have, especially towards the end when closer to St Charles there are fewer fountains. I look forward to riding this again !

Grant's Trail

Great Urban Trail

June, 2024 by n2shoebiz

We rode this trail for the first time in June 2024. It is level, well marked and passes along many suburban municipalities in the St. Louis area, the athletic complex in Affton, Grant’s Farm and Historical Site, Thomas Sappington House and The Barn (great place to stop for brunch). It can be crowded, especially around Grant’s Farm.

Meramec Greenway Trail

Not what we expected.

May, 2024 by psalm3321_tl

Started in Glencoe at the miniature railroad depot. Trail started out promising but seemed to get more and more narrow and is poorly marked. We attempted to follow the Al Foster trail. This really isn’t a 10 plus mile trail as it’s broken up. We originally started in Eureka and quickly realized the trail stops after roughly 1.7 miles. Luckily for us that after a few miles of an ever shrinking trail, we decided it wasn’t for us. Got back to our vehicle and put everything away just before a storm came through.

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