Find the top rated birding trails in Bloomington, 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.
Chenoa, Lexington, Towanda...why has Pontiac not done this to it's retired section of 66? From the old Kmart to the old State Police HQ then cross over at E. 1600 North Road and connect to the path at the Rec Plex that runs alongside the prison.
My wife and I road from Toulon to a little past Princeville and back to Toulon (30 miles) in the snow on our fat bikes. There was about three inches of snow. The tree lined trail was beautiful. Highly recommended for winter riding. We were the only set of bike tracks and saw three people in 6 hours.
My daughter uses a wheelchair and we all really felt like we could enjoy the park on this path. The whole area is extremely accessible!
I in-line skated on this trail July 1,2020 and it was in great condition. Mostly uphill from East Peoria to Morton, and well worth it for the enjoyable downhill skate back toward Peoria.
We rode the SW section last weekend and the family really enjoyed it. We found great parking and a spot to eat before we rode the 5 miles into town and back out. The surface was well maintained. The scenery was great. It was a nice quiet ride and we stopped to take a lot of pictures.
A waste of time . It is also not the safest area in Champaign
Left from East Peoria getting through town was slow as crosswalks were not very speedy but it was a good ride some incline and well kept.
Parked at the Savoy rec center and rode North. The North side had road construction going on so was closed. Hopefully it’ll be open by this fall. We loved this trail and just wished it was longer. They could extend it a couple more miles to the South.
We parked at the Buffalo Trace parking lot just north of I-74 on Route 47. Direct trail access at this point. We rode it west to the end, which is about a mile through beautiful prairie. (There is parking at the west end also.)
Then we returned and rode it all the way to the east end, which pops you out into a residential neighborhood. (It's only 3.3 miles total.)
But the real beauty of this trail is that at about the midpoint it connects seamlessly with the Mahomet city trail in the woods at the golf course. From there you can ride south and end up in Mahomet at Route 47 and then ride north up the east shoulder back to the Buffalo Trace parking lot. The Route 47 shoulder is a full car width , paved and perfectly safe. So, you can ride a complete loop back to your car. Nice!
A really nice, fully paved circuit through prairie, forest and town.
Our family parked @ the east access point near Taylor Studios and rode the entire trail system a couple of times. The trails are in good shape and well marked. We did stray off the trail a bit visiting the downtown area and the former Air Force base. There are many historic buildings still standing at Chanute AFB and the downtown area boasts some great eating options and an old school cinema with a beautiful marquee still intact (though now closed). We ate lunch at a Thai food joint a few doors down from the cinema and the food and service were excellent. After a day of riding, we ended our time in Rantoul at the Hap Parker Pool - which is the public swimming complex. The pool features a couple of nice water slides and a large swimming area. All around a nice day of exercise, eating and sight seeing.
How come nobody told me about the Greenbelt Bikeway in Champaign? It connects Dodds Park, Herritage Park (by the Olympic Tribute Memorial), and if you go off trail a bit, it gets you to Kaufman Lake. It also offer a connector trail over to North Country Fair Drive! This is a perfect super easy ride on mostly concrete and asphalt. Try go off trail to explore the crushed stones thrill and a small climb and drop. There's a train track and body of water... Two things I love to be surrounded by when I'm riding. What else can I ask for? Make sure to lower your head when going the 72 west underpass/train track bridge. It's only about 2.5 miles ish ride for a full complete loop. Did 3 loops and I am satisfied!
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