Find the top rated mountain biking trails in Charleston, whether you're looking for an easy short mountain biking trail or a long mountain biking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a mountain biking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
We camped at Taylorville Lake which has direct access to the trail. Rode SE to Pana one day and into Taylorville the next day.
There are no amenities on the trail other than a bathhouse at the marina at Taylorville Lake. Easy to ride into both towns though to find a restaurant, gas station, or something.
When the trail ends at Pana, cross route 29 and take the street on the north side of the Dollar General and you can ride into town on side streets.
Trail is dead straight and flat the entire length (only 4 bridges) and is all paved other than a couple hundred yard stretch around a grain elevator. Trail condition is ok. Quite a few transverse shrinkage cracks in different sections, but we've been on much worse. A road biker would probably not be pleased, but the traffic on route 29 would be a lot worse.
The Bridge is fixed full trail now
The segment east of Charleston is not paved. It's only a mile but if you are a trail completionist, be prepared for a rough ride for that mile or and back. Closer to a field road than a trail.Rest of the trail was perfect.
Had a wonderful bike ride with the family. It was a hot day, but the shaded trail made for a delightful time. We parked at S Llama St where there is a small gravel parking lot, unloaded the bikes and rode the 1.6 miles to the bridge just East of S Canal St. that crosses a creek. The scenery in summer was great and the newly updated bridge was well done. An added bonus was all the trail crossings over the streets were stamped concrete that resembled the rail crossings that used to be there.
The Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail pavement has been extended 6 blocks further west to the YMCA parking lot and a beautiful new park on 16th Street.
Noisy traffic but nice views from the boardwalk. Extend your walking buy going south through Fairbanks park on the east side of the Wabash bridge.
I’ve walked this multiple times, both alone and with grandkids. Parking is excellent and there are picnic table and benches at the site and on the Wabash bridge itself. The high sides of the first portion of the former railroad bridge obstructs views but it opens up to steel trestle for scenic river views. Beyond the bridge the trail is enjoyable with tributory on the left and woods/fields on the right. Unfortunately the trail ends at the active railroad tracks and a picnic table. Plans to extend are apparently underway. Train watching is fun at the terminus. Make it a real walk by walking through the nearby parks, downtown, and stopping at the Tasty Freeze for great ice cream.
My first trail ride from near the Vermilion County Fairground to the west edge of Oakwood. Very nice ride. Nice scenery along the route. I only wish it was completed so I could go all the way to Urbana.
With construction of the new trail bridge over the Flat Branch starting in September (2024), the trail will soon be restored to its full 14.6-mile length, with access points at the Taylorville Trailhead, Lake Taylorville (Lake Point Veterans Memorial) parking lot, Owaneco, and the Pana Trailhead.
After riding other trails I was truly disappointed with this one; wouldn’t you know it’s the closest to us and probably the worst! No upkeep whatsoever; it has potential for a nice ride, but there has been no maintenance for quite a while. It says on website that the village of Pana owns it…
This is a beautiful trail! It meanders nearly 6 miles with many gentle curves and hills and very few straightaways. It is almost entirely wooded and runs along the lovely creek most of the way. There are a number of bridges to go over and under. The track itself is clean and in great condition. There are 3-4 manhole covers go watch out for. Thoroughly enjoyed!
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