Find the top rated running trails in Chatham, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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I LOVE THE TRAIL -- but have some SAFETY CONCERNS.
I jog every other day on the trail and there are LOTS of bikes
and some of them are going 15 - 25 mph! Some speed this
fast even when there is much traffic going BOTH directions,
which is dangerous! Some of these bikes are going as fast
as a slow moving car! Fast enough to really HURT someone
BADLY if a collision occurs due to negligence.
There are baby buggies and slow solo walkers and couples
walking hand-in-hand and runners and about everything you'd
imagine or expect . . . in other words, a VERY MIXED POPULATION
with people moving at a VARIETY of speeds.
Some of the bikers seem to be trying to explore how FAST they
can go (disregarding safety concerns) not to mention an utter lack
of courtesy and regard for others, etc.
There ought to be a SPEED LIMIT posted or SOMETHING!
Someone may get badly injured!
This is a nice straight path. Mostly covered by trees so it’s nice and shady! Very beautiful! Wish it were longer!
My wife and I rode the trail on 7/5/2018. We started from Pana and rode north to Tayorville. The trails is in pretty rough shape in areas and in need of some maintenance. We should have brought our hybrids instead of our road bikes. It would have made for a much nicer ride.
We parked in the parking lot of the park at Lake Taylorville to avoid the closed bridge and rode to Pana and back. I admit it was mid-day on a Thursday, but we only saw one other rider the whole time.
The cracks in the blacktop made for a not very smooth ride. Add to that all the small branches and twigs to get caught in your spokes AND all the hickory nuts (?) in places and it wasn’t our best ride, but it was a ride and I can mark this trail as ridden.
My 14 year old son and I rode the trail from Pana to Taylorville and back, nearly the full distance twice for the boy scout cycling merit badge (50 miles). About a mile before reaching the end of the trail in Taylorville, there is a bridge that is closed and there is no easy way to detour around it. The pathway has a few places where the pavement has separated or had tree roots have raised it, but they are marked with white paint. Some of the cracks have been filled with tar and others with very fine gravel. The northern half of the trail is mostly shaded with trees on both sides of the trail (so there are some leaves and small twigs on the trail) whereas the southern half is mostly without shade. There are two small towns where you take a short detour from the otherwise very straight trail. The elevation is slightly higher on both ends of the trail with the middle about 150 feet lower (but it is a very slow, gradual change in elevation). We drove an hour to get to the trail head and it was definitely worth it!
Great warm weather ride. Most of the trail passes through a heavy tree canopy on a flat and level path.We started from the IDOT trail head off Dirksen Parkway and road east to Rochester. Just off this end of the trail is a great little place called Walnut St. Winery. Stopped in for a bit of wine and cheese before returning back down the trail.
Loved it!! Flat, tree lined, quiet, came into Farmersville from Waggoner, road around that town, their is a subway sandwich shop and a few bars that serve food...will definetely be back !! Riding to truck stop made this ride 4.99 miles each way...enjoy!
6/22/17
Very rough trail. Needs attention. Could be a great one, but lots of holes.
It was pretty clear that they will be expanding this trail beyond it's current run from Stuart Park to Centennial Park. Due to time constraints I rode from Stuart to Iles Ave. and back. There's a very slight uphill run over that length, but it's not at all noticeable because the trail is very smooth. There were a constant flow of trail users, but it didn't feel crowded at all. There seemed to be an above average number of dog walkers on the trail, but I chalked that up to the dog run located in Stuart Park.
I had spent the day in workshops and at the State Capitol, so this was a perfect way to burn off some energy before a long drive home. I was very glad I made the stop and will likely do this again when I'm in Springfield.
My husband and I rode 12 miles on this trail yesterday after not riding it for a year. We started in Pana at the parking lot. We ran out of daylight, otherwise we would have put on more miles. The cracks in the asphalt were patched. The weeds needed cutting from Pana to Millersville. Someone cut the weeds in Millersville. Someone cleared the area around most of the benches, and the benches themselves were in good shape. One of the bridges needs work, but is easily crossed. This trail is so much better than half a dozen other trails in Illinois, and yet we saw no one one it at a time of day (after work and school for many) when other trails begin to get crowded. We kicked the walnuts off the trail, and moved some dead branched. It is good to go.
My husband and I came over from Decatur to try some new bike trails. We were very pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it. The tree cover is wonderful. We will drive over and ride it again. And we will recommend to others.
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