Effingham, IL Mountain Biking Trails and Maps

65 Reviews

Looking for the best Mountain Biking trails around Effingham?

Find the top rated mountain biking trails in Effingham, 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.

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Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail

12.9 mi
State: IL
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
The Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail runs 12 miles, much of the way along an old railroad right-of-way between County Highway 2 east of Charleston and the ball fields at 10th Street in Mattoon; an...
IL 12.9 mi Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

Lincoln Prairie Trail

Flat Branch Bridge Construction

August, 2024 by treker7200

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.

Lincoln Prairie Trail

terrible

July, 2024 by blutrike_tl

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…

Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail

This trail is well maintained. Lots of birds and wildlife. I rode the trail on a Friday afternoon in late March (62 degrees) and there were 5 other folks riding and walking. It is a flat trail that runs through mostly farm land. ¿

March, 2024 by marisstellamary

This trail is well maintained. Lots of birds and wildlife. I rode the trail on a Friday afternoon in late March (62 degrees) and there were 5 other folks riding and walking. It is a flat trail that runs through mostly farm land. ¿

Accordion

Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail

Nice trail surface, not much else

March, 2024 by keckler

The trail surface is smooth asphalt. Except for the first and last miles, it is also essentially seamless. Great.

The scenery is pretty much nothing, and there isn't really anything along the way. The eastern portion is more scenic than the western, passing over a couple ravines of tributaries to the Embarras river.

Great trail for a workout.

Lincoln Prairie Trail

Pretty good trail, very few issues imo

September, 2023 by redninjago07

This trail was overall very nice!! the only issue i had with it personally was that the first bridge i crossed, about a mile in, was blocked off with concrete dividers. thankfully, there were some desire trails going around these, so i was able to walk my bike over the bridge. it was a very long trail, and sometimes i wouldnt be able to find the the path again when it passed through an industrial or residential area, but that wasn’t really a big issue. i was riding my mountain bike, and the path was very clear and easy to ride on. only complaints i have are about the first bridge, and the mile markers were not clear enough, so i didnt really know where i was at.

Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail

First longer ride of 2023

April, 2023 by shellijennings

Nice way to spend a beautiful day biking 16+ miles on an asphalt trail. They are currently doing work putting in new telephone poles.

Lincoln Prairie Trail

Use extreme caution on parts of trail

November, 2022 by graywolf14

Heavy leaf cover and branches and other debris from trees completely cover the pavement in many areas along the trail which require very slow and careful navigation when on a bike. Stopped several times to either walk bike through rough patches or to pull twigs lodged between tire front fender. This trail is not maintained at all and needs a thorough sweeping by villages or organization tasked with keeping trail in a safe and reasonably maintained condition for the enjoyment of everyone whether biking or hiking.

Lincoln Prairie Trail

There are sections of this trail that are very rough. After a few miles...I just gave up beating me and the bike to death. This could be a beautiful trail if it just had some repaving and trimming.

July, 2022 by jmrkav

There are sections of this trail that are very rough. After a few miles...I just gave up beating me and the bike to death. This could be a beautiful trail if it just had some repaving and trimming.

Lincoln Prairie Trail

Beautiful Trail In Need of TLC

July, 2022 by andrems

We enjoyed our first out and back ride on the Lincoln Prairie Trail on a hot and sunny morning. First the positives. Beautiful farmland scenery over a 13.5 mile straight line from Pana to Taylorville. Tree cover is intermittent and very welcome on a sunny day with the exception of a 2 mile long open stretch just east of Taylorville. There are a number of really beautiful stretches where you’re going through a tunnel of trees along the way. For those looking for a flat trail, this fits the bill. Over our 27 mile out and back ride we gained a mere 250 feet of altitude. As for the less positive elements, the pavement varies between good and poor condition. The opening 2 miles from Pana is pretty rough with lots of grass and weeds growing through cracks in the pavement. In other areas there are a lot of cracks and bumps that detract a bit from the ride. Be aware that there are no amenities along the path. Use the restroom at the McDonalds in Pana before starting as the porta-potty at the Pana parking lot is not very nice. Also be sure to pack water and a snack as there is no where to get something along the way. Despite the negatives, we really enjoyed our ride and will be back. If you love beautiful farm scenes and a flat ride you should enjoy the Lincoln Prairie Trail. When we reached the north end near Taylorville we were greeted with an imposing concrete barrier that keeps you from crossing a small bridge and completing the last mile into Taylorville. I hope they can raise the funds to repair the bridge as it would really be nice stop for a refreshment before returning to Pana.

Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail

wonderful trail

July, 2022 by deb.hutti

100 percent ashphalt! Straight with nice towns on either end. New bathroom stop 1/2 way. Great length and a nature center at one end. Worth the effort.

Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail

very nice functional trail but nothing extraordinary about it

June, 2022 by bicyclegary_tl

If you happen to be in Charleston IL then definitely visit it, but don’t go out of your way to visit it It is in very excellent condition, 95% paved despite the photo on this website Straight as an arrow, one slight turn in 11 miles. Very nice nature center about 3 miles from end in Mattoon Il.

Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail

Trail is great, but needs shade and wind barriers.

April, 2022 by spikeman2k55

The trail is great, but needs shade and wind barriers.

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Accordion

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