19 July 2020, 80 degrees, light wind , 54 miles r/t, partly cloudy, started east to west. Last update on Hennepin. Road bikers youre on(no clinchers or sewups), trail was completely clear of debris and in good shape, full sun. Scenery is great not as good as the east but nice, saw lots of humans. This part is obviously used 99% more than the other 2 sections and is maintained. Hennepin trail is a very un-utililized trail that is so scenic, I am sad for its overall poor condition. Oh, due to covid Hickory Grove Campground cannot accept tenters,no public facilties are open. Rvers are self contained. I do recommend the trail but wish it was kept up more.

We rode this trail from Toulon to Princeville today. It was great! The path was very good. It is mostly shaded. Excellent. We stopped in Wyoming on our way back for lunch. Ate at 111 Coffee Shop. Don’t be fooled, this is NOT just a coffee shop. The lunch was delicious. And it is decorated all with bikes! Perfect for us bikers. And check out the bathroom. Cute!!! Can’t wait to do more of the route from Princeville going south.

July 17,2020, 70 miles r/t, 85 degrees, 70 % humidity, partly cloudly and light west breeze, path100% flat. Feeder trail north off the henneipen to Rock Falls. SORRY, road bikers ,you're still off this trail, the debris is just too much and rough. i would love to get you out there but you would curse me if I recommended it for you.
CONFUSED: One mans trash, we have ridden alot if paths, but the scenery and greenness and desolation and QQUUUIIIEETTT of this ride is impossible to match, what a day!!! No water,no cars ,no people,no noise, no bugs,no towns,no trash,no stores,no nothing, 2 poopers,REALLY CLEAN. To the Illinois department that maintains the path, on this day CUDDOS, on the way out at least 12downed trees(massive storm), added 2 hours to north route. On the way back,mowers and tree cutters cleared the path YYYEEEEHHHAAA!! THANKS. OK,you know mr poo poo has to chime in. Talked to farmer on the path,he said they have let the path go. This path is still a gold mine, but the debris on the path is so much its hard to see anything, you better keep you eye on the road or you are going to break a foot or loose some spokes. Ok, the mowing guy went by and 300 yards behind him were branches down(cant get all of it),but the debris is years old. Path surface on this section is very good, half was tar and chip(really good), 19 miles to Rock Falls was all hard dirt. I am confused about this path because its going to be a challenge for most to complete any of the 3 legs of the path. NO SERVICES, no motels,no bed and breakfast, no water,no stores, which MAKES the path. But unless you do 35 miles one way ,you're on your own. So, the thing needs to be cleaned up so most people can do the 35 and leave all that crap in town and not on the path(get it??)OK!! We are riding modified mountain bikes and try to average 15 to 16 mph, and wrists are pretty sore from the bobbling debis, on anything else you are at 8 mph. Everyone has their oppinion and this is mine.

I have wanted to do this trail for 7 years, but logistics did not line up until this weekend. I rode the 60 miles from Bureau Junction to Colona. Started at Lock 3 at Route 26/29 because that parking lot is not as isolated as the Lock 2 parking lot. Heading West, there had been a washout at 1.2 miles, but they had filled it the day before. Apparently, this happens semi-regularly due to the Big Bureau Creek flooding.

Overall, the Eastern one-third (20 miles) of this trail is rougher but more scenic. The Western two-thirds to Colona has a more stable surface but is more exposed to the sun and has less variation in scenery. There were way more people fishing than biking, which was a nice change.

Heading out from Bureau, the first 4.5 miles are particularly rough. There's any kind of surface you can imagine -- oil & chip, gravel, sand, limestone chat, etc. You have to pay close attention in this section and count on slow going. I have a hybrid bike and was totally comfortable. Road bikes would be rough if you are doing the whole 60 miles. I really appreciate how difficult it is to keep the Eastern section maintained, due to the geography. Once you get to Lock 6, the surface becomes more stable and that is when I really started to enjoy the trail and the canal.

Different kinds of locks, gates and dams keep the engineering interesting. The locks were where most of the people were fishing.

While the Western two-thirds had a more stable surface, you still have to pay attention. Most of it was oil & chip 4 feet wide (slightly rough), but occasionally you will get a section with mostly grass and as little as a 6-inch wide strip of limestone. Very rideable, but you have to focus. There were not many parts of the trail in which it was wide enough or smooth enough to pull a trailer with kids in it (unless you don't like your kids!).

I recommend packing all the food and water you need. You can't count on water being available even at the visitor's center. The trail does not go directly through any towns, so you would be making side trips to find an open store/restaurant.

As for signage, it is limited, but I found that Google Maps (with the Bicycling layer turned on) was spot on for accuracy. Only a few very small hills to note, mostly in the Eastern section.

Lots of water scenery, plants, and animals. It's definitely a great trail to ride if you want to get away from the crowds.

All in all, I would do this trail again, but likely in the Spring or Fall, when the heat index is lower than 98F!

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 from Utica to Channahon, split into two days (Utica to Seneca and back on June 11, & Seneca to Channahon and back on June 13). Total distance = 96 miles.

Day 1, Utica to Seneca: We rode out from our rental house right on the trail in Utica and headed east. 2 miles east of Utica, there is a bridge out over a fairly deep ravine. Enough trail users have been through to create a small footpath to the bottom and a makeshift bridge was installed. Be prepared to navigate mud and water while pushing your bike. The trail surface was in decent condition, but very weedy and a one-lane track in most parts. We also stopped at least 4 times to shove / pull trees limbs off the trail, had to carry over a few large ones. It also looks like the trail had been recently repaired from a washout west of Buffalo Rock SP. We ran into a "trail closed" sign on the west edge of Ottawa, and followed the bike traffic signs on city streets to pick up the trail on the east side of town. **NOTE: on the way back, we tried the "closed" trail.... it is finished and passable, but some loose gravel in places.** At our turn-back point in Seneca, we met two helpful IDNR employees. Due to COVID-19, they were just allowed back to do maintenance approx. 10 days prior to our ride. While we found the trail to be in very rough condition, we learned it would likely have been cleared if we rode a day or two later; case-and-point... on our return trip the trees had been cut and trail recently mowed.

Day 2, Seneca to Channahon: We found much better trail conditions on this portion. Very easy ride, peaceful, all the way to Morris. At Morris, there is a path detour (aqueduct bridge washed out several years ago has not been replaced); take the foot bridge into Gebhard Woods SP. The path via city streets going west to east is not well marked, in my opinion. Take Ottawa/Shabbona St north to Fremont St; east to Nettle St; south to Illinois St; east to Calhoun and pick the trail back up there. There is a lock keepers house at the lock and aqueduct at Aux Sable with a shady picnic area for resting. Be sure to check out the mile markers; they all include little tidbits of history about the canal & sites. There is an access road to the south of the Dresden Mule Barn that leads to the modern lock and dam on the Illinois River, and you can watch barges being raised and lowered. The trail from Morris to Channahon was my favorite of the trip, riding right along the river, the scenery is beautiful.

Overall this is a decent trail, with lots of potential and room for improvement. It is well shaded and a nice, even ride with lots of history. I rated it a 3, mainly because of the bridges that have not been replaced; upon talking to some locals, they have both been washed out for 5 + years. This is a good trail, just come prepared for some challenges.

We rode from Morris to Seneca and back 6/7/2020. It’s 9 miles of a nice trail, very wooden and shaded. We found it was easiest to park at the Gebhard Woods park off Ottawa St. There is construction near the Stratton Park. The trail get narrow on some areas but we hardly saw any other bikers. We saw 4 baby snapping turtles on our ride.

Going west from the parking lot in Bureau Junction, Rt. 26, the trail is closed. It is in extremely poor condition, bridge out, grass growing through the VERY old asphalt, and a dangerous hole in middle of trail. Bridge is out about 1.2 miles from parking lot. Who ever is suppose to maintain this portion of the trail is NOT. Can not speak to the remainder of the trail.

This is a very fun trail ride through Clinton. We only rode the north half from downtown, so i can't comment on the south stretch to Camanche. Big parking lot and nice restrooms on 4th Ave, adjacent to the trail. From this location the trail is up on the levy and travels on it for a good stretch. Trail mileage markers are 3' high blue and white lighthouses, which is a nice touch. The trail is pretty well marked other than one spot at Grant St and 25th Ave where it indicates to go right on Grant. This is a dead-end and you need to go one more block to McKinley before making the turn. There's a pretty long and steep uphill (northbound) before reaching Eagle Point Park, but it's worth the trouble. The park is awesome! Make sure to ride the one-way through all of it. Great look-outs of the river and also, more restrooms. The park does not plunge down to the river, so don't fear a steep uphill to get back out. About 11 miles round trip from downtown and all paved. We had a great time!