Find the top rated birding trails in Machesney Park, 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.
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We’ve only done Oswego to Geneva so far but I’m already so impressed. Beautiful well maintained trail. While it’s a great trail for getting a workout in you’ll be torn between it and stopping to take in the amazing scenery.
I recently rode this trail from south of Burlington to Wind Lake round trip. I'll be honest, I thought it would be more scenic than it was, but it didn't disappoint either. The portion through Burlington goes fast as there's plenty to see in the town, including nice views along the river. In between, there are long-winded stretches that don't excite. Think crushed limestone path, lots of sun, and nothing else. Case Eagle Park and Saller Woods were nice, but not a large segment of path either. Heading north you've got a few places to stop for amenities like Rochester, Waterford and Wind Lake, where I chose to stop. I know the trail extends up close to Franklin but I chose to turn around near Muskego Lake. This provided me with a 30+ mile round trip ride. Along the way and I can't recall where it was, is a VFW (or similar entity) that houses a tank, helicopter and a couple of jets. They're right on the path and worth stopping to admire. Cheers.
My first ride on this path was with my son two years ago when he was in the 3rd grade. I'd just bought him a new bike which he was eager to ride. I'd also just bought a car bike rack, making road-trip rides possible. After doing some homework we headed northwest for an hour and a half to give this trail a whirl. We did not walk away unsatisfied. To shorten the ride we started at the parking lot near Hwy 20. This offers a straight shot north to the Wisconsin border. Away we went. We went on a summer weekday and probably saw no more than a few riders on our 22+ mile trip. Along the way, we enjoyed the sites and experience. My son loved seeing the open farms filled with cows and the occasional critter that wandered across our path. I really liked the rock formations and movement from small town to small town. We took our time biking and made the 22 miles an almost 3-hour journey that, at the time, was my sons longest bike trip. We rode to Orangeville and had a late lunch there before heading back. The trail itself was in great shape. I'd heavily recommend this path to any type of biker. Cheers.
At less than 10 miles this trail isn't going to be a grand adventure. But take it for what it is, a rolling, scenic, half sun/half canopy trail with views of the forest, street-side, ponds, prairie, and wildlife. My son and I knocked out this path last summer and enjoyed it. Plenty of places to start/end your ride as there are multiple parking areas/parks in the area. On your ride be sure to try and find the lions (2). They roam in the same spot and do not move. Cheers.
For close to five years I lived at the zero marker for the IPP in Wheaton. This gave me unabated access to a wonderful path that offered multiple paths in every direction. Each path differed in terms of scenery but the trail was always kept up nicely and offered great views of parks, towns and history. I don't ride the IPP much these days as I live near the Fox River Trail and call that my favorite now. But I have very fond memories of riding every inch of the IPP more than many times. Cheers.
I usually pick up the VLG from the Fox River Trail just south of downtown Aurora and ride it west to it's endpoint at Waubonsee Community College. The path is mostly crushed limestone and canopied with great tree cover. It's usually in great shape although I've seen some water flooding in some areas during the spring. These were ridable through at slower speeds. The trail itself has plenty of pitstops with benchs/etc and cover. Along the way you'll see a few golf courses, Blackberry Farm and waterpark, the countryside, forested areas and finally the college. There are also several bridges, maybe a half dozen or so. The largest crosses over Route 56.
I've been riding the FRT from Oswego to South Elgin for over 25 yrs. And there isn't a bad part. Traveling along a scenic river while riding from town to town will please all bikers of any age. The FRT is a string of majestic sites like a huge windmill, island parks, sculptures, Riverboats, picturesque river views, a slew of bike shops, plenty of parks and places to stop. The path runs on both sides of the river and for many stretches on both. The trail itself is always in impeccable condition and varies in traffic from bikers, joggers and walkers. This is one of the best trails in Illinois, if not the best.
For several years I've ridden this path and waited for word to get out as to how GREAT it is. To get the full effect I usually ride from Dean Street in St. Charles out to Sycamore. That's about 35 miles. The trail is a mix of asphalt and crushed limestone and it's 100% well maintained. There's a good split of canopy and sunlight offering riders an opportunity to cool off under the tree's and get decent views in other spots. The trail takes you through a couple of small towns, each of which offers opportunities for food/water. There are several bridges along the way as well as benches and picnic tables for rest breaks. West of Campton Hills you'll probably see a drastic drop in traffic. You'll also see a nice mix of wildlife out here. A great number of birds including an electric blue finch-like bird frequents the area, as do horse farms and other small critters. Just a beautiful path that runs through forested areas, over small streams and b offers great views of the distant prairie. Cheers
I parked in western Rockford and picked this trail up at it's far eastern point. A mile or so into the trail heading west, it turned from compacted earth/small rock to full-on grass, at which point a pool of water from treeline to treeline made it impossible to continue. Ok, headed back to the car and drove down to Winnebago where I picked up the trail heading west again. The trail isn't bad, but I ride a hybrid bike with smaller tires than a mountain bike. Riding wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy either. Halfway between Winnebago and Pecatonica I got tired of the trail and its inconsistent composition and went off-road down hilly side streets to complete my ride to the north side of Pecatonica. What you should know about this path is that the trail is comprised of flattened earth and some gravel (ranging sizes from crushed to large pebbles). The trail also has grass areas either in full, or partially. Personally, I don't care for the grass. The trail itself is 95% non-canopy. For those looking for direct sun and a lot of it..this trail is for you. Along the trail there isn't much in the way of scenery. I'd say it's mostly a 'put your head down and peddle' path. The trail composition wasn't favorable for me nor was the scenery, so I'm at two stars here. I think the trail could be maintained more to improve that side of it. Cheers
I rode the Sugar River State Trail from New Glarus to Albany on July 2, 2019. The scenery was beautiful, and the grade mild.
The trail conditions from New Glarus to Monticello (5.6 mi) was very good: mostly crushed limestone surface and the trail width 5 feet. The shoulder was recently mowed, this was the best portion of the ride.
South of Monticello into Albany (10.4 mi), the trail conditions were really unsatisfactory. The surface was overgrown with grass, weeds, and wild flowers, with a resulting pair of narrow trail paths, ranging from 6- 12 inches.
There were multiple gopher holes in the trail, some marked with dead branches and one with an orange traffic pylon. These were hard to see given the weed and grass overgrowth.
Until the trail in overhauled between Monticello and Albany, I recommend turning around in Monticello.
We park near Rt. 20 at the stone part of the trail. Always surpasses every other trail around. Wide and very clear. Kept up perfectly. I would recommend this trail to at least the state line of Wicconsin, where it has not been well maintained lately.
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