Find the top rated fishing trails in Pontiac, whether you're looking for an easy short fishing trail or a long fishing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a fishing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I traveled about an hours drive from our home to the parking lot at the NW end of this trail in mid August, 2025, along with my wife. The first 2 miles of this trail, going SE from this parking lot, involves multiple crossings of busy roadways, some with stoplights at intersections, others without. It really slows you down and, frankly, gets tiresome. Once you move away from W. Camp Street, the trail becomes less burdened with road crossings and becomes more interesting. From Faley Hollow Road, still going SE on the trail, there is a gradual, but very noticeable, upward gradient to the trail, much of which travels through some lovely trees. Once you reach the top of the long, gradual hill, the remainder of the trail skirts through some neighborhoods and then closely parallels State Route 150 to trail end. My overall impression is that I would not travel out of my way to take this trail again. For locals, I get it: it's a trail you can hop on and get some exercise. But the 2 miles along E. Camp Street is totally missable, IMHO. And the end of the trail map on the NW end shows that the trail continues for a way once you cross West Washington Street, when in fact the trail ends at this intersection. There is no reason for you to continue going NW on the short section of trail from the parking area towards the intersection with River Road.
Despite the hot July day we had a terrific ride on this beautiful trail along the river. Rode the entire trail from the east end parking lot. Loved that most of trail was paved - despite some “heaving” due to tree roots and unexpected “dips”. Several bridges to cross and a special “lookout” over the river. The majority of trail is in the shade due to the many trees and beautiful canopy. Rode by an amazing oak savanna- making this a great trail. Can highly recommend this bike trail!!
This is such a cool trail corridor, but it's a bit of an adventure to ride it. The scenery is great--there's some neat canal lock remains, the trail has lots of shade, and there aren't a lot of road crossings. It's also nice that the trail passes through several towns, so there are good opportunities for meals or snacks. The trail itself is just okay. It is mostly dirt, with a little gravel, and is rather over-grown for large sections. Many sections are basically single track--keep your wheels on the narrow dirt trail and it's smooth, but it's grass and weeds close on either side. Probably not a good ride for narrow tires or trikes. We went a few miles past Ottawa to ride into Buffalo Rock State Park, the trail west of Ottawa was a bit better. Overall it was a good ride and I'd do it again, but go in knowing that it isn't a smooth wide trail.
Ok section, kind of dull. Agriculture & cows. Found a bit of shade by a grain elevator for lunch. Several washouts filled with tumbleweeds as you get closer to Lind.
rode the trail on 11/2/2024 roundtrip from manhattan road (mile 7) to the kankakee river (mile 22) . it was in good shape almost the whole length and without loose gravel anywhere.
We started in Akron and rode about 18 miles north. Loved it!!!
This was a very nice trail thru mostly wooded area.
Rode from Colona to Bureau early October. The trail was dry and in good enough condition to average 9-10mph. There was lots of animal and bird life. I was surprised at how few people I saw. It was very peaceful. The only trail hazard of note were walnuts in the path. I did notice that there could be issues if it is wet. Drainage and mud could be a problem. I do ride a Surly Ogre with 29x2.35 tires and 45 lbs of gear on it. Navigation was not a problem.
Rode from Colona to Bureau early October. The trail was dry and in good enough condition to average 9-10mph. There was lots of animal and bird life. I was surprised at how few people I saw. It was very peaceful. The only trail hazard of note were walnuts in the path. I did notice that there could be issues if it is wet. Drainage and mud could be a problem. I do ride a Surly Ogre with 29x2.35 tires and 45 lbs of gear on it. Navigation was not a problem.
I rode the Rock Island trail in early October 2024 on a perfect day. I started in Toulon and rode into Peoria to East Glen Ave and rode back. This is a wonderful long trail. In the gravel section there are a few small rivulets where water has drained to watch out for, mostly by the bridges. Most of the asphalt was good. Some older places had some roots but most of it was great. My favorite was the gravel section for the solitude. I would rate this more than five stars if I could. I highly recommend checking this trail out! Traveling cyclist Facebook
I rode the trail in late Sept 2024 on a cloudy breezy day. I started at Bass Pro in East Peoria and rode to Morton then back. I didn’t really notice the uphill going out but I did on my return. The trail is in great shape except for a couple miles or so in Morton with some cracks across the trail. I rate it five stars, I enjoyed it a lot. Traveling cyclist Facebook
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