Portage, IN Cross Country Skiing Trails and Maps

1086 Reviews

Looking for the best Cross Country Skiing trails around Portage?

Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Portage, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

  • Relevance
  • Name
  • Length
  • Most Popular
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type
36 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Cal-Sag Trail

16.2 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

ComEd Greenway

2 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Des Plaines River Trail

56.1 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

DuPage River Trail

33.1 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Great American Rail-Trail

3743.9 mi
State: DC, IA, ID, IL, IN, MD, MT, NE, OH, PA, WA, WV, WY
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Great Western Trail (DuPage)

12.7 mi
State: IL
Crushed Stone

Illinois Prairie Path

58.52 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Iron Horse Heritage Trail

2.4 mi
State: IN
Asphalt

John Husar I&M Canal Trail

8.9 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Kankakee River Trail

10.6 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Major Taylor Trail

7.6 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Marquette Trail

2.1 mi
State: IN
Crushed Stone

North Branch Trail

25.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Old Plank Road Trail (IL)

21.6 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Orland Grassland Trail

8 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Panhandle Pathway

22.5 mi
State: IN
Asphalt

Prairie Duneland Trail

10.3 mi
State: IN
Asphalt

Route 30 Bikeway

7.6 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Thorn Creek Trail System

17.2 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Tinley Creek Trail (South)

3.6 mi
State: IL
Asphalt
Accordion

Valley Line Trail

1.1 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Veterans Memorial Trail (IL)

2.7 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Waterfall Glen

9.5 mi
State: IL
Crushed Stone, Grass

Green Bay Trail

6.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail

79.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel

Joliet Junction Trail

4.3 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

LaSalle Trail

3.5 mi
State: IN
Asphalt

Monon Trail (Lake County)

4.4 mi
State: IN
Asphalt

Rock Run Greenway Trail

12.3 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Spring Creek Greenway Trail

8.45 mi
State: IL
Boardwalk, Crushed Stone

Techny Trail

3 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Concrete

Wauponsee Glacial Trail

22.3 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Calumet Trail

9.1 mi
State: IN
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

East Northbrook Trail

1.1 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Commonwealth Edison Bikeway

1.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Plum Creek Greenway Trail

4.15 mi
State: IL
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
The Cal-Sag Trail (also known as the Calumet-Sag Trail) runs for 16.2 miles and connects several communities and additional trails, as well as providing access to scenic forest preserves and secluded...
IL 16.2 mi Asphalt
The ComEd Greenway is an asphalt multiuse pathway running north-south through the village of Bollingbrook. The trail's name is an abbreviation of Commonwealth Edison, the name of the electric utility...
IL 2 mi Asphalt
The Des Plaines River Trail runs alongside the Des Plaines River for just over 56 miles, protecting watershed habitat and forestland through much of Lake and Cook Counties. The trail is a natural...
IL 56.1 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
The DuPage River Trail spans over 30 miles across two counties: DuPage and Will. It's currently open in several disconnected segments mainly in parks and forest preserves beginning in Warrenville and...
IL 33.1 mi Asphalt
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
DC, IA, ID, IL, IN, MD, MT, NE, OH, PA, WA, WV, WY 3743.9 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The eastern segment of the Great Western Trail in Illinois follows almost 13 miles of an abandoned railway corridor through DuPage County, between Villa Park and West Chicago. About the...
IL 12.7 mi Crushed Stone
The Illinois Prairie Path (IPP) was one of the nation’s first rail-trail conversions. The 58-mile trail consists of five connected trail segments with three main branches that converge at 300 S...
IL 58.52 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Iron Horse Heritage Trail in Portage, Indiana, runs for over 2 miles between Max Mochal Road (SR 149) at the east end and Hamstrom Rd. at the west end. The trail passes through a greenway corridor...
IN 2.4 mi Asphalt
The John Husar I&M Canal Trail is the northernmost trail developed on the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor. The Illinois & Michigan Canal provided the final link in the water route...
IL 8.9 mi Asphalt
The Kankakee River Trail is fairly wooded and runs primarily through Kankakee River State Park. Walkers, bicyclists, and cross-country skiers can enjoy more than ten miles of trail along the north...
IL 10.6 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Major Taylor Trail is named after legendary African American cyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor, who was one of the most celebrated bicycle racers of the late nineteenth century, setting several...
IL 7.6 mi Asphalt
The Marquette Trail is part of the Marquette Greenway, which will one day span more than 50 miles through Northwest Indiana, connecting communities along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. The...
IN 2.1 mi Crushed Stone
The North Branch Trail follows the North Branch of the Chicago River for 25.5 miles through Cook County. The trail was originally a dirt path often used for horseback riding; though it’s now paved, an...
IL 25.5 mi Asphalt
Running between the suburbs of Chicago Heights and Joliet, the Old Plank Road Trail runs for 21.6 miles and offers views of oak trees and sugar maples, prairie grasses, and wildflowers that peek up...
IL 21.6 mi Asphalt
The Orland Grassland trail is a perfect escape from the Chicago suburbs. The grassland itself is an Illinois Nature Preserve, and has been restored from farmland and now boasts 750 acres of...
IL 8 mi Asphalt
Indiana’s Panhandle Pathway follows a former Pennsylvania Railroad corridor out of Winamac south to Kenneth. Along the way, the trail links the communities of Star City, Thornhope, and Royal Center...
IN 22.5 mi Asphalt
Prairies and dunes are just two of the natural features trail users will experience on the Prairie Duneland Trail, located just a few miles south of the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Indiana Dunes...
IN 10.3 mi Asphalt
Leave the cars at home: the Route 30 Bike Path gives users an alternative way to travel from the Village of Frankfort in the east, through Mokena to New Lenox in the west, a distance of over 7.5...
IL 7.6 mi Asphalt
The Thorn Creek Trail System offers a paved route traversing woodlands abundant with wildlife through several communities on the southern outskirts of Chicago.  The trail travels from Brownwell Woods...
IL 17.2 mi Asphalt
The Tinley Creek Trail is currently in two segments. This southern segment is within the South Green Belt Forest Preserve between Flossmor and Matteson, just west of I-57. The trail traverses wooded...
IL 3.6 mi Asphalt
Accordion
Just 1 mile long, the Valley Line Trail—also known as the Sauganash Trail—extends between Bryn Mawr Avenue and Devon Avenue in the Chicago neighborhood of Sauganash. Two bridges allow for safe...
IL 1.1 mi Asphalt
Although just shy of three miles, the Veterans Memorial Trail provides a wooded, paved trail experience for residents in the Chicago suburbs of Romeoville, Lemont, and Woodridge. Those seeking a...
IL 2.7 mi Asphalt
The trail system in Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve makes a loop around the entire park and totals 9.5 miles. About the Route The Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve is geologically significant,...
IL 9.5 mi Crushed Stone, Grass
The 6.5-mile Green Bay Trail runs parallel to Chicago's Metra commuter rail line north of the Chicago city limits. Stretching through North Shore towns such as Kenilworth, Winnetka, Highland Park, and...
IL 6.5 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail follows the eponymous waterway alongside the Illinois River. It traverses the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor, designated in 1984, and the first...
IL 79.5 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel
The Joliet Junction Trail is a paved path that travels north–south through the west side of Joliet. It occupies an abandoned Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway corridor that in its last years was known...
IL 4.3 mi Asphalt
The Indiana Michigan River Valley Trail connects the towns of Niles, MI and Mishawaka, IN via. 17 miles of paved multi-use trails, some of which have their own unique identity. The trail also passes...
IN 3.5 mi Asphalt
The Monon Trail in Lake County, Indiana—not to be confused with the trail of the same name in Indianapolis—links the two Chicago suburbs of Hammond and Munster. The paved trail occupies an abandoned...
IN 4.4 mi Asphalt
The popular Rock Run Greenway Trail is a balanced mix of natural areas and cityscapes that alternate over the length of the trail. The natural areas are frequented by recreational users. The...
IL 12.3 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Spring Creek Greenway Trail, separated into distinct eastern and western portions of the trail, spans 8.45 miles throughout two distinct sections of preserved and protected lands. At its...
IL 8.45 mi Boardwalk, Crushed Stone
The Techny Trail links downtown Glenview, a charming village northwest of Chicago, with the Techny Basin, a scenic wetlands area adjacent to the West Fork of the Chicago River's North Branch....
IL 3 mi Asphalt, Concrete
In just a few short miles, the Wauponsee Glacial Trail leaves the urban confines of Joliet to bask in open farmland and reclaimed tallgrass prairie where the bison roam again. Named for a glacial lake...
IL 22.3 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Calumet Trail traverses the south side of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, a unique ecosystem of forest, marsh, dunes, and beach along Lake Michigan. About the Route The dirt and...
IN 9.1 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The East Northbrook Trail is a 1-mile route through a wooded corridor adjacent to an out-of-service rail corridor in the Village of Northbrook. The trail provides access to residential neighborhoods,...
IL 1.1 mi Asphalt
The Commonwealth Edison Bikeway is a short paved trail that occupies an overhead electric utility corridor owned by Commonwealth Edison, the local utility company—hence the trail's name. While lacking...
IL 1.5 mi Asphalt
The Plum Creek Greenway Trail meanders for 3.15 miles through the Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve, with an unconnected 1-mile section in Plum Valley Preserve. About the Route The Plum Creek...
IL 4.15 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Recent Trail Reviews

Joliet Junction Trail

No e-bikes allowed on this trail.

August, 2025 by winstonspangler41

Reportedly, a guy got arrested and thrown in jail in July 2025 for riding an e-bike on the Joliet Junction trail. Like, what do these people have against e-bikes? Especially when they are riding responsibly and using common sense, not colliding with anything or anyone else. Totally can not recommend at all. And the cops will stop you, too. They don't care if you're doing 5 mph, if your bike even looks like an e-bike, they'll still stop you.

Illinois Prairie Path

I ride on the Prarie Path almost all the time and I love it! Goes by many downtown areas and the places you ride by are pretty nice. I would recommend!

August, 2025 by pringlenick11

I ride on the Prarie Path almost all the time and I love it! Goes by many downtown areas and the places you ride by are pretty nice. I would recommend!

North Branch Trail

Amazing Ride

July, 2025 by donnacv

I've been biking this trail for over 30 years at varying degrees of fitness. It is in part, protected from sun with shade and also from wind. This offers a reprieve from really hot days with heavy wind. It can get congested so being aware of others and biking courteously is important. There is pedestrian traffic that occasionally has no clue it's a shared path, as well as the over enthusiastic cyclist that equally behaves rudely. Most people however are genuinely out enjoying nature and each other.

Accordion

Kankakee River Trail

Enjoyed the Trail - even on a hot day!

July, 2025 by tedijw

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!!

North Shore Channel Trail

Could easily be improved; will it happen?

July, 2025 by n9jhh4vwpk

The pavement of the Chicago section between Foster north to Lincoln is in very rough shape, and has only deteriorated since I started using the trail regularly last September (2024). Another priority could/should be the addition of some bridge overpasses (more underpasses are probably not feasible) so that trail users could avoid having to cross several busy (and only getting busier) intersections from Devon all the way up and into Evanston. It has some really enjoyable sections, though, and some stretches in Lincolnwood/Skokie have been recently repaved.

Panhandle Pathway

now 23 miles

June, 2025 by bradtollefson

they've extended the trail north in winamac from 11th to 17th Street. adding a half mile to the trail.

Illinois Prairie Path

Great ride

June, 2025 by ricter87

Rode part of the Prairie Part starting in Warrenville a couple of days after substantial rain in June 2025. The trail had some very minor puddles but was in great shape. When in Warrenville don’t miss the great bike shop where I got some excellent advice about which way to go on the trail. Highly recommend this route. Thanks to the bike shop guys!

Northerly Island Trail

it’s cool,

June, 2025 by mrjocasio

It’s not the ideal path, but to see the city from a different perspective, it’s cool. Little confusing to maneuver, but it’s cool. Nice beach on one side. I like it. I recommend it, but can be confusing.

Des Plaines River Trail

very confusing

June, 2025 by mrjocasio

I did this trail on bike 2 years ago and I hated it, signage is terrible, at one point after Golf road, you literally come to an end and have to carry your bike over train tracks and active train tracks. No signs of any sort. You go through a campground that confuses you even more. I won’t do it again. To ridiculous.

North Shore Channel Trail

not the best

June, 2025 by mrjocasio

Like other reviews, I agree too many red lights that take forever to change, the smell of the garbage plant near by stinks, it’s an ok trail to walk but bike ride, no. You’ll be done in 20 minutes. From Devon to Greenbay road. I give it 2 stars for riding 4 for walking.

Chicago Lakefront Trail

my favorite place in the world

June, 2025 by mrjocasio

I do this trail at least 3 times a week, it’s a beautiful trail. You can get lost if you don’t know it. Stick to the trail close to drive. I know it all too well so I don’t get lost. But the scenery coming around the corner of Fullerton is just spectacular, the view north from the museum campus is amazing. I love this trail and it’s my comfort zone.

Erie Lackawanna Trail

Trail is closed at Rt. 30 heading North from Erie Lackwana trailhead.

June, 2025 by tduffmcg3623

Trail is closed at Rt. 30 heading North from Erie Lackwana trailhead.

Find Nearby City trails

Register for free!

Register for free with TrailLink today!

We're a non-profit all about helping you enjoy the outdoors
  • View over 40,000 miles of trail maps
  • Share your trail photos
  • Save your own favorite trails
  • Learn about new trails near you
  • Leave reviews for trails
  • Add new and edit existing trails

Get the Free TrailLink App

The trail is always better with TrailLink

Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone

Explore by City

Explore by City

Explore by Activity

Explore by Activity

Log in to your account to:

  • View trail paths on the map
  • Save trails to your account
  • Add trails, edit descriptions
  • Share photos
  • Add reviews

Log in with Google

Log in with Apple

OR

Register for free!

Join TrailLink (a non-profit) to view more than 40,000 miles of trail maps and more!

Register with Google

Register with Apple

OR

Your account has been deleted.