Taylorville, IL Hiking Trails and Maps

165 Reviews

Looking for the best Hiking trails around Taylorville?

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

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Activities
Length
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Type
22 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Conservation District Trail

2.3 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Fairview Park Trail

1.7 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Heritage Route 66 Bike Trail

4.4 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Interurban Trail (IL)

8.4 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Lincoln Park Trail

0.9 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail

12.9 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Lost Bridge Trail

5.6 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

MCT Nickel Plate Trail

28.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Sangamon Valley Trail

11.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Stevens Creek Bikeway

4 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Wabash Trail

2.1 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Arches Rail Trail

2.2 mi
State: IL
Dirt, Grass

Effingham TREC

3 mi
State: IL
Concrete

General Dacey Trail

6 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Green Diamond Rail-Trail

4.3 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Lincoln Prairie Trail

14.6 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

MCT Quercus Grove Trail

18.4 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Sangamon River Trail

1.2 mi
State: IL
Concrete, Gravel

Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail

1.4 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Bunn to Lost Bridge Trail

1.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Concrete
Accordion

Kiwanis Park/West Side Trail

1.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Leland Grove Trail

0.8 mi
State: IL
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
North of the Sangamon River crossing, the Conservation District Trail closely follows Stevens Creek through a flat and dense wetlands forest on the west end of Decatur. South of the river, the trail...
IL 2.3 mi Asphalt
The Fairview Park Trail, in western Decatur, traverses the large and beautiful Fairview Park and connects (via roadway) to the park's various attractions: an aquatic center, lake, gardens, pavilions,...
IL 1.7 mi Asphalt
The Heritage Route 66 Bike Trail is a 4.4-mile multi-use trail connecting the two villages of Williamsville and Sherman. The 10-foot-wide trail provides safe access and non-motorized access for...
IL 4.4 mi Asphalt
The paved Interurban Trail provides 8.4 miles of suburban and rural scenery for users between Chatham and Springfield. It follows the former route of the electrified Illinois Terminal Railroad...
IL 8.4 mi Asphalt
The Lincoln Park Trail runs along the wooded north banks of the Sangamon River. It's mostly flat with a few low hills. Visible from the trail are Decatur's Lincoln Park, some classic old neighborhoods...
IL 0.9 mi Asphalt
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
The Lost Bridge Trail, jointly managed by the Springfield Park District and the village of Rochester, is one of the area's earliest and most popular multiuse trails-even for locals taking a weekday...
IL 5.6 mi Asphalt
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail is the longest of the county’s trails and perhaps the most diverse in its offerings. On the west, it begins at a junction with the MCT Nature Trail,...
IL 28.5 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The first 5.5-mile segment of the 38-mile Sangamon Valley Trail opened in summer 2011 and runs between Centennial Park and Stuart Park in Springfield. In 2017, a 6-mile extension was opened between...
IL 11.5 mi Asphalt
The Stevens Creek Bikeway follows a scenic stream for 4 miles through neighborhoods and woodlands, connecting two parks (one at each end of the trail) on the western side of Decatur in central...
IL 4 mi Asphalt
The Wabash Trail is the epitome of an urban rail-trail link. It's straight and flat. It has bridges over its only intersecting roadways. Just keep moving and enjoy. The trail connects city...
IL 2.1 mi Asphalt
Opened in the Fall of 2012, Arches Rail Trail continues to be improved by an active local support group. It lies between Butler and Hillsboro, Illinois, along a section of an old 1850s route that...
IL 2.2 mi Dirt, Grass
The first portion of the TREC (Trail Recreation Effingham County) system, totaling approximately 3 miles, is complete, although eventually 30 miles of county-wide bicycling and walking trails will be...
IL 3 mi Concrete
The General Dacey Trail, which first opened in 2006, is a beautiful and richly varied trail located between the city of Shelbyville to the west and large Lake Shelbyville to the east. Its surface is...
IL 6 mi Asphalt
Dedicated on August 5, 2000, the Green Diamond Rail-Trail was the first bicycling/pedestrian trail in Montgomery County. Partially funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the trail is...
IL 4.3 mi Asphalt
Closure Notice: About a half-mile from the trail's western endpoint in Taylorville, the bridge over Flat Branch Creek is closed. There is no expected endpoint for this closure, see the Lincoln Prairie...
IL 14.6 mi Asphalt
The MCT Quercus Grove Trail begins in Edwardsville at its junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail. It begins on city sidewalks and alleys near Edwardsville's historic downtown area and very quickly...
IL 18.4 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Monticello is a small, central Illinois town steeped in a railroad history it still celebrates. Its Chamber of Commerce has offices and special activities in the historical downtown train depot. And...
IL 1.2 mi Concrete, Gravel
The Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail is part of two developing Illinois initiatives: the Route 66 Trail from Chicago to St. Louis, loosely following the historic highway; and the Illinois Traction System...
IL 1.4 mi Asphalt
This trail is an extension of the Lost Bridge Trail that goes from Springfield to Rochester. From its western terminus, the first half mile is a heavily wooded section of urban rail-trail. It has a...
IL 1.5 mi Asphalt, Concrete
Accordion
Except for short-distance walkers, the principal attraction of the Kiwanis Park/West Side Trail is its connection to the other parts of Decatur's trail system. From its western terminus, one can...
IL 1.5 mi Asphalt
At just under a mile in length, Leland Grove's trail is the kind of space people go to for a quick workout or simply a breath of fresh air. The tree-lined trail parallels Outer Park Drive from Bates...
IL 0.8 mi Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

Sangamon Valley Trail

Favorite trail

October, 2024 by mtrcyclmama56

Just love this trail. It was a beautiful fall day. Trail is very clearly marked. We appreciated the wide asphalt path. The bridges gave us some great views, you go from the sunny corn fields to the shaded tree covered areas. This is a trail that we will return to ride again.

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.

Sangamon Valley Trail

What A Gem

August, 2024 by weezard1

Tired of our local trail, we whimsically traveled the 1.5 hours to check out this trail which is the perfect length for us. My husband rides a float wheel and I have an ebike. We found the trail and bridges nicely maintained and there was very little traffic. It’s a beautiful mix of prairie, fields and forest. We can’t wait to come back and see it in the fall. Perfect!

Accordion

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…

Stevens Creek Bikeway

Beautiful trail and setting

May, 2024 by camillejames11

This is a beautiful trail! It meanders nearly 6 miles with many gentle curves and hills and very few straightaways. It is almost entirely wooded and runs along the lovely creek most of the way. There are a number of bridges to go over and under. The track itself is clean and in great condition. There are 3-4 manhole covers go watch out for. Thoroughly enjoyed!

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. ¿

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.

Interurban Trail (IL)

Fairly decent ride

November, 2023 by 4x9c6qc6yf

Started at Chatham after I found end of trail. There are a few bumps especially around Chatham. There are a few areas that have been patched and are smooth. The trail is closed for now when you go under road near Scheels for construction. The bike manager at Scheels told me the trail was open farther on. Will come back and finish it another time.

Green Diamond Rail-Trail

Green Diamond has lost its sparkle, but is still OK

September, 2023 by yeamac

Decided to check out this trail on a warm fall day. I rode from Auburn - Divernon-Farmersville-Waggoner which made it around 40 miles round trip. Once I hit Farmersville, the trail was easy to locate at the end of S. Cleveland Street.

The trail passes through some woods and has a few gentle curves at the beginning. A couple benches and a picnic table were just off the trail the first half-mile from Farmersville, presumably for walkers. The trail quickly straightens out and heads south, the old rail line being rather obvious due to the flat, straight, fairly level path. I rode mid-morning, so still had the benefit of shade from the trees that lined either side of the path. At mid-day there would be a lot more sun because those trees would be ineffective in providing shade. I encountered two walkers (photographers, both with cameras) on this Saturday morning. No other cyclists, coming or going, but did catch up to an older gentleman and his wife/lady friend in a 4-wheel-drive Gator. He took up the entire path, and was driving around 5-7 mph, so I was able to pass him on the left by going into the grass. From a distance when I saw the vehicle I assumed it was someone doing maintenance on the trail. But when I passed him, it seemed obvious he was just ignoring the rules about no motorized vehicles.

By the description, the trail used to be asphalt, but now is mostly covered in crushed limestone. It was bumpy in parts ... the emerging weeds, fallen leaves, and limestone made it difficult to see the rough patches, but overall, it was a pretty smooth trail. I probably slowed down a good 2-3 mph from my average speed on the road, mostly due to the crushed gravel surface. I was glad I had let some air out of my 35c tires to make it a more comfortable ride on the bumpy sections.

The trail doesn't appear to be well-maintained ... the weeds are really grown up in parts, and they encroach right at the edge of the trail.

In Waggoner, two diamond-shaped yellow signs that start the trailhead say "Ride at your own risk." Yes, well, anytime you venture out of your house you assume certain risks. Does the highway coming into Main Street say "Drive at your own risk?" They have concrete barriers where the path is interrupted by roadways to deter anything larger than a bicycle on the trail.

The historic depot in Waggoner was locked at 10 am on a Saturday. I didn't see any sign if it has hours that it is open. Also, that building is pretty run down. The sign that says "Waggoner" is really faded and worn. It is no where near the pristine condition shown in the photo from 2013 on this site.

I took a short rest at the gazebo in Waggoner to consume a snack and beverage that I brought. As another reviewer mentioned, there is not even a vending machine in town, so bring any water/snacks with you. Farmersville has places to stop if needed.

All-in-all, a nice, short trail, which is a nice change of pace from always riding on the road. The trail itself has seen better days, to be sure, but still is a decent, ridable trail, one which I will do again.

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.

Stevens Creek Bikeway

Beautiful trail

September, 2023 by cariesmith

Love this trail. We frequently drive over from Springfield to ride this trail. The hills and curves through the woods and along side the creek make it so much more interesting than a flat, rail trail. And hooking up in Fairview Park gives you several options for more riding and having a picnic lunch. And all of the trails beginning in Fairview Park are interesting and still in pretty good shape.

Heritage Route 66 Bike Trail

Well Maintained Scenic Pleasant Trail

July, 2023 by nancy swider

We started the trail in Williamsville since it was so close to the I-55 exit. We parked at Williamsville High School and walked 2 blocks to the path. The town is adorable! The path was fabulous! Well maintained. Flat, no hills. Great asphalt! Part of the path is along farms and a rail road track. I-55 is on the other side of the rail road track. You can see and hear it but it is not bothersome. The other part of the path is wooded with a lake and amid some beautiful big homes. The trail head has ample parking and a clean out house. Path is half shaded and half sun.

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Accordion

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