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Good easy trail. Started in New Glarus and went foe about 2 miles.
Hennepin segment in this review: Sterling to Tampico
Bike: Specialized Sirus hybrid
Type of biker: casual, but I bike daily and can handle 25-35 mile rides
Weather: sunny, warm, upper 70's and dry.
Trail conditions: dry
Bike recommendation: no street bikes. Perfect for hybrid and mountain.
Other recommendations: sun protection, excess water, small protein bar or similar, phone, sunglasses, small towelette for sweat.
I started this trail at its entrance on the Sterling side of the Rock River.
Crossing the Rock was a nice starter. On the western dam side, a group of pelicans and their babies swam in the water. Can't say I've ever seen pelicans in Illinois before.
Once you reach the Rock Falls side the trail adjoins the Hennepin canal for the rest of the ride. In warm weather you're likely to see a lot of people fishing all the way down to the I88 underpass.
Heading south of I88 you aren't likely to see anyone. The trail is in decent shape being earthen based and I didn't see much more than small twigs on my ride south. There's easily a good 7-8 miles where you don't see much of anything manmade with the exception of crossing a road.
If you're a bird lover, this area will highly appeal. During my 25-mile journey I must have seen at least 50-75 orioles, a variety of blue colored birds, cardinals, several colors of finch, and a bird that has white tipped feathers that I've never seen before. I'm not a birder but they are beautiful to watch. The canal itself is clean with occasional turtles perched on logs.
There was only one spot on my segment with bathrooms, and that was closer to Tampico. The rest of the trail is devoid of bathrooms, benches and other amenities.
Some additional observations regarding this part of the trail:
Google maps indicate that a sunflower field is near the intersection of the trail and Star Road. There isn't. The area is entirely corn fields.
For rides longer than 5-10 miles, make sure to bring your own hydration and food. I bike daily and can handle long rides. But back here it gets rather warm. Water consumption for me was a little bit greater, and I even found a need to eat a protein bar to steady my energy level.
Importantly; a 25-mile ride back here will feel like well over 35. While the trail is in good shape, you do make a lot of dodges to avoid branches, twigs, holes, hanging bushes and other deterrents. The earthen path also slows your speed.
I didn't quite make it to downtown Tampico as I had original set out to do. My halfway point became Fargo Rd, at which point, I could see the little city of Tampico from a distance.
This leg of the trail completed my third on the Hennepin Canal Trail. It's a very peaceful trail with a lot of upside.
Cheers.
As of June 15th, the trail is now open between Burlington and Lyon.
Between Spring Valley road trailhead and Lyon the trail was closed due to 2 bridges being washed out
I haven’t done the complete trail, only the part in the park near the rec-center. The portion in the park is paved, asphalt, and is mostly wooded. Plenty of turns and short climbs/decent. Visibility isn’t great due to trees and turns so not a top speed location. I did 2 laps in the park with my special needs son using his adaptive bike. Several other trail users were walking. There is a portion of this trail that runs along Lynne Blvd. That part is essentially a sidewalk or off-street path. We did not go on that portion.
My honey had not.rode a bike in many years and didn't want to ride around a lot of people. So when we found this trail it became a favorite, very few people, flat, nice flowers and views. The parking is really easy at both ends.
Beautiful multi-use trail. It is the only trail open to ATV/UTV’s in Southern WI
The trail from rusty nail north to Richmond was very rough and I lost the screws to my kick stand with all the bumps in the trail is there any plans to help smooth them out — I understand the horses share the trail but if they could help by staying to one side so us bikers have a chance on using the trail with out so many bumps dug into the paths¿
This trail starts behind my home in sycamore. I’ve ridden it dozens of times. I like to stop at the winners circle at the speedway and grab lunch. Flat and well maintained.
This is a short path off the north end of the Kishwaukee-Kiwanis Trail. It was freshly repaved for a smooth ride with nice greenery on each side and a bridge over the river near the northwest end. The path is handicapped accessible and there was no traffic on the neighborhood cross streets. I didn't linger, but based on the number of squirrels crossing the path, I could imagine seeing a fair amount of wildlife at the right time of day.
I rode out-and-back on this trail and the connecting DeKalb Nature Trail on a warm Sunday afternoon. The good news is that there is no on-road component to this trail. It is all paved and passes under a few roads and a railroad as it follows the S. Branch Kishwaukee River. I started at the south end at Lions Park and immediately had to cross Taylor Street. There is basically no signage along the trail. Fortunately someone had painted some arrows on the pavement, apparently for a 5K race. The crossing at Lucinda was a little odd where you have to cut slightly west to cross at a driveway. There's a nice ramp to get you under, then over, the N. 1st Street bridge, then there's an at grade crossing at Hillcrest. All-in-all, it's not bad getting across those roads.
The trail smoothness varies. It's a little bumpy in areas, but not too bad. The least pleasant ride is adjacent to Sycamore Road near the north end of the trail. Through the wooded sections, there were areas of crunchy Osage orange and walnut(?) shells to traverse, but it's fall so that's probably to be expected. The scenery is suburban with a good dose of parkland. The trail seems to have more use by walkers than by riders. The round trip was 11.5 miles.
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