Explore the best rated trails in Pontiac, IL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail and Rock Run Greenway Trail . With more than 15 trails covering 4111 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I walked the whole trail this past Saturday, starting in Toulon and heading south(ish) to Peoria. From a pedestrian perspective, this is two distinct trails.
From Toulon to Alta is a crushed limestone rail trail which runs mostly through farmland. Large portions of it pass through a beautiful tunnel of trees. Each town involves a short road walk, which offer good options for snacks etc. I'd certainly walk this 25 miles again.
From Alta to the waterfront in Peoria is a paved interurban trail that spends lots of time in suburban back yards. If you like miles of fences, apartments, etc, this section is for you. The trail is signed in this section, but I still found myself referring to a GPS map to make sure I was on track. The last several miles (heading south) are relatively steeply downhill to the waterfront. I would not walk this section again.
This is a real nice trail, but at times it’s more like a sidewalk than a bike trail. There are a lot of pedestrians and many many crosswalks. The trail ends in several different places so it’s a little bit confusing. This is more of a trail system than it is one trail. The trails are in pretty good shape but some of the more lonely stretches there was some broken glass. lonely stretches, have broken glass and things on them so you really need to know where you are going.
Don't bother. Trail is still closed and the canal has been drained. The wildlife is gone and the trail not maintained. This is why I gave it a one star rating. There isn't a zero rating which it deserves.
I basically drove from romeoville to morris halfway from morris i started to feel like this trail was not safe when you get out from the woods park west and the bridge is gone in morris so just avoid the trail going to seneca
My husband and I rode this trail on 9/4/2023 and enjoyed our ride. Trail is crushed limestone and is in decent condition. The trail is more sun than shade so take that into account when riding. There are places along the way to stop if needing a restroom or water.
I just rode this from Joliet to the Kankakee River and it was smooth, great, and very picturesque! I was on my way to Urbana and this is a joy to ride! It is definitely worth the visit as it goes by the Buffalo Preserve too!
We started downtown Peoria and parked at the big lot at the park on Eaton Street. This parking lot has plenty of spaces and seemed to be safe. We do not live around here so all of this was new to us.
The trail was a tiny bit hard to follow in the beginning when we had to cross public streets and there was a good amount of traffic. If you want to avoid the public streets and traffic (especially if you are riding with children) then park closer to the zoo and go riding from that area. The trail does cross over many farm roads but these roads did not have a single moving vehicle on them when we were riding. There are stop signs and it is very safe to cross over these narrow two lane country roads.
We rode all the way to Princeville and then back.....I have to admit we RAN OUT OF BATTERIES on our ebikes. It was really hard to make it back the final 5 miles but we made it!
The trail is a mix of newer asphalt, ground limestone and crushed stone. There are a few spots that are pretty bumpy from tree roots pushing up the asphalt. You do have to pay attention to these areas because they are pretty bad. There were also a few spots where there was crushed stone that had some deep indentations from previous rain storms would be my guess. Your tires could kinda get stuck so just pay attention.
The trail is about 95% flat and very shady. There were spots that definitely had more people that were walking and riding and those areas where near the homes that back up to the trail in some areas. This trail seems to be very clean and safe for people of all ages.
Trail is well marked and maintained . Even though I rode this trail right after a thunder storm, it was still usable. I was impressed with the natural drainage . The tree coverage was beautiful. I hope to return in the fall !
The description is incorrect. This trail is not fit for road bikes. It's a shame that the Great American Rail Rrail put this as a gateway trail as it is in such disrepair and neglect. What a mess.
As several reviews note some sections are in poor repair and you will feel safest on a mtb or hybrid. But the text that 1.3 million people use it seems nuts as I have often ridden sections for 2 or 3 hours and seen only a couple of folks fishing and almost no one on the trail itself. Has very good birding (eagles, owls, waterfowl, whatever is migrating), decent waterfowl, easy to let your dog off leash as the trail is usually bounded by woods of a few dozen yards that screen you from the farmland that makes up almost all of the adjacent land. The locks are nice stopping/camping spots, it crosses over a couple of rivers which is an engineering marvel and the raspberries and mulberries are abundant in season. Not every bike trail has to be smooth pavement so be prepared and enjoy.
This trail kinda goes in a couple of directions. We start south at 111th street and Book road and ride north through downtown Naperville. This trail has some short sections that consist of riding on somewhat busy streets but it is safe. Naperville city residents tend to really respect the safety of bike riders. Nonetheless if you have children riding with you, take great care when on the street portion of this trail.
Parking all along the trail is very safe and free parking.
The trail is hard blacktop that is smooth as ice and very well cared for! The lovely and HUGE Naperville homes that line the river and those in downtown Naperville will be of interest to some. If you are interested in Naperville's North Central College, this trail will take you right into the campus so you can view the buildings there also.
If you want to eat while riding, there are so many incredible restaurants in downtown Naperville.
You will also see wildlife while riding this trail so that is a plus. This is a very busy trail with bikers and walkers all year long!
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