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Springfield Trails and Maps

132 Reviews

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Interurban Trail (IL)

Looking for the best trails around Springfield?

Explore the best rated trails in Springfield, IL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Arches Rail Trail and Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail . With more than 16 trails covering 67 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.

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3 Reviews

Arches Rail Trail

Opened in the Fall of 2012, Arches Rail Trail continues to be improved by an active local support group. It lies between Butler and...

Length: 2.2 mi

State: IL

Surface: Dirt, Grass

2 Reviews

Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail

The Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail is part of two developing Illinois initiatives: the Route 66 Trail from Chicago to St. Louis, loosely...

Length: 1.4 mi

State: IL

Surface: Asphalt

2 Reviews

Bunn to Lost Bridge Trail

This trail is an extension of the Lost Bridge Trail that goes from Springfield to Rochester. From its western terminus, the first half mile...

Length: 1.5 mi

State: IL

Surface: Asphalt, Concrete

2 Reviews

Conservation District Trail

North of the Sangamon River crossing, the Conservation District Trail closely follows Stevens Creek through a flat and dense wetlands...

Length: 2.3 mi

State: IL

Surface: Asphalt

2 Reviews

Fairview Park Trail

The Fairview Park Trail, in western Decatur, traverses the large and beautiful Fairview Park and connects (via roadway) to the park's...

Length: 1.7 mi

State: IL

Surface: Asphalt

10 Reviews

Green Diamond Rail-Trail

Dedicated on August 5, 2000, the Green Diamond Rail-Trail was the first bicycling/pedestrian trail in Montgomery County. Partially funded...

Length: 4.3 mi

State: IL

Surface: Asphalt

2 Reviews

Heritage Route 66 Bike Trail

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...

Length: 4.4 mi

State: IL

Surface: Asphalt

20 Reviews

Interurban Trail (IL)

The paved Interurban Trail provides 8.4 miles of suburban and rural scenery for users between Chatham and Springfield. It follows the...

Length: 8.4 mi

State: IL

Surface: Asphalt

1 Review

Kiwanis Park/West Side Trail

Except for short-distance walkers, the principal attraction of the Kiwanis Park/West Side Trail is its connection to the other parts of...

Length: 1.5 mi

State: IL

Surface: Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

Lost Bridge Trail

We liked the trail for its shallow inclines, and the trees lining the trail make it pleasantly shady.

May, 2025 by trekterri

We liked the trail for its shallow inclines, and the trees lining the trail make it pleasantly shady.

Sangamon Valley Trail

Excellent paved trail well-maintained

April, 2025 by tedijw

We brought along our bikes on our visit to Springfield to ride this trail - it was wonderful! We had beautiful weather. We started at Centennial Park and rode the entire trail. We enjoyed the variety of scenery riding through areas of housing/neighborhoods and rural areas. The trail was extra wide, completely paved and in excellent condition- very well maintained. Kudos to Sangamon County for maintaining this beautiful trail!

Interurban Trail (IL)

It was a lot better before the I72 MacArthur interchange

April, 2025 by fwfrank56

One of the plusses about rail trails is the gentle slope in grade .which was totally ruined after the MacArthur I72 interchange I don't know WHY a much simpler tunnel could have been made under the RR retaining the original trail alignment

Accordion

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!

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!

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.

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