Explore the best rated trails in Streator, IL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail and Grove Road Trail . With more than 27 trails covering 4204 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 have rode this trail over the last 30 plus years and many parts need grading and gravel. I wish part that runs through Joliet could be paved and become part of Joliet Junction Trail
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.
We wanted to start at the very beginning of the trail. We parked in the parking lot of the Jehovah Witness Kingdom Hall with no problems. To get to the trail from there you will have to ride on the street about 2 blocks so be careful of cars. The first three miles of the trail are asphalt paved but there are numerous locations that have either buckled or have tree roots that are pushing up; so this has caused there to be some pretty intense bumps along the way. No worries about this…just try to avoid them because after about mile 2.5 they completely go away. Not sure exactly what mile mark but the asphalt changes to a smooth and easy to ride limestone path. There are a few bridges that you ride across so those are decent photo ops. There is not a whole lot to
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.
Not very smooth for inline skating, but great for walking, jogging and biking!
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.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!