Northeastern Illinois Recreational Trails

Map of the Fox River Trail

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Fox River Trail

The Fox River Trail is a system of paved trails that follows the Fox River as it meanders through Kane County and Kendall County in Northeastern Illinois. The trail system is located in the northwestern portion of the greater Chicago Metro area. The Fox River Trail connects numerous local parks, forest preserves and other attractions along the river. It also allows connections to many of the other recreational trails in the area.

The trail goes through the downtown areas of Elgin, South Elgin, St. Charles, Batvia and Aurora.

Conditions

The Fox River Trail is a system of paved paths along the river that is open for bike riding, walking and running. There may be some sections where cycling is not allowed and cyclists will need to dismount. The trail crosses the river in numerous locations and may be on one or the other or both banks. There are also some sections where trail users will need to travel along local streets to get to the next section of trail.

Communities

The Fox River Trail goes through the following communities in Northeastern Illinois: Algonquin, Carpentersville, Sleepy Hollow, Elgin, South Elgin, Valley View, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Mooseheart, North Aurora, Aurora, Montgomery, Boulder Hill and Oswego

Points of Interest

The Fox River Trail goes past the following parks, schools and other points of interest:

Brunner Family Forest Preserve	Lions Park
Spring Hill Mall	County Park
Carpentersville Middle School	Tekawitha Woods Forest Preserve
South End Park	Riverbend Community Park
Fox River Fen Nature Preserve	Fox River Bluff Forest Preserve
Chicago Jr. High School	Fox River Bluff West Park
Trout Park	Norris Woods Nature Preserve
Judson University	Langum Park
Coleman Elementary School	River Bank Park
Slade Avenue Park	Batavia Riverwalk
Veteran's Memorial Park	Quarry Park
Gail Borden Public Library	Red Oak Park
The Centre of Elgin	McCullough Park
Foundary Park	South Broadway Park
Walton Island Park	Porter Park
Elgin Civic Center Plaza	Violet Patch Park
Festival Park	Oswegoland Civic Center

Nearby Trails

The Fox River Trail connects to numerous trails in the local parks and preserves. The trail also allows connections to other regional recreational trails in the area.

Prairie Trail: The Fox River Trail meets the Prairie Trail at Souwanas Trail in the community of Algonquin. The Prairie Trail heads to the north as far as the Wisconsin border.

Illinois Prairie Path: Four branches of the Illinois Prairie Path intersect the Fox River Trail.

In Elgin, the intersection of the two trails is located near the intersection of Raymond Street and Riverview Drive. The trail along Stearns Road also provides a connection to the Illinois Prairie Path.

In Geneva, the Illinois Prairie Path intersects the Fox River Trail at Good Templar Park on N. Bennet Street.

In Batvia, the two trails intersect at Glenwood Park Forest Preserve near S. River Street and Bond Drive.

In Aurora, the two trails convene near E. Illinois Avenue and Aurora Avenue.

Virgil L. Gilman Nature Trail: The Virgil L Gilman Nature Trail intersects the Fox River Trail At South River Street Park near Hazel Avenue and S. Broadway.

End Points

The north end of the Fox River Trail is located at Souwanas Trail, 0.5 miles west of Sandbloom Road in Algonquin. This location is also the south end of the Prairie Trail that heads off to the northwest to the community of Algonquin.

The south end of the Fox River Trail is located along N. Madison Street on the north side of Oswego. Another short section of the trail is located at Hudson Crossing Park adjacent to Washington Street in Oswego.

Resources

Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the Fox River Trail in Northeastern Illinois.