Map of the Old Plank Road Trail
Old Plank Road Trail
Old Plank Road Trail
LENGTH:
22 miles
SURFACE:
paved
COMMUNITIES:
Joliet, Ingalls Park, New Lennox, Frankfort, Park Forest, Chicago Heights
HIGHLIGHTS:
suburban neighborhoods, forest preserves, farmland, woodlands
NEARBY TRAILS:
Hickory Creek Bikeway
Thorn Creek Trail
I&M Canal Trail
Wauponsee Glacial Trail
RELATED LINKS:
The Old Plank Road Trail is a 22-mile long paved path that extends from Joliet to Campbell Heights in Northern Illinois. The trail was constructed along the route of an abandoned railroal right-of-way and travels through the residential neighborhoods and goes parks and natural areas.
Conditions
The paved trail is open for non-motorized uses such as bike riding, walking and running. There are numerous access paths the reach from the residential areas, parks and commercial centers for getting to the trail. There are several street crossings along the way, so precautions should be taken with children.
Communities
The Old Plank Road goes through the following Northern Illinois communities: Joliet, Ingalls Park, New Lennox, Frankfort, Park Forest and Chicago Heights.
Points of Interest
The Old Plank Road Trail goes near the following parks, schools and other points of interest:
| Oak Highland Ingals Park | Laurel Meadows Park |
| Cherry Hill Park | Alex Martino Junior High School |
| Providence Catholic High School | Hunters Wood County Forest Preserve |
| New Lennox Village Hall | Plank Trail Park |
| St. Jude School | Butterfield Creek Headwaters Land & Water Reserve |
| Lions Park | Old Plank Road Prairie Nature Preserve |
| Caroline Bentley Elem. School | Governors Trail Park |
| Arnold J. Tyler School | St. Lawrence O Toole School |
| Hickory Creek Bikeway | Matteson CTA Station |
| Kohlhagen Park | Logan Park |
| Grand Prairie Elementary School | Beacon Hill Park |
| Michele Bingham Park | Barack Obama School of Leadership & STEM |
| Indian Boundary Park | Indian Hill Woods |
| Spencer Park | Thorn Creek Trail |
Nearby Trails
The Old Plank Road Trail also connects with other recreational trails along the way, such as the Hickory Creek Bikeway and the Thorn Creek Trail as well as the trails in the numerous parks along the way.
Hickory Creek Bikeway: the trail heading up to the Hickory Creek Preserve intersects the Old Plank Road Trail at a point just west of S. Owens Road.
Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail: the 96-mile long mostly unpaved I&M Canal Trail heads to the north and to the west from Joliet. This trail does not connect to the Old Plank Road Trail and there ias a 3 mile strecth of local streets bewtween the two.
Wauponsee Galcial Trail: this 22.3-mile long unpaved trail heads to the south from Joiliet. The two trails do not connect and there is about a mile between their end points.
End Points
The western end of the Old Plank Road Trail is located at E. Washington Street near Logan Avenue on the east side of Joliet. There is a trailhead with parking and a restroom on the north side of E. Washington Street. Another trailhead with parking is located at S. Park Road to the north of E. Washington Street.
The eastern end of the Old Plank Road is now located at Campbell Avenue in the community of Chicago Heights. At this location trail users may continue traveling to the north on the Thorn Creek Trail.
Resources
Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the Old Plank Road Trail in Illinois.
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