Map of regional bike paths / walking paths in Illinois

Recreational trails for walking, running and cycling in Illinois

Illinois has numerous recreational trails that go for miles across the Illinois countryside or that connect urban communities. Many of these trails are rail-trails that were constructed along abandoned railroad right-of-ways, other trails follow along canals or rivers and still other trails connect multiple parks.

Northeast Illinois, the Greater Chicago Urban Area, has numerous interconnecting bike paths / walking paths that cover much of the area and connect communities. Other cities in Illinois also have recreational trail systems, as well as a number of the rural communities.

Illinois has a number of "Rail Trails". These are recreational trails that have been constructed within the abandoned right-of-ways of historic railroads. These trails often extend out into the Illinois countryside and travel through natural areas, farmlands and past rural communities. These Rail Trails offer a fantastic way to experience Illinois and see sights that you would never see from the major roadways.

Below is a list of some of the major recreational trails in the State of Illinois. The trail names in red are links to a map and description for that specific trail. Many additional trails are shown on the maps for the various cities and counties within Illinois.

TRAIL NAME	SECTOR	LENGTH (mi.)	SURFACE	COMMUNITIES
Cal-Sag Trail	NE	12	paved	Lemont, Palos Hills, Palos Heights, Crestwood, Alsip
Chicago Lakefront Trail	NE	18	paved	Chicago
Des Plains River Trail	NE	60	paved	Rosecrans,  Libertyville, Des Plains, Rosemont
DuPage River Trail	NE	16	paved	Naperville, Woodbridge, Plainfield, Shorewood
Fox River Trail	NE	37	paved	Carpentersville, Elgin, Geneva, Aurora, Oswego
Great River Trail	NW	33	paved	Rock Island, Moline, Hampton, Albany
Great Western Trail	NE	29	unpaved	Sycamore, St Charles, Carol Stream, Elmhurst
Hennepin Canal State Trail	NW	155	unpaved	Moline, Geneseo, Rock Fallsm Bureau Junction
Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail	NE	96	unpaved	Peru, Ottawa, Seneca, Joliet
Illinois Prairie Path	NE	61	unpaved	Aurora, Wheaton, Elgin, Bellwood
Jane Addams Trail	NW	17	unpaved	Orangeville, Freeport
Kankakee River Trail	NE	10.6	unpaved	Kankakee
Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail	S	12	unpaved	Mattoon, Charleston
Lincoln Prairie Trail	C	14.5	paved	Taylorville, Owaneco, Pana
Long Prairie Trail	NE	15	unpaved	Roscoe, Poplar Grove, Capron
MCT Confluence Trail	SW	23	paved	Alton, Hartford,  Granite City, Venice
MCT Nickel Plate Trail	SW	29	paved	Pontoon Beach,  Edwardsville, New Douglas
MCT Quercus Grove Trail	SW	19	paved/unpaved	Edwardsville, Hamel, Worden, Staunton
Metro BikeLink	SW	11	paved	Swansea, Belleville, Scott AFB
Millennium Trail	NE	28	unpaved	Lindenhurst, Round Lake, Wuaconda, Mundelein
North Branch Trail	NE	33.5	paved	Glencoe, Morton Grove, Chicago
Old Plank Road Trail	NE	22	paved	Joliet, Frankfort, Chicago Heights
Pecatonica Prarie Trail	N	12.5	unpaved	Pecatonica, Winnebago, Rockford
Prairie Trail	NE	26	paved/unpaved	Genoa City, McHenry, Crystal Lake, Algonquin
Rend Lake Bike Trail	S	11	paved	Sesser, Rend City
Robert McClory Bike Path	NE	25	paved/unpaved	Winthrop Harbor, Wuakegan, Fort Sheridan
Rock Island Trail	C	37	paved/unpaved	Toulon, Princeville, Dunlap, Peoria
Salt Creek Greenway Trail	NE	32	paved	Itasca, Addison, Oak Brook, Brookfield
Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Trail	SW	20.5	paved	Grafton,  Alton
Skokie Valley Bike Path	NE	9.5	paved	Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Highland Park
Southern DuPage County Regional Trail	NE	46	paved/unpaved	Naperville, Woodridge, Lemont
Tunnel Hill State Trail	S	53	unpaved	Karnak, Vienna, Tunnel Hill, Harrisburg, Eldorado
Virgil L. Gilman Nature Trail	NE	10	paved	Waubonsee, Aurora
Wauponsee Glacial Trail	NE	22	unpaved	Joliet, Manhattan, Ritchie

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