Explore the best rated trails in Ottawa, IL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail and Tall Grass Greenway Trail . With more than 46 trails covering 4371 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 rode from the northernmost point (connection w/ the Centennial Trail) to Joliet. The gravel on this section was in great shape, although the pavement in some parts could use some love. There was minor flooding south of Lockport, but it wasn't an issue.
Seeing the various rail lines, historic canal, and nature was awesome. I look forward to riding more out here!
Trail is in great shape and was a blast to ride on through the canal-area. Sing was good and road crossings were not an issue.
This is a really great trail to run on. It is very soft, especially the stretch just east of Gougar. There is a lot of really beautiful scenery. I ran the entire trail today and it was exactly 7 miles. This is not a good place to ride a bike unless you enjoy riding a soft soggy trail. There are horses on this trail so be sure to keep dogs on a leash. Just as side note, there are two dogs that run around loose from a local house. But they are totally friendly. They have run up to me twice now. They’re just tail wagers. and sniffers.
This is a real nice trail, but at times it’s more like a sidewalk than a bike trail. There are a lot of pedestrians and many many crosswalks. The trail ends in several different places so it’s a little bit confusing. This is more of a trail system than it is one trail. The trails are in pretty good shape but some of the more lonely stretches there was some broken glass. lonely stretches, have broken glass and things on them so you really need to know where you are going.
I live close enough to bike to this ‘trail’ but to get to it I have to cross a fairly busy street as there is no parking available. This ‘trail’ is more of an extra wide asphalt sidewalk more than anything else. I do enjoy the short ride once I’m on it.
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
It is a great trail and super fun to bike on
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.
My wife and I biked the trail this (Monday) morning, starting at the swing bridge just north of Romeo Road, going all the way 12 miles north, then back. The trail is nicely paved and most of the way goes through beautiful, shaded woods. Two or three miles go along an industrial, barge docking area along the river. One mile of this stretch, there is no dedicated bike path, instead you bike along Canal Bank Road. The trail connects to several other nice trails. I’d probably give Centennial Trail 4.5 stars if possible. A very nice trail for the most part. We enjoyed it.
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