Explore the best rated trails in Washington, IL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail and Constitution Trail & Historic Route 66 Trail . With more than 8 trails covering 4021 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!
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
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.
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
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.
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.
As several reviews note some sections are in poor repair and you will feel safest on a mtb or hybrid. But the text that 1.3 million people use it seems nuts as I have often ridden sections for 2 or 3 hours and seen only a couple of folks fishing and almost no one on the trail itself. Has very good birding (eagles, owls, waterfowl, whatever is migrating), decent waterfowl, easy to let your dog off leash as the trail is usually bounded by woods of a few dozen yards that screen you from the farmland that makes up almost all of the adjacent land. The locks are nice stopping/camping spots, it crosses over a couple of rivers which is an engineering marvel and the raspberries and mulberries are abundant in season. Not every bike trail has to be smooth pavement so be prepared and enjoy.
The main positive is that this corridor is preserved so that someday it can be improved into an actual usable trail for bicycles. Depending on where you are on this trail today the quality of the surface and whether it is passable by bicycle varies. It appears that it may have been nice at one point but most of the surface has been allowed to degrade. Attempts to repair in many places are with aggregate that is too large to be bicycle friendly. Washouts along the side await to wreck you into the old canal.
Large sections are barely maintained at all. Weeds and tree branches have overgrown the path and they hit you as you ride. There are long stretches with no services or water. If this is going to be part of the Great American Rail Trail there will need to be some resources allocated to make it more rider friendly (if planning to connect to the I&M Canal trail you will find similar conditions there).
The main positive is that this corridor is preserved so that someday it can be improved into an actual usable trail for bicycles. Depending on where you are on this trail today the quality of the surface and whether it is passable by bicycle varies. Large sections to the west are barely maintained at all. The weeds have overgrown a single track dirt path and it is hard to even see there is a trail. But as you move into eastern portions of the trail the surface and maintenance do improve. If this is going to be part of the Great American Rail Trail there will need to be some resources allocated to make it more rider friendly especially in the western portions of the trail (if planning to connect to the Hennepin Canal trail you will find similar to even worse conditions there).
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