Illinois Trail Resources

 

Illinois Agencies

 

For information on Illinois State Parks: www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/index.htm

The Mississippi River Project, US Army Corps of Engineers, includes trails, camping and recreational opportunities along the River: www.missriver.org

National Park Service units in Illlinois

The Great Outdoors Resources Page (GORP) has information on the Shawnee National Forest: www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Forest/il_shawn.HTM - also see Shawnee Trail Conservancy: www.shawneetrailconservancy.com/

 

 

Illinois National Recreation Trails

 

National Recreation Trails: America's great trails listed by state
Visit Illinois's "Featured" National Recreational Trails
Visit the National Recreation Trails website and online searchable database to access over 1,050 NRTs from across the country.

Illinois Bicycling and Mountain Biking

 

Illinois mountain bike trails with detailed maps and descriptions from mountain biking books at Trails.com:

• Mountain Biking Trails in Illinois

Bike rides on Illinois roads and paved pathways from road biking books at Trails.com:

• Road Bike Rides in Illinois

Aurora Bicycle Club www.geocities.com/Colosseum/3073/ has a map of the 36-mile Fox River Trail west of Chicago: www.geocities.com/Colosseum/3073/frtrail.html

Chicago Area Mountain Bikers works to build and maintain local singletrack, work with local land managers, and promote mountain biking in Chicagoland: www.cambr.org

Chicago Lakefront Bike Path map and access points: http://meowww.com/bike/trails/il/chicago/lakefrontentrances/

Chicagoland Bicycle Federation works to improve the bicycling environment by promoting bicycle safety, education and facilities: www.biketraffic.org

City of Chicago bike route maps: http://www.cityofchicago.org/Transportation/bikemap/keymap.html

The Trailmonkey site has Illinois Mountain Biking Maps & Trails: www.trailmonkey.com/USpages/ilbike1.htm

League of Illinois Bicyclists has a newsletter, events, and club information: www.bikelib.org

Mississippi River Trail is a 10-state cycling route in process of development from the headwaters of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico: www.mississippirivertrail.org/

Peoria Area Mountain Bike Association has trail maps, events, and information: www.pambamtb.org/

Peoria area bike group is the Illinois Valley Wheelm'n with rides, events, and news: www.ivwheelmn.org/

University of Chicago Velo Club has recreational rides and info sources: http://ucveloclub.ning.com/

Illinois Equestrian Trails

 

Fox Valley Saddle Association in Hampshire, IL: http://www.fvsa.org/

Illinois Trail Riders is an advocacy organization dedicated to helping horse people keep existing equestrian trails and camping facilities in Illinois: www.illinoistrailriders.com/

Trail Riders of DuPage County sponsors events and weekly rides as well as "campaigning positively for continuing equestrian trail access in our communities": www.trailridersofdupage.org

 

Illinois Greenways and Community Trails

 

Calumet Citizens for Connecting Communities promotes health, economics, and quality of life through the development of greenway and trail corridors: www.geocities.com/calumetcitizens/about.html

Cook County Forest Preserve in Chicago includes information on recreation, including trails (click on the Recreation link): www.fpdcc.com/

Fox River Trail is used for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and jogging and stretches from Algonquin to Aurora: www.co.kane.il.us/Forest/frtrail.htm

Gateway Trailnet, Inc. plans, promotes, and implements multi-use, greenways and bicycle transportation in the bi-state St. Louis metropolitan area. The organization also owns two rail-to-trail conversions: http://www.trailnet.org/

Quincy, Illinois, Dogwood Trail: www.friendsofthetrails.org

Illinois Hiking Trails

 

Hiking trail maps, hike descriptions, and Illinois topographic maps at Trails.com:

• Hiking Trails in Illinois

Illinois walking trail maps, descriptions, and topographic maps at Trails.com:

• Walking Trails in Illinois

Illinois Conquest Trails tracks the travels of Hernando de Soto: www.conquestchannel.com/illinois.html

American Volkssport Association year-round walking and Volkssport Event Calendar

Illinois Long-Distance Trails

 

For information on the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail in Illinois: www.discoverytrail.org/states/illinois/index.html

Grand Illinois Trail loops 475 miles between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River, linking existing and proposed trails, historic canals, and paralleling the Rock and Fox Rivers: http://dnr.state.il.us/orep/planning/git.htm

Mississippi River Trail is a 10-state cycling route in the process of development: www.mississippirivertrail.org/

River to River Trail through Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois will cover 176 miles: www.rivertorivertrail.com

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail has several routes from the Southeast states to Oklahoma: www.nationaltota.org/

Illinois Off-Highway Vehicle Trails

 

Shawnee Trail Conservancy is a grassroots nonprofit corporation which advocates multi-use of the Shawnee National Forest trails: www.shawneetrailconservancy.com/

Illinois Rail Trails and Canal Trails

 

For the 61-mile Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail see http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/i&m/main.htm or www.iit.edu/~travel/ghw.html

Heartland Pathways is a 33-mile ribbon of rail trails and wildlife habitat in the making in East Central Illinois: http://prairiemonk.org/heartlandpathways/

Illinois Prairie Path a 55-mile-long biking, hiking, equestrian, and nature trail in Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties west of Chicago, was one of the very first major rail-trails: www.ipp.org/index.htm

The Jane Addams Trail is part of the Grand Illinois Trail used for biking, hiking, snowmobiling and cross country skiing: www.janeaddamstrail.com/

Madison County Transit has converted over 75 miles of rail corridors into bikeways and walking trails in the St. Louis Metro area: www.mcttrails.org/

Illinois Snow Trails

 

Illinois Association of Snowmobile Clubs, Inc. has trail maps, news, and links to local clubs: www.ilsnowmobile.com/

Prairie Riders provide Safety Education Classes, and maintain 50 miles of trails in Boone County: www.prairieriders.com/

Illinois Waterway and Boating Trails

 

Illinois Paddling Council promotes safe enjoyment of canoeing and kayaking in Illinois and assuring access to the state's waters: www.illinoispaddling.org/

Northeastern Illinois Water Trails: a partnership so canoeists and kayakers can take advantage of 500 miles of paddling opportunities: www.openlands.org/index.php/Greenways/Projects/northeastern-illinois-water-trails.html

 

Illinois Statewide Advocacy and Resources

 

Illinois Trails Conservancy works to connect communities and countr-sides with multi-use trails for recreation and transportation: http://www.illtrails.com/

Illinois State Trails Program

 

Recreational Trails Program: Providing funding to all 50 states for grants programs and program management
State Trails Program contacts in all 50 states

Illinois Outdoor Recreation

 

Fishing reports, maps, photos, and videos for every fishing spot in the USA: www.hookandbullet.com/s/fishing-illinois/