Illinois

Trails in Illinois

6 mapped routes in Illinois: 3 scenic drives, 2 cycling routes and 1 hiking trail. Together they cover 279 km with 904 m of climbing, and the highest point reaches 289 m. Every route has a GPX download, elevation profile, gradient and surface analysis.

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Plate US-IL · 6 routes · GPS traced

Mapped routes: 6
Total distance: 279km
Total climbing: 904m
Highest point: 289m
Water crossings: 4

Destination guide

About trails in Illinois

Illinois is mostly prairie farmland, yet its routes find variety at both ends of the state. Southwest of Chicago, the Palos Forest Preserve MTB Loop threads 17 km of wooded glacial ridges and ravines, one of the region's best-known mountain bike areas. Down south, the Cedar Creek Woods Walk, Jackson County explores the hollows of the Shawnee Hills, where sandstone bluffs replace flat cornfields.

Drivers can follow the I-55 and Route 66 Illinois Drive for 191 km through Macoupin County, tracing the historic highway between Chicago and St. Louis past small railroad towns. Shorter drives circle Watseka and Monticello in the central farm belt, and the Willow Creek and Perryville Path Ride near Rockford offers an easy paved outing along creekside greenways.

Best time to go: Late April to June and September to October are the most comfortable months; summers are hot and humid, and winter brings snow and freezing temperatures across the state.
Terrain: Routes are almost all easy, on paved paths, rural roads and wooded trails, with a highest point under 300 m; the Palos singletrack adds short, punchy climbs.
Permits & access: Cook County forest preserves are free to use, but avoid riding dirt trails when they are wet and muddy; Route 66 drives run on public highways with frequent small-town fuel stops.

Ways to explore