Explore the best rated trails in Loves Park, IL. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Badger State Trail and Peace Trail. With more than 76 trails covering 821 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.
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The Bauer Memorial Path provides a short route through residential and commercial areas of Machesney Park, a northern suburb of Rockford. The trail begins at the Harlem Community Center and travels in...
The Illinois Prairie Path (IPP) was one of the nation’s first rail-trail conversions. It consists of five connected trail segments with three main branches that converge at Volunteer Park (West...
This path runs along Mitchell Road, starting in Machesney Park. The trail heads north and then travels east where it terminates at Sunny Meadow Drive outside of Russ Park. This short path is just...
The White River State Trail is composed of two separate segments: a 12-mile stretch that runs between Elkhorn and just west of Burlington in Walworth County, and a 7-mile section that connects the...
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The Prairie Trail runs the length of McHenry County and is managed by the McHenry County Conservation District. The rail-trail spans just over 26 miles from the Wisconsin border and the farms and...
Stretching from Afton to Janesville, the northern section of the Peace Trail offers a paved, tree-shaded route paralleling the Rock River and an active rail line. At its northern end, the trail merges...
The paved trail running through Nick Saelens Memorial Park is a pretty one, with a loop around a small pond and much of it following a tree-lined creek. The park is nestled in the Village of Durand in...
Oregon Park East Bike Path is nestled along the east bank of the Rock River in the small town of Oregon in northern Illinois. The 23-acre park offers athletic facilities, restrooms, grills, and picnic...
The Randall Road Bike Trail offers a 4-mile paved north-south route along its namesake roadway in a suburb west of Chicago. A highlight of the journey is the trail's passage through the LeRoy Oakes...
This path runs along the west side of the North Alpine Road in the Village of Machesney Park. It starts at the Schnuks parking lot and stretches about a mile north to the Lowe’s store parking area....
The Stone Mill Trail runs between Lawrence Road in Harvard and Maxon Road in Chemung. The 1.5-mile, paved trail mostly parallels County Highway 17 (Ramer Road) and active railroad tracks, and will...
The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...
From Main Street and Elevator Road in Roscoe, the scenic Kinstone Recreational Path winds its way northeast through woodlands along the north branch of Kinnikinnick Creek to the Stone Bridge Trail....
The Hononegah Recreation Path begins near the State Route 2 bridge over the Rock River in Rockton, a small town about 4 miles south of the Illinois–Wisconsin border. The paved trail follows Hononegah...
The Lake Geneva Bike Path runs through the scenic resort city, offering connections to many of the community’s amenities. The trail has five unique, color-coded segments. The Blue Route is the...
Although a relatively short trail, the Leland Path provides an important connection between the Hononegah Recreation Path and the Stone Bridge Trail. The pleasant, tree-dotted pathway travels through...
The Perryville Path runs nearly 7 miles, connecting the communities of Loves Park and Rockford, not far from the northern border of Illinois. A pleasant place to begin your journey is Rock Cut State...
The 52-mile Glacial Drumlin State Trail between Cottage Grove and Waukesha provides a glimpse into the past when glaciers bore down on southeastern Wisconsin in the last Ice Age. Those gigantic sheets...
Built on a former rail bed dating back to the 1850s, the Stone Bridge Trail provides a crushed limestone pathway through rural countryside. A highlight of the trail is passage on Stone Bridge over the...
Baumann Park is adjacent to the Kishwaukee River in Cherry Valley, a community on the outskirts of Rockford in northern Illinois. A paved pathway runs through the park and loops around Baumann Park...
There’s no debating the historical significance of the Jane Addams Trail. Not only is it named for a Nobel Peace Prize-winning social activist who grew up nearby, but the trail also passes the site of...
The Lake Geneva Bike Path runs through the scenic resort city, offering connections to many of the community’s amenities. The trail has five unique, color-coded segments. The Blue Route is the...
Moraine Hills State Park Trail offers a wonderful experience for any geology or nature aficionado. A moraine is an accumulation of earth and stones carried and finally deposited by a glacier....
Rail-trail fans know that Wisconsin’s Elroy-Sparta State Trail is famous for its three tunnels. The Badger State Trail, which heads south from Madison to the Illinois state line (where it connects...
Stretching from Afton to Janesville, the northern section of the Peace Trail offers a paved, tree-shaded route paralleling the Rock River and an active rail line. At its northern end, the trail merges...
The Pecatonica Prairie Trail, formerly known as the Pecatonica Prairie Path, is a 14.3-mile rail-trail extending from the western edge of Rockford to N. Farwell Bridge Road west of Pecatonica. The...
The Harlem Township Bike Path lies not far from the Rock River in western Machesney Park in the Rockford metropolitan area. The trail consists of a lower (southwest) and an upper (northeast) loop in...
The Kiwanis Bike Trail, named for the Kiwanis Club that spearheaded the effort to build the trail, parallels the western bank of the Rock River through the southern Wisconsin community of Janesville....
The Bull Valley Road Shared-Use Path travels along the south side of Bull Valley Road in the city of McHenry, Illinois. The paved path is suitable for non-motorized uses including walking, jogging,...
The paved Rock River Recreation Trail winds throughout downtown Rockford and environs, following the east bank of the Rock River through Shorewood Park and Martin Memorial Park. Officially, the trail...
The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...
The Stone Mill Trail runs between Lawrence Road in Harvard and Maxon Road in Chemung. The 1.5-mile, paved trail mostly parallels County Highway 17 (Ramer Road) and active railroad tracks, and will...
The Hononegah Recreation Path begins near the State Route 2 bridge over the Rock River in Rockton, a small town about 4 miles south of the Illinois–Wisconsin border. The paved trail follows Hononegah...
The H.U.M. Trail (a.k.a. the Huntley-Union-Marengo Trail) was planned to link all three of its namesake northern Illinois towns, but so far only connects Marengo and Union. Interestingly, the...
The Dorr Road Bike Path begins at South Beloit Municipal Park and parallels the roadway for its entire length. The views are primarily residential. After about three-quarters of a mile (from the...
The Charles Street Community Path offers a neighborhood route through southeastern Rockford, connecting residents to CherryVale Mall on its eastern end. On its western end, Alpine Park is just north...
Janesville's Spring Brook Trail provides an important non-motorized route to many of the city's popular recreational amenities. The pathway begins just off the eastern terminus of the Rock River...
The Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail runs for 6 miles along an abandoned railroad corridor, between the towns of Allens Grove and Clinton. The trail is open to snowmobiles, cyclists, horseback riders and...
From Main Street and Elevator Road in Roscoe, the scenic Kinstone Recreational Path winds its way northeast through woodlands along the north branch of Kinnikinnick Creek to the Stone Bridge Trail....
The Long Prairie Trail journeys across the width of agricultural Boone County for nearly 14 miles on the railroad corridor previously used by the Kenosha and Rockford Railroad, later known as the...
The Kiwanis Bike Trail, named for the Kiwanis Club that spearheaded the effort to build the trail, parallels the western bank of the Rock River through the southern Wisconsin community of Janesville....
The Kishwaukee Riverfront Path winds nearly 7 miles through downtown Belvidere, east of Rockford in northern Illinois. As its name implies, the paved scenic trail follows the waterway for most of its...
Moraine Hills State Park Trail offers a wonderful experience for any geology or nature aficionado. A moraine is an accumulation of earth and stones carried and finally deposited by a glacier....
The Bull Valley Road Shared-Use Path travels along the south side of Bull Valley Road in the city of McHenry, Illinois. The paved path is suitable for non-motorized uses including walking, jogging,...
The Poplar Creek Trail is a 9.5-mile paved loop around Poplar Creek Forest Preserve near Hoffman Estates. The trail has a couple of hills but is otherwise level and makes for a pleasant journey...
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The the Fox River Trail (FRT) was built on stretches of three former railroads: Chicago, Aurora & Elgin; Aurora, Elgin, & Fox River Electric; and Chicago & North Western. Today, it hosts a multitude...
Rail-trail fans know that Wisconsin’s Elroy-Sparta State Trail is famous for its three tunnels. The Badger State Trail, which heads south from Madison to the Illinois state line (where it connects...
The Joe Stengel Trail follows an old railroad corridor for 7 miles between the town of Polo and the much smaller community of Woosung. The trail corridor traces farm country along a route scattered...
The Virgil L. Gilman Trail travels from quiet forest and prairie lands to bustling neighborhoods in just 11 miles, linking a woodsy community college campus with the eastern Chicago suburb of...
In the Village of Roscoe, a paved path of just over a mile parallels Main Street (which becomes Frontage Road) and then continues along the south side of McDonald Road, a quiet residential street....
The Willow Creek Path is a pleasant, tree-lined trail that follows its namesake creek for most of its journey through the communities of Machesney Park and Loves Park in the Rockford metropolitan...
In southeastern Rockford, a paved pathway begins at a connection with the Charles Street Community Path then heads south along Mulford Road through a residential area. At Harrison Avenue, the path...
The 52-mile Glacial Drumlin State Trail between Cottage Grove and Waukesha provides a glimpse into the past when glaciers bore down on southeastern Wisconsin in the last Ice Age. Those gigantic sheets...
The Ridgefield Trace is a multi-use pathway that runs through suburban Crystal Lake, Illinois. The trail takes its name from the original Indian trace that once ran along the route of what is now...
The Duck Lake Nature Area Trail follows the southern side of Lake Como between Lake Geneva and Como, Wisconsin, not far from the Illinois state line. The trail is more rustic than most rail-trails and...
The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...
The Riverside Recreational Path begins as a gravel lane at the base of Riverside Park on the banks of the Rock River in Roscoe. From there, it continues along Rowena Street, paralleling State Route...
The Lake Geneva Bike Path runs through the scenic resort city, offering connections to many of the community’s amenities. The trail has five unique, color-coded segments. The Blue Route is the...
The Randall Road Bike Trail offers a 4-mile paved north-south route along its namesake roadway in a suburb west of Chicago. A highlight of the journey is the trail's passage through the LeRoy Oakes...
The Kishwaukee River Recreation Path runs for 2.5 miles in Cherry Valley on the outskirts of Rockford in northern Illinois. The well-maintained, asphalt trail connects the Kishwaukee River Forest...
I parked at the trailhead off of Keystone and was happily surprised there were toilets available. I had driven nearly an hour from Kenosha. The trail West started with a slight gradient, but nothing steep. The trail enters into what I would call a corridor of trees almost giving me the feeling of a tunnel. Gorgeous ride on crushed gravel. About 3 miles in you come to the end, BUT, if you take the road south just over the tracks and a quick right, you can pick the trail back up to completion at around 5.7 miles. From red barns to an overlook of water, this trail was spot on! I rode back past the parking lot to get to the Prairie Trail. Get ready for a nice hill to climb! (WHEW!) It is a 1.5 mile ride east to the Prairie Trail from the parking lot. I was simply amazed how nice this little jem of a trail is down here in Hebron. Thanks!
We've ridden the Great Western trail from St. Charles to Sycamore and back a bunch of times. It became one of our favorite rides during the pandemic because it is much less crowded than the trails in the more densely populated parts of the Chicago area. It's pretty straight and reasonably flat. There are a reasonable number of trail users near the St. Charles trail head but the trail is never crowded and the Sycamore end of the trail is pretty deserted. The scenery is more agricultural than wild but it's nice nevertheless. The trail surface is a mix of asphalt and gravel and is in pretty good shape. If you follow the trail towards Sycamore from the Great Western trailhead there is a park with tables, benches and a restroom which is where we usually take a break before returning to St. Charles.
I recently rode the Prairie Trail as part of a ride from Geneva, IL to Lake Geneva, WI. It is a beautiful trail and definitely rideable on a road bike if the path is dry (I had 28mm tires). It’s crushed limestone for ~8 miles from Ringwood, IL to Genoa City, WI — exactly like the Illinois Prairie Path or Great Western Trail. Like the description says- only the northernmost 1/4 mile between the Hebron Trail and Genoa City is chunkier gravel.
Thanks everyone for your previous reviews!
Very rough on the bike. There are more bumps than smooth asphalt. Not a smooth ride. Would be nice if they fixed it. I wouldn't ride this again.
Rode on it this past weekend. There were tire tracks on the trail which caused my entire bike to shake. I would recommend a mountain bike on this trail.
Many busy four lane streets to cross without traffic lights. Sidewalks end without warning. Steep hills you have to walk your bike up. Pretty little picturesque town but not bike friendly.
We started at Freeport, Rode the entire length of Jane Addams trail(stopping at the wildlife santuary right off the trial), continue on to Badger state trail in WI and then hop over to Sugar river trail to New Glarus, WI. We spent a night in New Glarus. Two hotels (and pizza restaurant) in New Glarus are right off the trail and are very bike friendly (Whole town is!) Cycle back the next day. slightly over 40+ miles one way. Jane Addams is definitely the nicest of the 3 trails(and it is FREE, WI charge $5/day to use their trail). Special shout out to the volunteers at Jane Addams(freeport) trailhead that help maintain the trial clean/safe and provide Free ICE COLD Water during HOT summer weekend. will most likely make this trip every year with the family. Bring a spare tire/tube or use gel tube. I hit a walnut seed and had a flat! (28mm wide tires). I would say entire trip is almost 70-80% shaded, we did that on a high 90s day and feel very comfortable.
A very nice trail. Flat with asphalt. Northern half is well shaded. A small section on the southern portion of the tail is on road. At the southern trailhead, there is a family of bald eagles nesting across the river! The northern trailhead is at Riverside Park. Lots of shaded picnic areas, a playground, frisbee golf, shuffleboard and a city golf course. The trail also goes through Janesville’s Town Square which is close to lots of shopping and restaurants. From Kiwanis Trail, there is easy access to Peace Trail and Spring Brook Trial.
We began our adventure, August 31, 2021, at Whispering Oaks Park in McHenry, IL and set off going north. Almost immediately we crossed busy W. Elm St./Rte 120, but quickly left traffic behind as we passed McCullom Lake and East Beach Park and began passing farm fields and then the Glacial Park Conservation Area, full of beautifully blooming late summer prairie plants. Continuing north we passed through the small town of Ringwood and then into Richmond, IL where we negotiated another busy road crossing at Kenosha St/Rte 173 and then on into the North Branch Conservation Area where the Hebron Trail connects to the Prairie Trail, and just shy of the Wisconsin state line. The North Branch Conservation Area is a lovely, restored prairie area with rolling hills and a destination in it's own right. Storm clouds began to gather, and we turned around and headed back south. We stopped for some light refreshment at the Rusty Nail Saloon's outdoor patio, right on the trail, and also noted a good spot for ice cream, milk shakes, etc. just across a large parking lot to the west of the Saloon. This trail has a lovely mix of town and country and this section of the trail was easy riding with good path conditions and minimal road crossings to negotiate. We are hoping to get back again in Summer 2022.
Came from Chicago. The trail head near Harvard was locked up upon arrival had to park on a street in the town over (capron) too get on. Overall pretty cool, nice n flat and nice Midwest middle of nowhere scenery. Trail has some bumps and cracks from time and is partially crushed compacted gravel but very leisurely.
rode from albany to monticello to albany to brodhead. no one else on the trail. saw lots of turtles, snakes and water birds. the old diamond crossing near monticello was great to see. was quite pleased with this trail. would do again.
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