Explore the best rated trails in Swansea, IL. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail and MCT Schoolhouse Trail. With more than 54 trails covering 604 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.
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was part of the renowned Route 66 and crosses a scenic stretch of the Mississippi River. It links two states—Illinois and Missouri—north of St. Louis. The bridge is short...
Th St. Ellen is a mile-long paved recreational trail in O'Fallon, Illinois. The trail connects residents of the nearby neighborhoods to local schools as well as the St. Ellen Mine Park, a former coal...
Closure Notice: Please be advised that the Riverfront Trail will be subject to intermittent closures and disruptions at least through the end of 2021 in the area north of the McKinley Bridge due to...
The trail is a popular local recreation spot. The trail first winds through the Bethalto Arboretum, about a half-mile, shaded stroll through stands of oak, maple and over 80 other tree species. The...
The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Watershed Trail is all about trains, bridges and waterways. It follows an abandoned rail corridor built in 1868, the first to serve the city of Edwardsville, itself the...
While exploring the seven mile Lakeside Park Trail you are treated to views of the 140 acre lake at Lakeside Park. Lakeside Park Trail's asphalt and concrete surfaces are ideal for biking, walking,...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail is the longest of the county’s trails and perhaps the most diverse in its offerings. On the west, it begins at a junction with the MCT Nature Trail,...
The Arnold City Park Trail follows former residential streets through a wooded area along the Meramec River in a southwestern suburb of St. Louis. It forms a loop that begins and ends at the gravel...
This short, but beautiful trail, takes travelers from Truman Park's lake north to Aubuchon Creek through a lush wooded area. The park offers places to fish, play sports and picnic. Future plans...
The Mississippi Greenway is a growing multi-use trail in the St. Louis area that will eventually span 32 miles. Sometimes it’s referred to as the Mississippi River Trail or the Mississippi River...
The Veteran's Honor Trail is an asphalt trail that forms an incomplete ring around the community of Highland, Madison County. The paved trail provides a safe and enjoyable walking and biking route...
The Sunset Greenway Trail begins near Sunset Park, on the banks of the Missouri River, and travels along a roadway through open space to beyond St. Ferdinand Park in Old Town Florissant. The village...
The Dardenne Greenway Trail follows Dardenne Creek as it makes its way through St. Charles County on its way to the mighty Mississippi. The trail, which currently passes through several suburban St....
Caution: While construction continues on the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, be alert for trail restrictions or closings north of the parking lot access. The trail will remain open from...
The MCT Quercus Grove Trail begins in Edwardsville at its junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail. It begins on city sidewalks and alleys near Edwardsville's historic downtown area and very quickly...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Goshen Trail is a namesake of the old Goshen Road that was built in 1808 to supply salt to the first permanent settlers of Madison County. The modern bike trail...
Maline Greenway is an east-west shared use trail in St. Louis, Missouri. The planned length of the trail in 7 miles and will join Mississippi Greenway to the St. Vincent Greenway. In the summer of...
You can make connections all over the countryside from the Madison County Transit (MCT) Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail. The paved path travels 12.2 miles between the villages of Glen Carbon and...
Advisory: May 2020 - In June 2019, parts of the Katy Trail were flooded. While much has been repaired, please check trail conditions on the Missouri State Parks website before going out to ride as...
Honoring former President Ulysses S. Grant, this flat and relaxed 10-mile trail is easily accessible from downtown St. Louis. Grant’s Trail is well maintained with plentiful restrooms and drinking...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Schoolhouse Trail offers a 15.5-mile flat, paved route through the eastern suburbs of greater St. Louis, Missouri, between Madison and Maryville, Illinois. Along the...
The Veteran's Honor Trail is an asphalt trail that forms an incomplete ring around the community of Highland, Madison County. The paved trail provides a safe and enjoyable walking and biking route...
The GM&O Heritage Trail maintains the legacy of the railroad that once ran through the municipality of Columbia. The right-of-way was first built by the Cairo & St. Louis Railroad, which by another...
Closure Notice: A roughly two-mile section of the trail, from the McKinley Bridge to E Street in Venice and Granite City, is closed due to construction on the Terminal Railroad Bridge project. The...
Centennial Greenway will one day stretch 17 miles from Forest Park in the City of St. Louis through Creve Coeur County Park to St. Charles County. Currently, the trail is open in three segments,...
The MCT Quercus Grove Trail begins in Edwardsville at its junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail. It begins on city sidewalks and alleys near Edwardsville's historic downtown area and very quickly...
The McKinley Bridge has a long and storied past. In 1910, it opened to both railroad and vehicular traffic. Railroad tracks ran through the strong center portion of the bridge under the trusses, and...
For nearly 5 miles, the Columbia Bottom Trail meanders through the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, which features forests, wetlands, and open fields. The trail is part of the Missouri River...
The Rock Hollow Trail offers a beautiful, wooded excursion in the City of Wildwood, just west of St. Louis. The paved 2.3-mile trail is built on what was once Lawler-Ford Road. A trailhead with...
Sandwiched between towering limestone bluffs and the confluence of two mighty rivers, the Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail offers scenery once enjoyed by riverboat captains. Today, you can...
The Fee Fee Greenway provides a scenic and peaceful escape into nature along Fee Fee Creek, while making connections to local and regional recreation destinations. The trail paved is anchored by the...
The Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail is part of two developing Illinois initiatives: the Route 66 Trail from Chicago to St. Louis, loosely following the historic highway; and the Illinois Traction System...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Goshen Trail is a namesake of the old Goshen Road that was built in 1808 to supply salt to the first permanent settlers of Madison County. The modern bike trail...
The MCT Bluff Trail is the shortest trail in the Madison County network, but it highlights a feature of regional topography which can be evidenced on several other trails. The American Bottom is a...
Advisory: May 2020 - In June 2019, parts of the Katy Trail were flooded. While much has been repaired, please check trail conditions on the Missouri State Parks website before going out to ride as...
Maline Greenway is an east-west shared use trail in St. Louis, Missouri. The planned length of the trail in 7 miles and will join Mississippi Greenway to the St. Vincent Greenway. In the summer of...
This short, but beautiful trail, takes travelers from Truman Park's lake north to Aubuchon Creek through a lush wooded area. The park offers places to fish, play sports and picnic. Future plans...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail is the longest of the county’s trails and perhaps the most diverse in its offerings. On the west, it begins at a junction with the MCT Nature Trail,...
Earth City Levee Trail, which opened in June 2015, is part of a growing trail network called the Missouri River Greenway. It connects directly with the Riverwoods Trail in Bridgeton, forming a paved...
The Boschert Greenway is a paved hike-and-bike trail located in St. Charles, Missouri. The greenway provides an eight-mile journey out-and-back, while connecting to other recreation destinations. The...
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was part of the renowned Route 66 and crosses a scenic stretch of the Mississippi River. It links two states—Illinois and Missouri—north of St. Louis. The bridge is short...
The Meramec Greenway Trail is planned to one day encompass 50 miles throughout the St. Louis metro region, expanding as far west as Pacific, Missouri. The scenic route connects residents to the...
While exploring the seven mile Lakeside Park Trail you are treated to views of the 140 acre lake at Lakeside Park. Lakeside Park Trail's asphalt and concrete surfaces are ideal for biking, walking,...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nature Trail goes through richly varied surroundings of city, farm and wood. In the west, it begins at beautiful Wilson Park in Granite City. From there, it makes its...
This mile long concrete trail connects two favorite recreation spots in southeast St. Louis. At one end sits Carondelet Park is the city's third largest park, and is 180-acres of beautifully...
The Madison County Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail is the longest of the county’s trails and perhaps the most diverse in its offerings. On the west, it begins at a junction with the MCT Nature Trail,...
The St. Vincent Greenway Trail winds through the north and south campuses of the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) before emerging into the lush woodlands of St. Vincent Park. The park offers a...
Closure Notice: Please be advised that the Riverfront Trail will be subject to intermittent closures and disruptions at least through the end of 2021 in the area north of the McKinley Bridge due to...
The Veteran's Honor Trail is an asphalt trail that forms an incomplete ring around the community of Highland, Madison County. The paved trail provides a safe and enjoyable walking and biking route...
The Madison Count Transit (MCT) Watershed Trail is all about trains, bridges and waterways. It follows an abandoned rail corridor built in 1868, the first to serve the city of Edwardsville, itself the...
Advisory: May 2020 - In June 2019, parts of the Katy Trail were flooded. While much has been repaired, please check trail conditions on the Missouri State Parks website before going out to ride as...
The Mississippi Greenway is a growing multi-use trail in the St. Louis area that will eventually span 32 miles. Sometimes it’s referred to as the Mississippi River Trail or the Mississippi River...
Wildwood Greenway is an eight-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian trail in Wildwood, a western suburb of St. Louis. It is part of a trail system offering twelve miles of asphalt trail throughout the...
The Sunset Greenway Trail begins near Sunset Park, on the banks of the Missouri River, and travels along a roadway through open space to beyond St. Ferdinand Park in Old Town Florissant. The village...
The Delyte W. Morris Trail lies entirely on the campus of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE). It is named for the university's president at the Carbondale campus in the 1960s who helped...
For nearly 5 miles, the Columbia Bottom Trail meanders through the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, which features forests, wetlands, and open fields. The trail is part of the Missouri River...
Caution: While construction continues on the new I-270 bridge over the Mississippi River, be alert for trail restrictions or closings north of the parking lot access. The trail will remain open from...
Although a relatively short route, the Riverwoods Trail offers plentiful scenic views of the Missouri River and historic St. Charles. The trail closely follows the river's shoreline through wetland...
This trail extends from Lorraine Davis Park in Webster Groves through Barnickel Park and Deer Creek Park to Deer Creek Shopping Center at Big Bend Avenue in Maplewood. Most of the trail is separated...
The Carlyle Lake Bike Trail is located in one of Southwest Illinois's most popular recreational areas, just 50 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri—not far from that area's abundance of great trails, as...
We tried to walk on the bridge and the gate was locked with no sign posted notifying of a reason for the closure.
Trail is interesting and well maintained. The bridge that was causing a detour is now open as of last week. We ate at the general store in Rocheport, delightful.
It’s nice for a short walk through one park, around another, and through a neighborhood. We’ve been on it often, especially using it as part of a longer walk or bike ride. The only issue currently (spring 2022) is part of the path along Deer Creek is closed now because they are working on the creek.
Who would guess that a ride in the middle of August in the middle of Missouri would be so spectacular? The Katy Trail’s inclusion in the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame is totally deserved. While we only had time to ride a small stretch of the 240-mile trail that bisects the state, if the rest of trail is anything like what we experienced midway, it’s not to be missed. As of 2021, it’s also the longest continuous rail-trail, built upon the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT) or the Katy, for short.
We chose to put in close to Rt. 70 near the northern-most point of the trail in the tiny but picturesque town of Rocheport, population 244. The trail is the main attraction in Rocheport; signage was clear, there was a nice parking lot, a cute depot with restrooms, and a great little café called Meriweather just steps away from the trail.
Heading east, on our right was the broad and beautiful Missouri River. Every mile or so, we passed inviting benches that faced the yawning expanse. The trail itself was wide and the packed gravel and dirt made for easy pedaling. Towering above us were dramatic sandstone, limestone and granite bluffs, at times reaching up nearly 75 feet. Caves could be seen embedded in the stone and occasional signs warned us not to stop for the next quarter mile where falling rocks were a threat.
There appeared to be three levels of terrain along this portion of the trail – the water level, the trail level, then the top of the bluffs level. We passed only a few others the whole time we were on the trail.
There is winery within walking distance of the trail or a popular brewery in nearby Columbia for celebrating a great ride!
I would definitely do again. Would be fun to do with the family and stop for dinner after!
Fun trail. Rode BAM from Clinton to St. Charles pre-Covid. Looking forward to doing again.
Well-maintained crushed limestone. No problem even for a road bike.
Already a flat, smooth way to access the Katy Trail, Howell Island, and roads around Wildwood. Promises to be a nice loop around Chesterfield area.
With the recent snow, there was enough of it to do some cross country skiing. We started at the Scott/Shiloh Metro station and parking was easy and safe.
This is a beautiful ride from the Katy to NewTown. We usually stop at Marsala's Market in NewTown for a snack. Don't miss the Blomstre flower sculpture made of old bike parts that towers over the intersection of Mel Wetter Parkway and the Little Hills Expressway
We have ridden the trail over 25 years, camping along the trail using the Katy Trail Guide Book. We just camped at the Katy Roundhouse this fall and rode west the first day, and east to Rocheport and beyond the second day. We were very disappointed to find that because a bridge was out we had to ride on Highway 40, for over 2 miles, with cars and trucks speeding along at 50 to 60 miles per hour, and not slowing or giving a wide berth at all. We were on trikes, so felt very vulnerable, but met other users who were not happy about the situation either. Had there been a warning about this situation, we would have trucked the bikes over to Rocheport.
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