Illinois Bike Trails - Exploring the Land of Lincoln

The trend in Illinois recently has been to renovate many of the bike trails to make them more accessible and easier to navigate. This is wonderful news for beginning bikers, but advanced bikers who want a challenge now need to dig a little deeper to find bike trails that add excitement to their rides. Please note the more challenging trails mentioned in this list if you're looking for technical difficulties on your next Illinois ride.

There are lots of trails throughout the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, and these trails are used by hikers, bikers, and equestrians. Bikers can utilize any of the trails 8 feet in width and wider-which is good since you could easily get lost on some of the other trails. You'll enjoy a hilly ride to build endurance and hopefully even see some wildlife to keep the ride interesting and enjoyable. This is a good place for beginning bikers to start out and navigate easily. These trails get used a lot on the weekends, so if you're looking for solitude, try traversing these trails during the week.

Not far from Lockport you can find a 28-mile network of trails called Delwood. This is a great area to go exploring and just have a lot of fun! There are some easy paved sections, but there are also roots and rock beds to navigate, and there is a steep downhill set of stairs for a real challenge. Bridges, caves, and an old train bridge running beside a canal are some of the highlights that make this trail really interesting and unusual.

Kickapoo State Park near Danville has something for everyone. There are at least 8 miles of trails to choose from and more are being constructed. You can gain quite a bit of speed by doing the various loops one after another. Stick to the marked trails that are open to bikes. These are well maintained and contain some technical stunts like teeter totters, jumps, logs, rocky climbs, drops, steep climbs, switchbacks, and creek crossings. This is a great way for any novice to gain experience and skills.

Located near Springfield Lake, the Lake Trail is also the ideal location for new riders and intermediate riders to have fun. The route runs around the lake in a 6-mile loop and has a few hills and roots, but lots of smooth wide-open space to pick up fast speeds.

The Dirksen Trail near Pekin is a 3-mile loop of some pretty technical riding. Youll experience challenging climbs, jumps, gullies, and fast descents. The trail was designed by the owners of a bike shop and they definitely knew what they were doing! It is usually pretty well maintained, but can get a little overgrown by autumn. If you stick to the yellow marked trail you shouldnt get lost.

Called The Roots by the local residents, Thorn Creek Trail is a 7-mile run near Glenwood. Filled with more technical fun, this is another trail designed for expert riders. Advanced technical skills will be necessary to navigate the hills, twists, turns, teeter totters, logs, bridges, and more. Experienced riders will love it!

Whether you're traveling through the northern or the southern part of Illinois, bike trails are readily available for bikers to enjoy. Find a trail suitable for your experience level and enjoy the adventure. It's a great place to ride!