Explore the best rated trails in Wood River, IL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Arches Rail Trail and Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail . With more than 57 trails covering 606 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.
I've been looking at riding the entirety of the KATY for a few years as a milestone ride for myself. I was able to check this off of my bucket list over the Labor Day week of 2024. Given the length of the KATY Missouri does an outstanding job keeping it in such good condition despite the Missouri River posing a flood risk. There were two very small closures along the entire trail that were well marked and required a very short on road detour to bypass. I completed the trail in five days of riding.
I utilized a shuttle service at Bike Stop Café in St. Charles to take me to the Western Terminus at Clinton. I highly recommend Bike Stop Café as you can leave your car there during your ride and the owners are great people! Riding from Clinton to Booneville is definitely the hardest part as there are long sections of rolling hills that are barely perceptible to the eye but you will feel them as you have to pedal harder. Sedalia provides a good option to stay the night with many places to eat and sleep. I also stayed in Rocheport, Hermann and St. Charles all of which provided many dining options and were beautiful places to stay.
I completed the trail on a gravel bike and only had one flat during the entire ride. Most people along the trail were very friendly and the sense of community you have in riding such a trail is really felt over the course of many days. During the few times the trail is in an urban area it is extremely well marked and almost impossible to loose. Any time there were even slight washouts or rough trail the areas were well marked.
The KATY is not the most breathtakingly scenic trail I have ever ridden but its combination of length, multiple towns along the way and its great overall condition earns its place in the Rail Trail Hall of Fame
Reading past reviews, I was apprehensive about this trail, but it seems to have been cleaned up nicely. I rode about 8 miles south from the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and back in the evening. There’s a climb in the woods near the north end, the rest is level. No trash, no glass, no people at all except at the parks.
New trail signs are up. It is renamed the Illini Trail. It a short ride from the trail head down Illini Drive to the Goshen Trail.
Rode from Sedalia to Hermann. Nice trail, mostly shaded. Most scenic section is around Rocheport. Sedalia to Boonville section has a slight elevation and goes on for a few miles. Most towns along the trail are small and there aren't many services (water, restrooms, etc.). Enjoyed riding the trail (marked it off my bucket list), but at times it became a little boring seeing nothing but trees and rocks. Like I said, it is very scenic, but 130 miles of the same scenery......
I rode the Katy trail from Clinton to St Charles in 5 days . I started before Mother’s Day and completed the ride after. What a lovely gift to myself. The trail is well maintained, easy to follow, and I always felt safe riding alone. The towns on the trail are very accepting of bicyclist . Make sure to refill your water bottles every chance you have, especially towards the end when closer to St Charles there are fewer fountains. I look forward to riding this again !
We rode this trail for the first time in June 2024. It is level, well marked and passes along many suburban municipalities in the St. Louis area, the athletic complex in Affton, Grant’s Farm and Historical Site, Thomas Sappington House and The Barn (great place to stop for brunch). It can be crowded, especially around Grant’s Farm.
Started in Glencoe at the miniature railroad depot. Trail started out promising but seemed to get more and more narrow and is poorly marked. We attempted to follow the Al Foster trail. This really isn’t a 10 plus mile trail as it’s broken up. We originally started in Eureka and quickly realized the trail stops after roughly 1.7 miles. Luckily for us that after a few miles of an ever shrinking trail, we decided it wasn’t for us. Got back to our vehicle and put everything away just before a storm came through.
Rode this for Celebrate Trails Day. It’s a nice smooth ride that is mostly flat. It was a little crowded on a Saturday morning, but that is to be expected. There is plenty of room to pass. I was a little confused where the trail goes by the sports fields, but figured it out. We visit the park occasionally. It’s a nice spot to have a picnic or just hang out and watch the world go by.
Well maintained, nearly all paved trail. We started at trailhead at Metro east parks and rec center. You can find benches bathroom tools and even air for tires. Thanks!! Only warning is that trail has great signage until we were at Chained Rock and Sand Lane… guessed that we had to travel on crushed rock road over expressway to find rest of trail. Correct turn.
Man this stretch would be mint if I could actually hear myself think along the parts that are literal feet from 170. So much energy and effort building a nice paved trail that is once again ruined by vehicles
I rode this trail in late 2023 from Russell Commons in Alton to Chain of Rocks bridge. The surface is old but well-maintained. A lot of filled cracks along the asphalt portion, views of the industrial use of the river (barge facilities, chemical plant), and several places where the trail comes down from the levee top and crosses a road, then climbs back up. I didn't find these hills to be particularly steep (and they're always short). The chip-and-seal surface of the next part of the trail could use fewer chips and more seal, although it was perfectly flat and smooth.
I left the trail at Chain of Rocks bridge, and did not ride the remaining 5 miles. The detailed MCT map shows after a few more miles it changes briefly to stone, then is paved & alongside city streets to its end.
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