Illinois

Illinois’ Hennepin Canal Parkway

Posted 03/11/19 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Great American Rail-Trail, Illinois, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Threats to Trail Building, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Lift bridge, Hennepin Canal, night view | Courtesy of Hennepin Hundred

Now, with its 112-year history, the Hennepin Canal Parkway seems a natural for its latest chapter—as a “gateway trail” in the nearly 4,000-mile Great American Rail-Trail, a cross-country route planned by Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC) to stretch across the United States, from Washington, D.C., to Washington State.

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Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail in Washington | Photo by TrailLink user biggerdawg

A View From … The Great American Rail-Trail

Posted 01/23/19 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, District Of Columbia, Featured Magazine Articles, Great American Rail-Trail, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, TrailNation, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

Imagine what’s possible with a trail that connects the country. Imagine ... pedaling across the entire country on a safe, seamless and scenic pathway—or walking a local trail that connects along historic routes. That vision will become a reality thanks to the Great American Rail-Trail, a signature project of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) and the organization’s most ambitious TrailNation™ project yet.

Cardinal Greenway, Bridge in Economy | Photo by Angie Pool, Courtesy Cardinal Greenways Inc.

Help Us Pick America’s 2018 Rail-Trail Hall of Famer!

Posted 07/02/18 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Trail Destinations, Washington

Our team scoured the states for rail-trails with exemplary scenic value, use, trail and trailside amenities, historical significance, management and maintenance, community connections and other Hall-of-Fame-worthy merits—and though it was difficult, we were able to narrow our choices down to five nominees:

Chicago Lakefront Trail | Photo by TrailLink user kristincreager

Best Trails of 2017 According to You!

Posted 01/25/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories, Health and Wellness, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, California, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Hall of Fame, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, IHTC, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Route of the Badger, TrailNation, Vermont, Walkability and Bikeability

America has an amazing collection of multiuse trails with scenery and experiences as diverse as the country itself. More than 3,800 trails are currently included on TrailLink.com, our nationwide trail-finder database—and more are added every week. Here, are the top 10 most-viewed trails by the 7 million+ trail enthusiasts who visited the website last year.

Westside Trail | Photo by John Becker

Nine Hot New Rail-Trails in 2017

Posted 12/11/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Wisconsin

Say hello to the newest batch of rail-trails! We’ve highlighted a few of these remarkable new pathways here—which are connecting people with each other and nature, providing new opportunities for physical activity and active transportation, and creating healthy thriving communities throughout the nation.

Eldorado Bicycle and Walking Path in Illinois | Photo by Gary Wilhelm

Rail-Trails Honoring America’s Veterans

Posted 11/09/17 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Featured Magazine Articles, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire

In addition to their value for recreation and transportation, rail-trails provide public spaces to share our collective culture and history. In recognition of Veterans Day, we’ve highlighted three rail-trails that offer quiet, reflective places to honor and remember our country’s servicemen and women.

Taylor on the chainless bicycle on which he won the world championship and broke world records in 1899. Uncredited photo, Taylor scrapbook. | Courtesy Major Taylor Association, Inc.

Honoring the Legacy of African-American Cycling Legend Major Taylor

Posted 02/16/17 by Danielle Taylor in Success Stories, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Biking, Champions, Encouraging Trail Use, History Happened Here, Illinois, Minnesota, Success Stories

Around the turn of the 20th century, bicycle racing dominated America’s sporting scene, with top cyclists commanding the same media attention that A-list Hollywood celebrities enjoy today. As with other mainstream sports in the U.S., professional bicycle racing was generally understood to be for white competitors only, but in the late 1890s, an African-American dynamo exploded onto the scene, racing at record-breaking speeds that couldn’t be ignored. Today, Marshall “Major” Taylor’s legacy lives on in cycling clubs across the U.S. as well as a popular rail-trail in Chicago, his final resting place.

Fallasburg Covered Bridge (Lowell, Michigan) along the North Country Trail/Iron Belle Trail | Photo by Tom Pidgeon Photography

Best of the Midwest: Five Major Trail Developments in America’s Heartland

Posted 11/14/16 by Brian K. Housh in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, IHTC, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Route of the Badger, State and Federal Programs, Wisconsin

Today, representatives of 22 bike/ped organizations and government agencies from six states are convening in Illinois for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2016 Midwest Policy Summit. The bike/ped landscape in the region has changed dramatically in recent years, and there are many major projects in the works. Here are five big happenings in the Heartland that are changing the face of active transportation (in no particular order).

Illinois Prairie Path | Trail photo courtesy David Wilson | CC by 2.0 | Photo of Watts by Isabel Wasson

How May T. Watts Inspired the Illinois Prairie Path and U.S. Rail-Trail Movement

Posted 03/14/16 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories, Taking Action | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Champions, Demand for Trails, History Happened Here, Illinois

May Theilgaard Watts was a writer, illustrator, naturalist, scientist and teacher. Her determination that Americans stay connected to their natural landscape in a time of increasing urbanization was the catalyst that led to the formation of the 61-mile Illinois Prairie Path, which today forms a 61-mile web through the Chicago Area.

Nov. 1, 2015, ribbon cutting for the Thorn Creek Trail and Old Plank Road Trail extensions in Chicago Heights, Illinois | Photo by Thomas' Photographic Services

Illinois Completes Southeast Portion of 500-Mile "Grand" Trail Network

Posted 11/13/15 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Connected Systems, Illinois, Trail Communities

A ribbon cutting recently took place in Chicago Heights, Illinois, to celebrate the completion of extensions for the 16-mile Thorn Creek Trail and 22-mile, in-progress Old Plank Road Trail. This is big for Cook and Will counties and big for the entire region, as it brings the 500-Mile Grand Illinois Trail Network closer to completion.