Top 5 Bike Trails

Strap on your helmet and hit these popular paths.

I&M Canal State Trail / LaSalle to Ottawa
This 15-mile stretch of trail along the western branch of the I&M Canal begins in LaSalle, where the canal meets the Illinois River. Heading east, the trail winds between serene lakes and sandstone bluffs, before its end point near the historic I&M Canal Toll House in Ottawa.

I&M Canal State Trail / Channahon to Morris
Start your 15-mile trek at Channahon State Park, home to a collection of historic canal structures. Heading west, the trail becomes a path between the I&M Canal and the Illinois River. Along the way you’ll see the ghost canal town of Dresden and Aux Sable, with one of two remaining locktender’s houses.

Centennial Trail
Following a visit to the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site, hop on this nearly 11-mile-long trail that travels north to the cozy canal town of Lockport, then veers into the scenic woodlands of Isle a la Cache nature preserve. A historic swing bridge over the Des Plaines River is a highlight.

Wauponsee Glacial Trail
Named for an ancient glacial lake, this 22-mile trail is accessed at the Sugar Creek Preserve in Joliet. From there, the Wauponsee skirts the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and ends at a spectacular 600-foot-long bridge that spans the Kankakee River.

Gaylord Donnelley Trail
This 11-mile trail begins in historic Lockport, site of the beautiful limestone Gaylord Building and its impressive gallery of I&M Canal exhibits. As you bike the trail it passes an abandoned amusement park and the Old Joliet Prison, before ending at the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site.