Grand Illinois Trail
Northern Illinois

"When we first got started," said George Bellovics, landscape architect and Grand Illinois Trail coordinator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, "the Grand Illinois Trail really was about doing a big project, about having a bold vision which linked Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. And as it turned out, the idea was so good that we just kept extending it."

These links have important conservation benefits. Trails are linear corridors useful to migrating animals, and the open lands alongside trails provide habitat and food for wildlife. Trails also get people outdoors and help them become more familiar with their natural environment.

The GIT offers something for all enthusiasts: long-distance and race cyclists, serious hikers and casual walkers, birders and other naturalists. The traveler along this trail system can pedal through quiet prairie or wheel through city streets. "You see the cultural history of emigrant people who came from all over the world to settle at various points along the Grand Illinois Trail," said Bellovics. "You see Native American history, industrial history, and transportation history."

The Grand Illinois Trail runs west from Chicago to the Quad Cities mostly along the Illinois & Michigan and Hennepin Canal trails. (The southern portion is also part of the continent-spanning American Discovery Trail, a 6,300-mile trail system stretching from Delaware to California.) The GIT then traces the Great River Trail north along the Mississippi River, passing through the unique environments of the Thomson-Fulton Sand Prairie and Mississippi Palisades State Park on the way to Galena. This section of the GIT is also a major birding area.

From Galena, the GIT northern route runs along trails and local roads, heading east through Rockford. Passing through three impressive state parks, this northern section offers a varied cross-section of Illinois geography. Along this leg, the traveler crosses from the hilly Jo Daviess County to the morainal uplands of northeastern Illinois.

At Richmond, the GIT turns south along the Prairie Trail, re-entering Chicago Wilderness near Glacial Park. The 2,806-acre Glacial Park, crown jewel of the McHenry County Conservation District, is a rambling woodland where hikers can easily spot woodpeckers and American kestrels. The park encompasses prairie, marshes, savannas, and a bog.

The GIT route through Kane County continues on the Fox River Trail and runs from Algonquin to Elgin. This section trips through historical Trout Park and easily accesses nearby Voyageur Landing Forest Preserve and Tyler Creek Forest Preserve. Here in the Fox River Valley, a north-south flyway, the traveler can observe several kinds of warblers during migration.

From Elgin, the GIT route follows the Illinois Prairie Path past several forest preserves. The trail takes Augusta Boulevard into downtown Chicago, passing just a block north of the picturesque Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District in Oak Park. The GIT route then runs along the Lakefront Trail from Navy Pier to the South Shore Cultural Center, and from there follows local streets to Calumet Park and the new Burnham Greenway.

In itself, the Burnham Greenway is a modern-day miracle. Chicago's South Side has long been densely packed with industrial areas around Calumet Harbor. But here the trail reclaims an abandoned railway corridor, forming a valuable link between several Cook County forest preserves in the area: the Burnham Prairie, Eggers Woods, William Powers Conservation Area, the Wentworth Prairie, and Sand Ridge Nature Preserve. The Burnham Greenway joins the Thorn Creek Trail in Lansing. Low-volume roads take the GIT further on to the Old Plank Road Trail, which leads from Chicago Heights to Joliet.

Countless governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations have swung behind the GIT program, contributing millions of dollars to trail improvements and thousands of hours to negotiating a continuous path around the state. The trail serves as a broad invitation to explore the great Prairie State and a fine chance to venture past one's local neighborhood to see the varied wonders of Illinois.

Daytripping
The Grand Illinois Trail lends itself well to short trips as well as long ones. Many bikers enjoy exploring the trail a section at a time. A special GIT Trail Blazers program recognizes those who have trekked the entire route within one calendar year and have kept a travel diary. (Contact the IDNR at (815) 625-2968 for details.) Two samples of local day trips follow, but adventuresome types can easily invent their own "preserve-hopping" trips.

The Illinois Prairie Path

Start at Founders Park in downtown Wheaton, where parking is available. Head east on the main path to Maywood and back for a distance of 30 miles. This route passes through the western suburbs, where the Illinois Prairie Path Association has installed trailside prairie plantings that include purple coneflower, compass plant, cup plant, black-eyed Susan, and yellow aster. For those seeking a closer stopping point, downtown Elmhurst offers good picnicking.

Or head west from Wheaton on the Elgin Branch. Elgin and back is a distance of 30 miles, but casual bikers may prefer shorter stretches to North Avenue (12-mile roundtrip) or Timber Ridge Forest Preserve (6-mile roundtrip). The route passes first through Lincoln Marsh, a good place to explore wetlands, tallgrass prairie, and a bur oak savanna. Pratt's Wayne Woods, past North Avenue, is one of the largest forest preserves in DuPage County, with a fine oak savanna and wetlands that often attract a host of waterfowl. Be sure to notice the quaint old structures of the former Chicago, Aurora & Elgin interurban train line along the Elgin Branch.

Just across from the former Ovaltine Factory in Villa Park, the former Villa Avenue train station houses the Villa Park Historical Society Museum, (630) 941-0223, 220 S. Villa Avenue. A time capsule into the development of the western suburbs, this small museum has a knowledgeable staff and makes for a memorable watering stop along the path.

Hungry hikers and bikers passing through Wheaton can try Egg'lectic Café on 145 N. Hale Street, (630) 690-9001, and Suzette's Creperie, (630) 462-0898, at 211 W. Front Street. Jack Straw's is a classic hot dog stand at 221 W. Naperville Road (about two blocks south of the Prairie Path). Tate's Premium Homemade Ice Cream is at 109 S. Front Street. Also downtown, the DuPage Art League Gallery, (630) 653-7090, at 218 W. Front Street, and the DuPage County Illinois Historical Museum, (630) 682-7343, at 102 E. Wesley Street, offer a break from exercise. Adams Park, across from the museum, is a great place to picnic.

The I & M Canal Trail

This former towpath for barges parallels the Illinois & Michigan Canal, uncovering the region's natural and cultural heritage as it goes. An attractive crushed limestone path runs past state parks and preserves along the way, as well as preserved historic buildings and handsome Civilian Conservation Corps shelters. Visitors will see a variety of waterfowl, including wood ducks, great blue herons, white egrets, and green ducks. Violets, phlox, bluebells, trout lilies, and white trilliums also adorn the trailsides. The woodlands along the river include cottonwoods, sycamores, and maples.

One pleasant section of the I & M Canal Trail begins in Channahon State Park, right off Route 6 in Channahon, Illinois (take exit 248 from I-55). The park's amenities, including parking, restrooms, picnic areas, campgrounds, and water, make it a good point of departure. The 15-mile path from Channahon to Morris follows the canal past the bluffs and ravines of McKinley Woods (about 3 miles) and the restful Gebhard Woods (about 6 miles). Keep a lookout along the trail for the historic locktender's houses, Nettle Creek Aqueduct, and other restored structures. Downtown Morris offers interesting shops and restaurants and retains much of its historic character.

Visitors can find convenient food options within five blocks of the trail in Channahon. Pizza for "U", (815) 467-4344, located at 25356 W. Eames, serves subs, pizza, and sandwiches that are easy to pick up on the way to or from the trail, and Dari Castle, (815) 467-6350, at the intersection of Route 6 and Canal Street, offers ice cream and food that is perfect for weary summer bikers.

Resources
The Complete Grand Illinois Trail Guidebook (FirstServePress, 2003) by Todd Volker explores the possibilities and resources the trail offers travelers. To order guides, contact FirstServePress at (800) 433-8868. Price per copy is $19.95 plus $1.75 shipping and $1.60 sales tax.

The League of Illinois Bicyclists' extensive Web site offers profiles of each section of the Grand Illinois Trail, as well as other trails in Illinois. The site also provides turn-by-turn "cue sheets" for established routes.

See the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Grand Illinois Trail site to learn about their "Trail Blazer" program, which includes a checkpoint map. For a printed copy of the Grand Illinois Trail map, contact the IDNR at (815) 625-2968.

See the American Discovery Trail map of the Illinois portions of the trail (including the Grand Illinois Trail). They also have detailed trail description of portions of the northern route (scroll down), including the Indiana state line to Joliet (60 miles), Joliet to Bureau Junction (79 miles), and Bureau Junction to the Iowa line at Rock Island (80 miles). They also have detailed maps available for purchase.

See also CW's write-up on bicycle touring of Bliss Woods, which connects to the Grand Illinois Trail.

The Illinois Prairie Path organization has a good black-and-white overview map of the Grand Illinois Trail for printing. Click on the image for a larger view.

Trail Resources has printed maps for sale of many Illinois trails, including sections of the Grand Illinois Trail.

— Todd Volker