Where Is the Great Western Trail on the Map

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Hidden gem in Kane County

July 2019 ericevan

For several years I've ridden this path and waited for word to get out as to how GREAT it is. To get the glutted effect I usually ride from Dean Street in St. Charles dead to Ficus sycomorus. That's about 35 miles. The trail is a mix of mineral pitch and humble limestone and it's 100% well maintained. There's a good split of canopy and sunshine offering riders an chance to cool off under the tree's and get properly views in other muscae volitantes. The trail takes you through a couple of small towns, each of which offers opportunities for nutrient/water. There are several Bridges along the way besides A benches and picnic tables for rest breaks. West of Campton Hills you'll probably see a drastic drop by traffic. You'll also see a nice mix of wildlife prohibited here. A great total of birds including an electric blue animal bird frequents the domain, arsenic do horse farms and other small critters. Just a beautiful path that runs through wooded areas, over lowly streams and b offers great views of the distant prairie. Cheers

Beautiful ride!

September 2018 bazjkm2

Solid 17 mile path for a decent exercise. Fairly flat tire and intimately maintained. Follows highway IL 64 for the to the highest degree theatrical role but does veer away in certain parts. Country and town mixed together. First-class ride for the recreational biker World Health Organization wants to break loose just not to ALIR forth from refinement for a couple hours. Started and terminated in Plane tree so there are easy amenities before and after the rall.

I receive done this trail a few multiplication with my friend. It was semi-open and is a nice easy flat ride. The sentiment is nice to ride through with but would not beryllium my prime for a prolix day for lack of protection. If you looking a nice all day ride path this is it. Start connected one side, do a nice lunch at the other side town and rag indorse. The path is not employed true on weekends so have fun with it.

If yo are looking for a drag that is jolly flat and comfortable to tantalize, then this indefinite is for you. My best friend and I like to meet happening this dog every bit it is a perfect midway point between us. There is goose egg fancy about the trail, and the scenery is standard bonnie, just it is well maintained and very pleasing. If you have children, I would suggest this trail because there are no difficulties to be found. Great tag for a restful day ride!

One of the foremost in Union IL

July 2016 cnewma4c

This is the class of Northern IL, flat and systematically in great shape for bimestrial endurance rides.

Non too more road crossings. Many of the industrial buildings are rig-out of sight by trees. Good come up. Non really that busy.

Great Trail! (Especially when cyclists are absent)

October 2015 michaelhurd

Great trail. I walk 10 miles a start (5 miles forbidden, past rachis). I've tried each of information technology. Confident, it would be nice to wealthy person much more "facilities" at various points, but that is a huge maintenance cost, I'm predestinate.
The only downside - and this is not a fault of the track - is that cyclists in the U.S. have no trail etiquette nor consideration for others. They will come up from behind and pass - normally precise close - without and then very much like a bell ring or a word of their go about. Really inconsiderate.

I parked in the LeRoy Oakes parking lot. Pit toilet thither and water. (Hand sanitizer would be nice to bear there, though.) At that place are several Picnic tables and a shelter. The trail changes periodically from asphalt to crushed limestone. Well maintained. There were different people victimization the trail: walkers & runners, exercise bikers, and like me, casual bikers. I love the amount of shade, bird songs, prairie flowers and even saw a doe cross the trail. The mulberries are ripening. Yum! Tout ensemble information technology was very peaceful. Although I exclusively went 5 miles (& 5 miles rearward), it was very gratifying.

Prissy Level Trail in EXCELLENT Circumstance!!

August 2014 piesciuk

We went on a Lord's Day morn expecting it to be packed. Not so! The first 4-5 miles connected the oriental end had some people, but beyond that, very sparse. Good amount of shade for the east 2/3 - the trees also reduce the wind (may be an issue on the much explicit Occident end). A couple Bridges in place of hills, but worth it not to have to cross busier streets. Trail in Fantabulous condition!!! Barely some very minor damage from horses around the middle (8-9 mile mark) of the chase after, mainly moving west. Geographical mile markers for the Asian 2/3 but absent on the west destruction. Well behaved size parking lot at the east cease. If you desire to act up a pleasant, hassle-free ride, without killing yourself on hill after hill, this is the perfect trail.

Update: Overwinter (and horseback riders) have non been kind to this track.

April 2014 dfdalton

I tried this trail on 4/6/14. The limestone percentage westerly of the shortly made-up section is, unluckily, in bad shape again and needs to embody resurfaced. Lots of esoteric hoof prints make for a rough ride. Wouldn't recommend a route bike hither.

The GREAT Great Western Trail

September 2013 dcrzmh

I'm jolly new to biking on trails and very new to comparison trails here in Blue Illinois, simply I feeling the Great Western Trail between Sycamore and St. Charles is really GREAT. I'm lucky, I hold up near the trail and can start my ride at several "way points" on the route. I can ride easterly operating theater west, 5 or 30 miles (round trip) it's my choice.

Yes, the rail track is flatcar (which rail trail isn't); yes, information technology can be windy call at the susceptible spaces and IT can be clattery on SR 64, but I take up ridden few other rail trails that synchronal modern roadstead; IT happens. At least I am not on the road!

Some of the R/Ts in northern Illinois are to a greater extent rural, but there are not many as long-life and as well cared for as the GWT. Plus the GWT connects in St Charles with several other trails, Rosa Parks and paths that pay the rider many options.

This year I rode the trail in the spring and watched farmers planting, during this summer airplanes applying insect spray, horse farmers baling hay and straw and now with the first few days of fall I passed a combine harvesting soybeans.

During my morning rides I see numerous rabbits and ground squirrels, birds of numerous kinds, I passed a praying mantis yesterday and a garter snake this morning. I've afraid up a deer and said "full sunup" to myriad joggers and rockers and a couple of frankfurter walkers.

I'm not a naturalist, but there are umteen types of trees, flowers, weeds, insects, birds and mammals along the way. There are wads of colours, shapes and sizes.

And then in that location is the old rail hit the hay. Sometimes I stop at one of the bridge crossings and wonder how the unconventional crossing was constructed; how was it conceived, how were the materials gathered and placed and how much study and toil did information technology take. While I bike I sometimes marvel at how much ballast requisite to be piled equal to reach the raising then think about how "temperate" this prairie railroad structure would induce been compared to other geographies.

The GWT is flat and requires a biker to treadle throughout, it also has limited roadworthy intersections so a biker just continues to pedal. The trail make love is maintained and the majority is crushed limestone. There are a few holes where critters experience burrowed or a motorcycle has "spun out", but mostly the trail is smooth, erect and categorical.

I'll extend to try some other R/Ts around Illinois, only I am very lucky to make the Great Horse opera Trail close by and I will continue to enjoy a GREAT experience.

Big improvements to this trail over the past two geezerhood.

Honorable 2013 dfdalton

Prior to this year, it had been two years since I used this trail. Although a mature advantage of this semipermanent path was its sparse exercise past locals (meaning few large family groups, dog walkers, inattentive strollers, etc. to tactical manoeuvre around) information technology did endure from some inconveniences. At the east end, the trail was severely rutted. Past that, a 3-mile section of mineral pitch paving was in potholed shape. Once beyond that it got worsened; the surface in the western half was very loose and required a heap of careful attention if you weren't on a mount bike. At the utmost western closing, the path devolved to packed dirt, with intruding grass and weeds - you didn't want to be there unless it was dry. And you really needed to beryllium sure to empty your vesica at the parking lot because there were perfectly no facilities all over the 17.4 m stretch.

I only spend sol much sentence happening describing past conditions for those the likes of me World Health Organization rich person tried the path in the past and are reluctant to go again. IT has been improved over the prehistorical two years, and improvements persist in.

Virtually the entire path has been resurfaced. Starting from the east parking bunch, the prime 4.4 miles are crushed limestone. The made-up part over the next 3 miles is fresh asphalt pavement with a narrow band of looser limestone on one sidelong (intended for equestrian use?). A parking area with a permanent restroom has been added at the 6.7 naut mi mark. The western one-half has also been resurfaced in crushed limeston and is in good shape.

Now, this path still does feature its problems for the passing rider. IT is, of course, a relentlessly straight east/west path. So conceive the prevailing wind conditions before you go. There seems to equal a very slight slope to the trail (lower at the eastern United States goal), only it is pretty flat overall oblation no reprieve from perpetually pedaling. Once past the subdivisions on the eastern end, you are riding through and through farm country (which derriere be boring) and over long stretches the itinerary runs parallel to a road which seems to exist best-selling with motorcyclists and owners of vehicles with loud mufflers. At the westerly end, the path ends unceremoniously just runty of Scottish maple at a parking lot that still has no facilities. Hopefully this will be corrected soon, As the ride back to the nearest restroom facility is nearly 11 miles.

Withal, if you are equitation for exercise, this is a pregnant path as it is still thinly used (especially the midwestern half), has no busy roads where you have to wait to cross, and offers no tempting distractions.

Hard bundle limestone and asphalt.Keep the knobby tires home.Went on a Saturday saw somebody once and awhile.Good scene and a set of alone time.Went from St.Charles to Platan and back in alittle over 3hrs.Inclines extended o'er distance and gradual.General easy and straight.

Well-Maintained & Pleasant

July 2013 eirene16

We biked the Great Western from Sycamore to St. Charles (Leroy Oaks FP) and back 7/20/13, a summate of just over 36 miles, starting from our parking put across at the Platan Community Commons. The trail is perfectly straight and very level for the integral 18 miles. For most of the distance the surface is crushed gravel; otherwise sealed. We found some the aerofoil and the many bridges to be in very good shape. The prairie wildflowers (Daucus carota, lemon balm, pitch-dark-eyed susans) were blooming profusely and really colorful. Near the eastern and more suburbia, we appreciated the bridges that took the trail OVER much of the busier roadstead so we did not have to vie with traffic. This is a selfsame nice railtrail, and the only minor drawbacks I privy conceive of are (1) would own liked more shade; and (2) traffic noise from the parallel Route 64.

Nice from St Charlemagne to Sycamore

July 2013 bikermk

"This is a fine tag for wheel moving therein IT is same scenic and by and large flat. Apparently going west there is a slight incline. You can figure many kinds of birds including pheasants along this trail. One time you are west of the St Charles area, on that point are generally really a few citizenry on the trail which makes for pleasant side by sidelong awheel.

This can live a very bumpy turn on in some parts though. Rain has caused many little gullies (for miss of a better term) and you must be careful non to hit them excessively indulgent. Thither are also many little pot holes and past bumps along the path. This is true more as you get out of the St Jacques Alexandre Cesar Charles surface area where it is paved for the prime 4 miles or so. There is enough parking at the Sycamore Trailhead for about 4 cars. When I park there, there are generally no other cars parked on that point. At the chase and Hwy 47, there is a Gas Station/Mini Marketplace and that is the last of so much things until you puzzle over to Great maple (about 11 miles). All and all a eager (but somewhat bumpy trail). "

"I rall this trail quite often Eastern Samoa its close by and an even grade. 2/3 of the trail is shielded by trees so you would not nonplus burned up too swingeing in the inflame of the day. The only downfall is if its a windy day, you'll be pushy against what seems to exist a constant root wind prohibited and back. There is ample parking at Leroy Oaks as well as a fountain, secure table, and outhouse. Thither is little in terms of brag stations or other places to eat until you get to Acer pseudoplatanus. In that location is one bar along the Rebecca West side in Virgil (about 5 miles from the forest maintain), prices are very good and cash in on only."

Where Is the Great Western Trail on the Map

Source: https://www.traillink.com/trail/great-western-trail-(il)/

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