There are more than ONE Great River Trail. I guess that’s the place to start off today.
There is, of course, The Great River ROAD — that is a 10 state series of routes that parallel the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana. You’ll hear it called “road”, “route”, “trail,” etc. That’s NOT the one we’re talking about today.
There is also the Great River STATE Trail. That is a 14 mile section of bike and hiking trail in Wisconsin between Trempeleau and La Crosse. That is NOT the one we’re talking about today.
Instead, we’re talking about the Great River Trail in ILLINOIS! Right where we are now. There are a variety of information sources about this route, I happen to like this one by TrailLink, a Rails to Trails conservancy. The ILLINOIS DNR has a map too.
This Great River Trail is 60 miles long. It is almost completely paved, and it’s lovely. Extending from Savanna at the north to Moline on the South it follows the river closely, is largely dedicated trail (as opposed to routing you on highway) and for an up close and personal look at Western Illinois and the Mississippi Valley you’ll be hard pressed to get a better impression of the area than biking this trail.
We don’t currently have bikes, but we have walked sections of the trail and even on foot it deserves recommendation. Maybe some day we’ll buy some more. But who knows. In the mean time why don’t YOU go enjoy the ride. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll talk with you tomorrow.
