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The Great Western Bike Trail, Illinois

The Great Western Bike Trail from St. Charles, Illinois to Sycamore Illinois.

The Great Western Bike Trail - Trail head on dean Street in St. Charles.

Bridge over Hidden Oak Drive

Bridge in Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve, Sycamore.

The Great Western Trail is in North Central Illinois and runs 18 miles from St. Charles to Sycamore. It is a Rails to Trails trail originally part of the Great Western Rail Line and built by the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad in 1886. The trail is flat and you roll through the countryside past numerous small streams and wetlands. Continuous wild shrubs include Dogwood, Blackberry, and Hazelnut and merge with a few remaining patches of native prairie.

The trail parallels route 64 (North Ave) almost the whole way. This was an enjoyable trail if not the most exciting I'd ever been on. Monarch butterflies flutter around your head as your tires crunch over berries. You get a good sense of Illinois prairie and flat farmland. I was surprised that the 1st half of the trail was mostly shade covered, however the last half was mostly open farmland.

The trailhead is in St. Charles, Il on Dean Street just west of Randall Rd.

Great Western Trail Photos

Here's a photo tour of the Great Western Bike Trail from St. Charles, Illinois to Sycamore Illinois.

Great Western Bike Trail Photos 1
Great Western Bike Trail Photos 2
Great Western Bike Trail Photos 3
Great Western Bike Trail Photos 4
Great Western Bike Trail Photos 5

The Ride is the Destination