Bike-Friendly Illinois Map
Ride Illinois has collected some useful and interesting information about bicycling in the Land of Lincoln on our Bike-Friendly Illinois map. Send feedback, edits, and suggestions for additional, useful information to add to this map to info@rideillinois.org.
IDOT Bicycle Maps
The Illinois Department of Transportation publishes bicycle maps of each of its nine districts across the state. In addition to many trails, the map includes comfort level ratings (“Bicycle Level of Service”) calculated for all the roadways in its database.
IDOT’s database include almost all rural roads, but only major roads in urban areas. As a result, the maps are an excellent resource for rural bicycling, but less so in urban areas – where cyclists generally use quieter roads not in IDOT’s database.
State and City Bike Maps
Aurora Bike Map
Ride Illinois and the City of Aurora have developed a free 24″ x 18.25″ map which suggests routes for bicycle travel throughout Aurora. The front of the map shows trails and preferred road routes. The back of the map provides resources and useful information for safer biking, plus bus routes and bikes on transit information.
Printed copies of the map are available at Aurora City Hall or download the pdfs below.
Champaign-Urbana
Ride Illinois and Champaign County Bikes have partnered on maps suggesting routes for bicycle travel throughout the Champaign-Urbana area. The back of the map provides resources and useful information for safer biking. Download the 2014 edition:
Chicago
The City of Chicago’s Bicycle Program publishes a map of the city’s ever-expanding network of designated bike routes. The map is frequently updated as new bike routes are established. Chicago's transportation network includes over 500 miles of installed or under construction on-street bikeways and off-street trails.
Decatur
Ride Illinois, in partnership with the Decatur Bicycle Club (DBC) and the Decatur Urbanized Area Transportation Study (DUATS), developed a bike map which suggests routes for bicycle travel throughout the Decatur area. The back of the 20″ x 18″ map provides resources and useful information for safer biking.
Kane/Kendall County
Grab your bike, bring along a map, and discover where in Kane County the Bikeway System can take you! Visit cities and villages along the five major regional trails within Kane County: The Fox River Trail, The Great Western Trail, The Virgil Gilman Trail, the four spurs of The Illinois Prairie Path, and the developing Mid-County Trail. These regional trails are connected to an extensive local bikeway system that can take you across Kane County, through our historic downtowns, along the scenic Fox River, and by our farmlands, prairies, and open space.
Quad Cities
Ride Illinois and the Quad Cities Bicycle Club developed a fifth edition of this map which suggests routes for bicycle travel throughout the Quad Cities area. The back of the map provides resources and useful information for safer biking.
Springfield
Ride Illinois developed a map which suggests routes for bicycle travel throughout the Springfield area. The back of the map provides resources and useful information for safer biking.
Additional Maps & Guides
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The Grand Illinois Trail is a 535-mile loop trail in northern Illinois. It extends from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi along the northern border of Illinois. The trail then loops back across the state along the Illinois River and the Hennepin Canal. Approximately 200 miles is on paved township and county roads while the rest is on limestone trails or paths.
Ride Illinois and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources partnered to develop a downloadable Grand Illinois Trail Guide to help promote the use of the beautiful long distance bicycle routes in our state.
The guide divides the trail into ten segments, each with a map and “clockwise”-oriented cue sheet for directions and local features to enjoy. You’ll find nearby accommodations including lodging, camping, food, and bike repair. Detailed maps guide you through areas with many turns.
Download Ride Illinois’ Grand Illinois Trail Guide.
Ride With GPS segments of the Grand Illinois Trail are also available.
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The long-term plan is to connect the Rock Island State Trail in the Peoria area with the Route 66 Trail in Bloomington-Normal, and eventually north to the I&M Canal Trail, by developing off-road paths and comfortable on-road routes for bicyclists, hikers, and more. Meanwhile, define an interim route that can be used right away while building the project’s momentum. The evolving corridor between Peoria and Bloomington is called the Mackinaw Valley Trail.
Below are links to detailed cue sheets:
Ride Illinois, the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC), and Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) introduced a vision of exploring the sights, cities, towns, and rural areas of Central Illinois at a slower pace.
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The Mississippi River Trail (MRT) is a 10-state bicycling route in the process of development. It travels over 2000 continuous miles, on each side of the river, between the headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota and the Gulf of Mexico. When complete, the route will consist of trails and bike-friendly roads, with “MRT” signs identifying the way.
In Illinois, the MRT route traverses some of the state’s most diverse landscapes. Steep bluff lands in the “unglaciated” northwest region around Galena provide picturesque scenic beauty amidst small towns and wooded areas. Beyond the industrial communities of Moline and Rock Island, the topography flattens out, and the MRT traverses areas of rich farming country. South of the metropolitan St. Louis area, riders will enter the Delta, where flat river bottom lands provide miles of great cycling.
Download our Mississippi River Trail Guide
Below are links to detailed routes of each segment:
Partners working on the Illinois MRT include government agencies such as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the Bi-State Regional Commission.
Note: this guide was developed in 2004. Be sure to check whether amenities along the route are still in business.
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The long-term plan is to develop a Route 66 Trail system of off-road paths and comfortable roads for bicycles, equestrians, hikers, and more. Meanwhile, define an interim route that can be used right away while building the project’s momentum. Our Route 66 Trail Guide is that product.
The result, dubbed “Illinois’ Route 66 Trail,” spans 369 miles from Chicago’s Art Institute and Millenium Park’s “Bean”, to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge – a dedicated bike/pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi River just north of St. Louis. The present route consists of mostly quiet rural roads with 50+ miles of off-road trails and some city streets, and mirrors the signed Historic Route 66 auto route as much as possible.
The Route 66 Trail Guide will help with planning your trip.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Route 66 Concept Plan offers information about the development of the trail.
Below are links to detailed routes of each segment:
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Below are links to other useful bike and trail maps and resources: