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Tags:
Level: Intermediate
Length: 4 mi (6.4 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Loop
Elevation: +34/ -28 ft
Total: 15 riders
Mountain Biking I.C. Rail Trail
#28 of 128 mountain bike trails in Illinois
The trails consist of mainly hard-pack dirt with some rock and portions of pavement in between the sections. The single-track has a nice mixture of smooth flowing trail and tighter technical terrain. Obstacles include logs, small ravines, slight off camber trail sections, inclines, rollers, small jumps (optional), berms, gravity dips, low clearance, tight tree sections, roots, stumps and some rocks. Some of the obstacles have go-around options. The varied obstacles are the weather and vegetation. The trails are multi-use and are open year round to walkers, hikers, runners and bikers. Bicyclists are asked to ride the trails counter-clockwise (ascending numerical order) while other users are asked to travel in a clockwise (descending numerical order) for visibility and safety. This trail is not open to horses.
First added by tgro on Nov 22, 2015. Last updated Apr 23, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: yes
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: yes
- Fat bike grooming: yes
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
The I.C. Rail Trail can be accessed from four different locations,
1. Via the Lowell Parkway Trail (bike path) starting at the parking lot on Washington St.
2. Via the gravel road leading from the dog park at the end of Washington St. out to the Meadows Park trails. There is a parking lot at the dog park.
3. Lowell Park via the connector trail to the Lowell Parkway Trail (bike path). Parking is at the Nature center.
4. At the intersection of Lowell Park Road and the Joe Stengel Trail/Lowell Park Trail. There is no parking at this entrance.
My son and i really enjoyed this trail. It primarily runs alongside the multi-use rail trail on both sides. It is certainly not like the rail trail, however. There was a volunteer working in the loop near the dog park who had just finished clearing a downed tree. We asked if the was ok to ride because it was damp and a bit greasy. He told us it was fine, so off we went. The singletrack that follows the rail trail has a few obstacles, which can be bypassed. It was a bit difficult because it was so slick, but we definitely had a blast!
| ThankDecent start to a trail system. I was informed by the park ranger who I bumped into while riding that a local bike club set these trails up and routinely maintains them. Hats off to the bike club, you can clearly see they have put some time into these trails. There are two main trails in this system as far as single track goes. Both trails follow alongside what appears to be an old railroad track that has since been converted to a paved bike path. These two sections of trail are directional for bikes, and the joggers are asked to run the trail in reverse. The two single track trails only total about 5 to 6 miles MAYBE. There is also a gravel path that is open to horses, joggers, bikes, and snowmobiles that raps down to the river and over to Lowell state park. I spent about an hour and a half here and had hit every trail I could find. The maps at the trail heads do not depict the mountain bike trails so I was bit lost when I first got to the park, however the trails are marked for bikes once you get to the trail heads. I would love to see the bike club post on singletrack. Not really sure who they are or who maintains this but they have done a nice job with the few single track trails they have built so far. They seem to have a lot more room out there for future expansion. Hope to see more trails and thanks to the folks who put the time in to build these and make them available to the public. I have a map of the route I did last night and will see what I can do to post that up. There are several parking lots available if you are commuting. Again, if I can get my map posted I will depict where I parked. Hope this helps, happy trails!!
| Thankquite a blast for our family. We are pretty new to mountain biking, and this was definitely a challenging trail for us. lots of pretty steep, short downhills and climbs. definitely our favorite trail near us. not as much trails as rock cut, but more intense than any we've ridden at rock cut.
| ThankFun trail with something for everybody. First couple sections of single track flow pretty well and will give your legs and lungs a workout with a couple nice climbs. Middle section is tight and fast as you ride thru the "Chain Link Gauntlet". A few fun stunts and log piles. The back half starts out tight and twisty then finishes off with fast, flowy section with a few small berms. Ride on in to Lowell Park and follow the road down to the beautiful Rock River. Make sure and stop at the scenic overlook. You'll feel like you are in Colorado. The climb out will make your lungs burn. On the way back to the trail head take a ride thru the Meadows double track. Pretty easy to get a 10 mile ride in, get a good workout, and see some beautiful sights.
| ThankDixon's first official section of single track trail open to mountain bikes. Nice mixture of trail with something for just about everyone.
| Thank