Skip
Navigation
|
Sam Vadalabene Trail, Illinois This 21.5-mile scenic rail-trail offers visitors a variety of recreational experiences along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. From IL Department of Transportation. IL Department of Natural Recources,
and the City of Grafton, IL
The Vadalabene Trail is exceptionally scenic. The vertical river bluffs frame broad views of the river. The trail provides the bicyclist or hiker with a riverfront travelling experience. Part of the route is on marked shoulders of the Great River Road and part is on a separate railtrail pathway directly adjacent. Both provide memorable river perspectives. A contrasting experience is at the trail's other end where the route takes the trail up into the wooded river bluffs, with the challenge and accomplishment of steeper grades. Between the two is the Grafton section of trail, which takes the visitor to shops, restaurants, and alongside the Illinois River. Located at the northern edge of the St. Louis metropolitan area, the The Vadalabene Trail connects with the Confluence Trail to the Madison County system of trails. This system in turn connects the The Vadalabene via the Clark Bridge to Missouri's Katy Trail.
Named for Illinois state senator Sam A. Vadalabene, the trail is one of the oldest in the St. Louis area, with 15 miles completed between 1976 and 1979. The trail's orignial 15.5-mile southeastern section is managed by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The Illinois Department of Natural Recources extended the trail to Pere Marquette State Park in the late 1980s and manages this five-mile section. The City of Grafton developed and manages a two-mile section within Grafton. For more information: Illinois Department of Natural Recources The National Recreation Trails Program |
|
|
The
on-line
database has details on the designated National Recreation Trails.
The NRT Program online is hosted by American Trails: www.AmericanTrails.org
Promote your
trail through the National Recreation Trails
Program
Need trail skills
and education? Do you provide training? Join the National
Trails Training Partnership!
The NTTP
Online Calendar connects you with courses, conferences, and trail-related
training
Updated May 28, 2007
American Trails home | Contact us | Mission | Board of directors | Members | Site map | Copyright | NRT | NTTP
The
Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail offers an up-close experience
of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. It travels at the edge of the
Mississippi tucked against the river bluffs, and then along the bank
of the Illinois. It climbs and winds through the oak-hickory bluffs
of the Illinois within Pere Marquette State Park. The trail brings the
visitor to river communities including the venerable, historic city
of Alton, the remarkably preserved village of Elsah, and the revitalized
river town of Grafton. The Vadalabene Trail is within the Great river
road corridor and the Meeting of the Great rivers National Scenic Byway.
It is also a designated segment of the Mississippi River Trail.
