What’s a National Recreation Trail?

From ancient waterways to old rail lines, National Recreation Trails are all about moving outdoor experiences.

by American Trails Staff

The Tunnel Hill State Trail runs for 45 miles from Feazel Street in Harrisburg to Karmak in southern Illinois.

Dick Westfall of Illinois State Parks provides details on the 25 National Recreation Trails in Illinois. From ancient waterways to old rail lines, National Recreation Trails are all about moving outdoor experiences. These routes offer visitors a range of outdoor settings— cypress swamps, prairies, woodlands, lakeshores and more.

What do the Lower Cache River Trail, where you can quietly canoe through a primeval swamp, the Great River Trail, where you can bike through pleasant river towns along the mighty Mississippi, and the Moraine Hills State Park trail system, where you can see deer and other wildlife just a short drive from busy Chicago have in common? They all are National Recreation Trails.

Download the related pdf of Dick Westfall’s article “What’s a National Recreation Trail?” to learn more about 13 of Illinois’ great trails.

Attached document published April 2017

Attached Document

What’s a National Recreation Trail?

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