Map of bike paths / walking paths in the Rockford area

Recreational trails for walking, running and cycling in Rockford, Illinois

Rockford is located in Winnebago County in Northern Illinois. The city is located 80 miles northwest of Chicago and 14 miles south of the border with Wisconsin. The city is situated along the Rock River. Other communities in the area include: Rockton, Roscoe, Belvidere and Poplar Grove.

The area around Rockford has a number of recreational trails for walking, running or riding a bike. A few of these paths are lengthy regional trails that extend out into other nearby communities. Other trails wander along the river or through residential neighborhoods and local parks.

Rock River Rec Path & Riverfront Pathways

The Rock River Rec Path is a system of pathways located along the riverfront. The pathways go past several local parks, marinas and Downtown Rockford. The pathways are in separate locations and trail users will need to travel along the street or sidewalks to get from one section to another. Not all areas of the riverfront paths allow bike riding. There are sidewalks along many of the bridges downtown for crossing the river.

The Rock River Rec Path goes through the following Rockford parks and other points of interest: Davis Park, Beattie Park, Burpee Museum of Natural History, Discovery Center Museum, ID Pennock Family YMCA, Nichols Conservatory and Gardens, Sinnissippi Park, River Front Park, Shorewood Park, Martin Memorial Park, Sportsscore One and Winnebago County Forest Preserve.

Perryville Path

The Perryville Path is a 6.7-mile long paved pathway that extends from Rock Cut State Park to Argus Drive north of E. State Street. The pathway follows alongside N. Perryville Road on the east side of Rockford.

Mel Anderson Memorial Path

The Mel Anderson Memorial Path is a 3-mile long paved pathway located on the north side of Rockford. The path extends from Lockwood Park Trailside Equestiran Center to Talcott Page Park. The path also goes past Rockford BMX Club and Searls Park.

Pecatonica Prairie Trail

The Pecatonica Prairie Trail is located to the west of Rockford. It is a 12.7-mile long mostly unpaved pathway that was contructed along an abandoned railroad right-of-way.The trail has an improved surface of crushed limestone.

The trail starts at 1.2 miles west of the community of Pecatonica near Goeke Road. It then heads to the east and goes past the Winnebago County Fairgrounds and Summer Park, then crosses through the town. Within the town of Pecatonica, the trail is paved.

The trail then heads to the southeast and goes under Highway 20 and then through the community of Winnebago. The east end of the Pecatonica Prairie Trail is located on S. Meridian Road, just north of Cunningham Road.

Long Prairie Trail

The Long Praire Trail is a 15-mile long mostly unpaved pathway located to the northeast of Rockford. The trail goes across wide open farmland and through the cities of Poplar Grove and Capron. The east end of the Long Prairie Trail meets up with the Stone Bridge Trail which extends as far as Rockton.

Read more about the Long Prairie Trail

Stone Bridge Trail

The Stone Bridge Trail is a 5.8-mile long unpaved pathway that was constructed along an abandoned railroad right-of-way. The north end of the Stone Bridge Trail is located at the intersection of E. Rockton road and N. 2nd Street, Highway 251, in the community of Rockton, north of Rockford. The trail heads to the southeast from this location. The trail intersects with the Hononegah Rec Path in two locations in the community of Roscoe.

At the south end of Roscoe, the Stone Bridge Trail curves to the east. The trail ends at McMichael Road. This is the location where the Long Praire Trail begins.

Read more about the Stone Bridge Trail

Hononegah Rec Path

The Hononegah Rec Path is a system of paved pathways located in the communities of Roscoe and Rockton, north of Rockford. There are more than 5 miles of paved path in the system. The trail system extends from Hononegah High School near Settler's Park in the middle of Rockton to where the path intersects the Stone Bridge Trail in two locations.

Kishwaukee Riverfront Path

The Kishwaukee Riverfront Path is a system of paved pathways located in the City of Belvidere. The path wanders through the parks located along the Kishwaukee River on either side of Appleton Road. The path goes through Spencer Park and Belvidere Municipal Park. There are a couple of bridges for crossing the river along the path.

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Resources

Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the recreational trails located in Rockford in Northern Illinois