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Loop Trails in Illinois

The directory currently contains 50 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Illinois. Their average mapped distance is 3.2 km and average recorded ascent is 23 m (75 ft); the longest route in the set is 15.6 km.

This subset represents 31% of the 162 quality-checked routes in Illinois. Its average distance is 3.2 km, compared with 12.8 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 23 m (75 ft), versus 65 m (213 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set is classified as a loop and returns to its starting area. A loop can still reuse part of the same path. Within this set, 40 routes (80%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 50 (100%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Trails

Easy

Prairie View Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Lake
  • Alpine meadow
Easy

Fen View Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Lake
Easy

Lake Walk

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Typical duration
16 min
  • Lake
Easy

Oak View Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Typical duration
20 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Main Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
15.3 km
/ 9.5 mi
Elevation gain
65 m
Typical duration
3 hr 17 min
  • Forest
Easy

Black Oak Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Typical duration
24 min
  • Forest
Easy

Farm Pond Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Typical duration
11 min
  • Forest
Easy

Night Heron Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
3.7 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
47 min
  • Forest
Moderate

Orange Unpaved Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
9.3 km
/ 5.8 mi
Elevation gain
122 m
Typical duration
2 hr 7 min
  • Forest
Moderate

Red Paved Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
11.8 km
/ 7.3 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
2 hr 28 min
  • Forest
Easy

Riverbend Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
26 min
  • Forest
Easy

White Oak Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
8 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Forest
Moderate

Yellow East Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
15.4 km
/ 9.6 mi
Elevation gain
100 m
Typical duration
3 hr 22 min
  • Forest
Boneyard Detention Basin, Champaign, Illinois
Easy

Basin Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Typical duration
7 min
Easy

East Loop Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
15 min
Lincoln Park South Pond and Lincoln Park Zoo Nature Boardwalk in Chicago
Easy

Nature Boardwalk

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Typical duration
12 min
Easy

Lake Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
17 min
  • Lake
Easy

Black Paved Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
5.1 km
/ 3.2 mi
Typical duration
1 hr 4 min
  • Forest
Easy

Yellow Trail Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
3.6 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
14 m
Typical duration
47 min
The Sangamon River flowing through Rock Springs Conservation Area in Macon County, IL
Easy

River Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
4.9 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
1 hr 5 min
  • River
Easy

Tamarack View Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
14 m
Typical duration
1 hr
Easy

Observation Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
30 m
Typical duration
11 min
Moderate

Yellow Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
13.0 km
/ 8.1 mi
Elevation gain
81 m
Typical duration
2 hr 49 min
Moderate

River Ridge Back Pack Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
15.6 km
/ 9.7 mi
Elevation gain
264 m
Typical duration
3 hr 40 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Easy

Forest Ridge

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
36 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Moderate

Wildlife Viewing

Illinois · United States

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
31 min
  • Lake
  • Wildlife watching
Easy

Oldfield Oaks Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
12 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • Forest
Easy

South Field Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Forest
Easy

Big Oak Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
40 m
Typical duration
29 min
Easy

Bluestem Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
8 min
Easy

Trout Park

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
16 m
Typical duration
11 min
Moderate

Hawk's Cave Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
20 m
Typical duration
11 min
  • Cave
Easy

Yellow Paved Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
33 min
  • Forest
Easy

Orange Unpaved Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
36 min
Easy

Brown Unpaved Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
19 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Forest
Easy

Hiking / Ski Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
18 min
Easy

Rebman's Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
8 m
Typical duration
8 min
Easy

Central Loop Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Typical duration
11 min
Moderate

Heather Valley

Illinois · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
77 m
Typical duration
42 min
Easy

Lone Rock Trail

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
12 m
Typical duration
12 min
Easy

Sugar Maple Loop

Illinois · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.3 mi
Typical duration
7 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Prairie View TrailIllinois1.3 km7 m16 minEasyApril to October
Fen View TrailIllinois1.2 km7 m16 minEasyApril to October
Lake WalkIllinois1.3 km0 m16 minEasyApril to October
Oak View TrailIllinois1.6 km0 m20 minEasyApril to October
Main TrailIllinois15.3 km65 m3 hr 17 minModerateApril to October
Black Oak TrailIllinois1.9 km0 m24 minEasyApril to October
Farm Pond TrailIllinois0.9 km0 m11 minEasyApril to October
Night Heron TrailIllinois3.7 km7 m47 minEasyApril to October
North Island Loop TrailIllinois0.5 km0 m6 minEasyApril to October
Orange Unpaved LoopIllinois9.3 km122 m2 hr 7 minModerateApril to October

Prairie View Trail, Fen View Trail, Lake Walk currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

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