I & M Canal Bike Trail

 I & M Canal Bike Trail – website

Location: Willow St. & Old Willow Spring Road, Willow Springs (approximately)

Driving directions: At the intersection of Archer Road and Willow Street in Willow Springs, head Northeast on Willow Street. Follow Willow Street (you’ll turn right) and take the first left onto Old Willow Springs Road. Cross the railroad tracks and turn left into the parking lot.

Public transportation: The trails are next to the Metra Willow Springs Station.

Hours: Sunrise to sunset

Bathrooms: There are private men’s & women’s bathrooms at the head of the trail. There are no changing tables.

Food: There are picnic tables at the head of the trail. There are a couple small clearings along the trails, although they may not be quite big enough for a picnic. There are restaurants nearby, including Sma’s Hot Dogs, located at Archer & Willow. Ashbary Coffee House and Tropical Sno, a seasonal sno-cone stand, are located at Archer and Willow Springs Road.

We paid: Nothing. Or approximately $110. There’s no cost for the bike trail, but we purchased a bike trailer (which doubles as a stoller) on Craigslist for about $70 and two bike helmets at Target for about $20 each. We see it as a pretty good investment because we like biking and plan to do it in the future.

Our experience: We recently went on a short bike ride to test out our bikes and see how the boys did in the bike trailer. We didn’t complete a full loop, but went about 2 miles and then turned around. We enjoyed the ride and so did the boys. The area is wooded and the canal runs alongside the trail. It was very peaceful and pleasant. There were other bikers and walkers on the trail, but it was not crowded at all. We had a very nice afternoon and we’re excited to return (as soon as we get our bikes tuned up by a professional).