Trails provide unique recreational opportunities

Illinois' First Trail Appreciation Day will feature
nature walks, group bicycle rides, running
competitions and other exciting activities.

(Photo Courtesy of the Batavia Chronicle.)

By Maria Gursh

May 7 will mark the first Trail Appreciation Day in Illinois.

Sponsored by the Illinois State Chapter of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the celebration will highlight the many trail resources available in Illinois, as well as publicize the need for more trails as their popularity increases.

Local involvement

In response to Gov. Jim Thompson's expected proclamation officially declaring Illinois Trail Appreciation Day, trail organizations throughout the State will hold special activities in conjunction with the event. Nature walks, group bicycle rides and running competitions are among the various promotions planned for May 7.

Each activity on its own will promote the attributes of a particular trail. Together, as a statewide celebration, the events will build public awareness of the many oppor-

Illinois Parks and Recreation 17 March/April 1988

Trail appreciation

tunities for recreation on trails throughout the State. Most of all, the special events will demonstrate that trails are unique recreational assets that people can enjoy in various ways.

Among the many trails expected to participate in Illinois Trail Appreciation Day are the:

• FAST Trail, located northeast of the Quad Cities along the Mississippi River and named for the four communities which serve as the trail's sponsor (Fulton, Albany, Savanna and Thomson).

• Old Plank Road Trail, rich with prairie areas, in southern Cook and Will Counties.

• Fox River Trail, located along the scenic Fox River valley in Kane County.

• Illinois Prairie Path, the classic urban rail-trail conversion, well-known throughout the U.S.

• Vadalabene Bikeway, which snakes along the Mississippi River under towering adjacent bluffs, and Vadalabene Trail, both located in the St. Louis Metro-East area.

State trails

The Rock Island Trail, a 26-mile former railroad right-of-way northwest of Peoria, is one of three State-owned trails which will be featured on Trail Appreciation Day. State parks along the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Hen-nepin Canal, both in northern Illinois, also offer trail-oriented recreation enriched by historic waterways.

Trail information

Participating trails will have maps available with special points of interest noted. In addition, the Illinois Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the Illinois Department of

Conservation are developing a brochure showing the location of trails throughout the State, including such information as trail distances, surfaces and activities. Special posters and public service announcements will help spread the word about Trail Appreciation Day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Maria Gursh is the statewide outdoor recreation planner for the Illinois Department of Conservation.

If you use trails, would like to use trails, or know people in your community who are sponsoring a special trail event, plan to help celebrate Illinois' growing trail resources on May 7. For more information, contact James Mackay, State Chairman, Illinois Chapter, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 1356 B Woodcutter Ln., Wheaton, IL 60187. Phone (312) 653-3797.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 18 March/April 1988