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| Cycling in the Midwest | |||||||
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The Midwest is criss-crossed with beautiful bicycle and walking trails, which become even more enticing when autumn colors
paint the landscape. By Jinny Ravenscroft Danzer |
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| Cycling and walking trails have mushroomed in the Midwest in the past few years. They lead along rivers and through city centers, rolling farmland and cypress swamps. This fall, consider enjoying seasonal color found along these bikeways. Here are a few favorite trails to explore. Tunnell Hill State Trail Southern Illinois This trail has many interesting features, including rolling farmland, a 543-foot-long tunnel, several rock cuts, an ancient cypress-tupelo swamp and 21 bridges, including a towering 450-foot-long trestle. It follows a series of railroad beds that carried apples, peaches, coal, salt and wood products from the Cache River area. The crushed limestone trail is 45 miles long, with one end at Harrisburg and the other at Karnak, plus a spur to the new Henry Barkhausen Wetlands Center. The trail runs close to the Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, the Cache River State Natural Area and two other preserves, which feature trails, boardwalks through the swamps, and a canoe trail leading to a 1,000-year-old bald cypress. An old railway depot serves as a visitor center in Vienna. Campgrounds, motels or bed-and-breakfast inns provide overnight accommodations. Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail Southwest Illinois Starting in Alton, this 20-mile asphalt trail leads beneath towering white bluffs along the Mississippi River, then follows the Illinois River to Pere Marquette State Park north of Grafton. The route parallels the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway. Something is always going on along this bikeway. You can visit the National Great Rivers Museum in Alton, watch barges, go fishing and look for turtles or great grey herons along the riverbanks. Visitors flock to the area to pick apples in September, exclaim over the blaze of red maple leaves against the white palisades in October and watch eagles in winter. The route passes the Raging Rivers Water Park, a visitor center, and three historic towns settled in the 19th century–Alton, Grafton and tiny Elsah. They are known for antique shops, art galleries, bed-and-breakfast inns and fish, sandwich and pie restaurants. The trail ends at Pere Marquette State Park, a hilly, wooded park with a rustic lodge overlooking the Illinois River. St. Louis Riverfront Trail St. Louis, Mo. This paved trail currently runs 11 miles along the Missouri side of the Mississippi. Trailheads are located at the Laclede Power Center north of the Gateway Arch and the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, part of historic Route 66. This unusual 1-mile-long bridge with a 40-degree turn in the middle is a good place to see eagles in winter. Large trees shade the path along the river. It then passes near old north St. Louis neighborhoods like Baden and Hyde Park. Riders can make a detour to sample one of the scrumptious desserts at the venerable Crown Candy Company, 1401 St. Louis Ave. Other sites along the trail include a colorful mural on a floodwall near Laclede's Landing, a riverfront entertainment area with restaurants, nightclubs and a riverboat casino. Ride several blocks farther on city streets to the Gateway Arch. Grant’s Trail South St. Louis County This paved trail–popular with bikers, walkers and inline skaters–leads 6 miles from the Orlando Gardens banquet center trailhead through woodland along Gravois Creek. You’ll ramble past tidy backyards, ball fields, horse and llama pastures and the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. The trail currently ends near Clydesdale horse pastures at Grant’s Farm, a popular St. Louis tourist attraction. Several nature walks and the St. Louis BMX Bicycle Park, an area with hills and mounds for bikers, adjoin Grant’s Trail. A side trail to Clydesdale Park is under construction. Missouri’s Katy Trail The jewel in the crown of Missouri’s trails is the 225-mile-long Katy Trail State Park. The Katy Trail follows the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad bed along the Missouri River from St. Charles to Boonville, then heads south through Sedalia to Clinton. Many people take short half-day walks or rides, while others spend several days on the trail, camping or staying in nearby inns or motels. The trail is known for towering river bluffs and views of the Missouri River. Other attractions include pleasant small towns like Augusta and Rocheport. The historic towns of St. Charles, Boonville, Sedalia and Clinton have museums, interesting shops, charming main streets and state historic sites. Wineries abut the trail in a number of places. Trolley Track Trail Kansas City, Mo. The popular Trolley Track Trail leads south from Volker Boulevard south of the Country Club Plaza, crosses Brush Creek and continues for 6.5 miles past several parks and through interesting Kansas City neighborhoods. Brookside, which contains small shops, churches and houses, was started in the 1920s by J.C. Nichols, developer of Country Club Plaza. Waldo, another neighborhood, has some nice restaurants. The crushed limestone trail then continues south through neighborhoods that were built in the 1940s and 1950s to 85th Street. South of 85th Street, a two-mile section is asphalt. It will eventually hook up with a regional and state trail system. Country Club Plaza–with its Spanish-style architecture, sculptures, fountains, restaurants, hotels and shopping–is a great place to explore at the start or finish of the ride. Riverfront Heritage Trail Kansas City, Mo. This 9-mile long pedestrian and bicycle path is almost halfway complete. It will be part of an 18-mile greenway that will link Berkley Riverfront Park, the River Market, downtown, Quality Hill, the Westside, Penn Valley Park and come close to Union Station. It will cross the Kansas River and connect with Amourdale, Strawberry Hill and Huron Park in Kansas City, Kan. The completed part runs through the historic River Market neighborhood and the immediate riverfront area. Public art, historical markers, lighted bridges and numerous attractions will enhance the trail. These include a 17-acre archaeological site preserving the original settlement of Kansas City, the Steamboat Arabia Museum and the city market, a farmers market dating to the 1850s. These trails are only a few of the choices. Explore one of these–or blaze your own trail–to enjoy the area’s plentiful autumn riches. Jinny Danzer is an avid cyclist and contributor from St. Louis, Mo. |
 Above: The Katy Trail State Park in Missouri streches 225 miles through scenic countrysides. Missouri Division of Tourism photo Below: The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in north St. Louis County offers a great view of the Mississippi River. Missouri Division of Tourism photo 
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