GPS Coordinates:
N 40.81296; W 89.62976
Site Access:
Free; Fee for camping
Parking
Amenities: Information; Restrooms; Hiking; Biking; Driving; Camping; Viewing Platform; Picnic; Water Fountain
Directions:
From the intersection of I 74 and Exit 91/University Street in Peoria, go west on I 74 for 2.2 miles to Exit 87B/SR (State Route) 6. Merge onto SR 6 west towards Chillicothe. Travel 5.0 miles to the Allen Rd. exit. Turn north (left) onto Allen Rd. and travel 0.9 miles. Follow the curve in the road to the left onto Alta Lane and go 0.7 miles to the parking entrance on the right.
Description:
Established in 1871 the Rock Island Railroad busily carried freight and passengers between Peoria and Rock Island for over 40 years. By 1915,
however, rail volume declined and ceased altogether by the mid-twentieth century. Peoria's Forest Park Foundation acquired the abandoned railway in 1965 and deeded it over to the state. Since that time, the Illinois Department
of Natural Resources has converted a 26-mile segment between Alta and
Toulon into a hiking/biking/nature trail system, dedicating it as a state park in 1989.
Running through a mosaic of regenerated forest and tallgrass prairie habitats, the trail offers improved access at its southern terminus in Alta, at the Kickapoo Creek Recreation Area (just north of Alta), at the Williams Street Depot Museum in Wyoming (where the park office is located), and at the trail head in Toulon. Parking-only access is also offered at Dunlap and off of Cedar Bluff Road at the Peoria/Stark county line.
The trail accommodates a wide range of outdoor activities from long-term through-hiking, biking and primitive camping, to shorter day-use outings like bird and butterfly watching, wildflower touring, picnicking and the like.
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Statement
456 Fulton Street, Suite 300, Peoria, IL 61602 - 1 (800) 747-0302
www.peoria.org/goto/nature |
