Great Western Trail

the great western trail is a great ride for me heading west from my area there are very few roads and the trail is well maintained. I have been running up and down this trail for most of my life and it is always well maintained. the only improvement I can think of would be lights but that would be a huge undertaking arms would mess up the trail for years.

A great trail! It runs much longer than you will probably need it to. Start in Lombard go over the new fancy bridges, head towards Glen Ellyn. Calm scenery and less street crossings. Enjoy the birds, squirrels, and other wild life. There are water fountains if you get thirsty.

I’ve been in the area for over a year already and love coming here. I’m over in the Ovaltine Court Factory Lofts, and this trail is practically my backyard. I have logged plenty of miles on this trail. Easy to run on and always very well kept. Plenty of people biking, running, walking, any time of the day.
Another great thing about this trail is that if you have kids, there are plenty of parks right off the trail, all relatively close from each other.
Great, scenic trail!

Good trail about 61miles long and covers 3 different county’s. It has good shade provided from trees. The trail is well maintained and easy to run and ride your bike. You can find parks along the way since it passes some great community’s.

I frequently ride the Illinois Prairie Path from it’s start in Forest Park out to the Fox River in Geneva. But going back I always head north and catch Great Western Trail in Elgin as it is far less crowded, less road crossings, and even though the distance is comparable, it seems like a shorter distance.
The trail is crushed rock and east to run or cycle on. Lighting is mostly non existent except for a stretch near Lombard. Once you know what you’re looking for, there is well marked access to this trail from IPP in Villa Park.

As a trail runner and a dog mom, I have logged many miles along this trail (which conveniently runs practically through my back yard. It is a great alternative to the Prairie Path through Lombard, and tends to stay a lot less congested. It is also quite hilly, if you’re looking for a little extra workout!
The trail is mostly crushed limestone, with a few paved areas near bridges and streets. Because it is crushed limestone, water can certainly pool up after the rain. It is great for biking on, however — much easier than mulched trails. It is intermittently lit, but again mostly around streets and bridges, unlike the Prairie Path. That is one of the reasons why I give it only 4 stars; the Prairie Path is lit pretty much the whole way through Lombard, so if you’re looking for a night run or bike, I’d advise to use that path instead. The other reason is that it is quite a nightmare to traverse in the winter. It is largely wooded, so snow doesn’t melt much — and after people run and bike along the snow, it starts to form a nice thick layer of ice. Definitely can get treacherous, so run at your own risk during the winter months!
This trail connects with the Prairie Path/​ends in Villa Park if you head east, but if you head west it continues along the old train track for quite a while. I personally have never taken it further than Glen Ellyn area (8 miles or so), but I can say for the duration of the path I’ve run it manages to nicely avoid any major intersections or cross-​ways. There is a bridge over Grace St., and where it crosses over Main St. in Lombard it is down to only 1 lane each way and easy to traverse. It also crosses through or next to quite a few lovely parks, so you can stop for water or to sit down and rest whenever you like, and enjoy the scenery.

The trail less taken.
I really enjoy biking on this trail. It seems to be less congested than the neighboring Prairie Path. It goes as far east as Forest Park and as far west as West Chicago before you’ll need/​want to connect to another trail. It’s hilly in certain areas, but that makes the ride fun and challenging. I love looking at all the houses along the way. Good tree coverage throughout. The trail can be kind of bumpy depending on where you are and the time of year, but hopefully the forest preserve keeps up with that. Plenty of maps and trail markers along the way.

Why does this awesome (easily top 3 bike paths) of Chicagoland NOT get 3 stars? Well, it all starts with how the people of my beautiful town must get there…
From Oak Park you wind your way through Forest Park to get to the border of the Kosovo of the Western Suburbs — Maywood. You must traverse through Maywood, Bellwood, and Hillside before reaching the safety of the western side of 294 where the path is fun, beautiful AND SAFE. The path through Elmhurst, Villa Park, Lombard is shaded but not dark, solid, and quick when dry.
Latest Experience in Maywood on the trail, 8 year old at a picnic throwing a football with friends:
«Holy Shit, a Cracker in the hood»

I live across the street from the Great Western Trail in Lombard and find it a great resource. I’ve done hundreds of runs, bike rides and walks with my dog Boris. I’ve also been on the prairie path many times which is very nice and also like the newer Salt Creek trail that runs NS. Be aware that this past summer in 2013 new bridges were installed over St Charles road and the railroad track which makes it much easier now when going through Lombard. It’s now getting more usage but still is much less busy than the prairie path, however as others indicate it has very little in terms of water, bathroom, etc compared to Prairie, and Very dark in some places so be aware. Ive done hundreds of runs at night with never a problem but i am an adult male usually accompanied by my 120 lb Russian Shepherd. Enjoy these incredible resources like we do.

I biked a good bit of this trail today: from Kline Creek Farm to Main Street in Lombard. There was actually a decent amount of traffic even though it was late in the afternoon. Most trailgoers seemed relatively friendly (smiles, «hellos»), but there definitely appeared to be some creepers.
It’s pretty scenic and there is good tree cover on most of the trail. The only downside is having to cross various streets. The visibility around some corners isn’t great, so proceed with caution! I do like that at each street intersection the trail marker notes the name of the street right at the top!
Be careful where you tread: there’s some dog mess here and there. Sadly there is also some litter, and I encountered some high school kids (ones I know, actually.) smoking pot under a viaduct in Lombard.
Kyle H. had it on the money (aside from the drugs, lol): I found, like, ONE water fountain (in Lombard).
I’m definitely going to see how far I can go on this trail — it’s pretty awesome despite the inconvenience of having to cross multiple roads.

Hey jogger guy with the fanny pack style water bottles. You are a loser! This is awesome… runs along the railroad (where it used to be).

Trails Not Rails! Hugs Not Drugs! The Great Western Trail used to be a right of way railroad and through activism, became a multi-​use 10-​foot wide crushed limestone path for cyclists, joggers/​pedestrians, and equestrians!
We rode our bikes on the path from Elmhurst to beautiful downtown Glen Ellyn recently, and I was very pleasantly enamored by this nice path and the towns it traversed. The trail is well-​kept, and well-​used. Plenty of joggers and cyclists, just say «on your left» and people actually know what it means!
There’s like, one water fountain, so bring your own water bottle or camelbak. There’s some very nice prairie along the way, and the scenery is nice. If you’re looking for a nice long ride you can connect to the Illinois Prairie Path as well.
So glad I have friends that like to bike in the western and southwestern suburbs, and I’m such a fan of beautiful paths like the Great Western Trail.

The Great Western Trail is a rail-​to-​trail conversion of the old Chicago Great Western Railway, which was established in 1885. It was also called the «Lucky Strike Road», due to a similarity between its logo, and that of Lucky Strike cigarettes. A modified logo is used for the trail. There are two, distinct sections, eastern and western. The western section is 18mi, and runs from St. Charles to Sycamore.
The eastern section (also called the DuPage parkway section), and subject of this Unilocal,is a 11.6 mile, crushed limestone surface, which is as easy to walk or ride on as asphalt (and fine for road bikes). It roughly parallels North Ave, and west of Lombard, a ComEd power line right-​of –way. Eastern end is in Villa Park, about 2 blocks south of Villa and St Charles Road, next to Pioneer Garden and Feed. A restored former CGW depot built in 1926 is about a block west. The western end intersects the Prairie Path Elgin branch, slightly west of Prince Crossing Road in West Chicago. The entire trail is well marked, and they have improved the Grace St. ‘jog’ that requires crossing the Union Pacific tracks.
Shade is plentiful in Villa Park and Lombard, but west of Route 53, less so. Unlike the Prairie Path, it is free of traffic and congestion, but offers no facilities, and only one water fountain (in Lombard).
Two areas to exercise caution: the crossing at Grace St. in Lombard, and the concrete plant west of Schmale in Wheaton.
It is also worth noting that it is possible to triangulate your bike travel on the Great Western trail by using the Prairie Path. For bicyclists living in the western suburbs, this gives you a quick 24 miles of controlled path riding, almost in your own back yard! For those looking at less distance, any north-​south thru street in the area will connect these two paths.
Tired of riding the Prairie Path? Give the Great Western a try.

Both the Prairie Path and the Great Western Trail (shown on Google Maps as an active railroad, although it’s been a trail since 1992) are within a five-​minute walk of my home, so I visit them regularly. I love them both for different reasons. Here is a comparative list.
Prairie Path:
— 60+ miles spreading across DuPage County, plus connections to Forest Park CTA station and the Fox River Trail in Kane County
— Water fountains available all over the place
— Some restrooms available in adjacent public parks
— Mostly shaded, running though neighborhoods and forest preserves
— Gets crazy busy on weekends, with dogs and strollers and families riding four across who don’t feel like letting you pass
— Best for everyday leisure or weekday workouts
Great Western Trail:
— 12 miles between Villa Park and West Chicago, joining the Prairie Path on both ends
— One water fountain in Lombard, but that’s about it
— No restrooms
— Mix of shade and wide open sun, running though neighborhoods and along ComEd lines
— Is pretty much deserted at all times, even on the most beautiful days
— Goes all crazy once it hits Grace Street in Lombard — you have to cross the Union Pacific tracks and find where the trail picks up along St. Charles Place
— Best for leisure or workouts anytime, although you might want to go with a friend for safety since it isn’t heavily-​traveled