Outdoor Accessibility

Accessible Trails:

The following locations have paved paths surrounded by natural areas and wildlife.

• Kishwaukee River Forest Preserve: 6303 Mulford Road & 5757 Blackhawk Road, Cherry Valley, IL 61016. Kishwaukee River Forest Preserve is a historic and scenic preserve bisected by the Kishwaukee River. Very popular for river access, it receives a lot of use for canoeing, kayaking and fishing. An excellent canoe put in and take-out site. Its low gently sloping banks offer many spots to sit and fish, picnic or just watch the flowing waters glide by. This preserve provides access to the south end of a 2.25-mile paved recreation trail and is a great place to park and then jump on the path for walking, biking or jogging. The paved trail is cleared of snow offering a nice opportunity for walkers and joggers to enjoy the outdoors in winter.
• Rock Cut State Park: 7318 Harlem Rd, Loves Park, IL 61111. Rock Cut State Park offers a few different paved paths, including the Puri Path, which runs through the park, as well as access (at the Pierce Lake spillway) to the Willow Creek Bike Trail and Perryville Path, a paved trail system connecting the local communities of Loves Park and Rockford to Rock Cut State Park. This map shows the exact location of the paved trails.
• Severson Dells Forest Preserve: 8786 Montague Road, Rockford, IL 61102. Severson Dells has a 1 mile paved loop through the woods, which also includes a side path to a stream. It also has paved paths through its playscape called The Grove, though the play area itself is padded by wood chips.
• Forest Preserves of Winnebago County Headquarters: 5500 Northrock Drive, Rockford, IL 61103. This preserve includes a paved trail that connects to the Sinnissippi Recreation Trail and a quarry lake and picnic area. Whether you are walking, biking, jogging, pushing a stroller, or walking your dog, the Headquarters paved loop trail is an extremely popular year round destination. A restored prairie, wetland area, and floodplain forest provide opportunities to encounter a variety of birds, insects and other wildlife.
• Baumann Park: Cherry Valley, IL 61016. Baumann Park is adjacent to the Kishwaukee River in Cherry Valley, a community on the outskirts of Rockford in northern Illinois. A paved pathway runs through the park and loops around Baumann Park Lake. The park offers a playground, baseball fields, tennis and basketball courts, and picnic areas. Fishing is allowed in the lake.
• Khlem Arboretum: The East Loop is one of the easiest trails to walk at the preserve. It has a paved road to walk on and is a very short, flat distance. The natural elements are a distance from the path on either side, with wooden and stone benches set along the sides. In this particular part of the forest preserve, beautiful maple trees can be seen.
• Blackhawk Springs Preserve: Blackhawk Springs has 7.5 miles of easy to moderate hiking trails, and a 2.3-mile scenic, paved recreation path. Walking the trails here will lead you to an exploration of flower-filled prairies, cool shady woodlands, the glistening Kishwaukee River, and a lovely little bubbling natural spring.

Find an interactive map listing other accessible trails here.