Page-12 | The Grand Illinois Trail | Projects

The Grand Illinois Trail - Trail Section 10 - Hanover Bluffs to Thomson

Page 12 of 33

The 200-foot bluffs of Mississippi Palisades State Park give you two options for reaching Savanna: the high ridge road with low volumes of fast traffic or the low river road with high volumes of fast traffic. This is one of the "be careful" stretches of the GIT. From Savanna south you're riding on the almost-completed Great River Trail.

Click for Printable PDF Support Documents for Section 10:

Go	Direction	On	Distance (mi)
		Start: Bush Rd & Rte 84
L	W	Bush Rd to T-intersection, unmarked road (S Airhart Rd)	1.5
R	S,SE	Airhart Rd to T-intersection at Mill Hollow Rd	4.2
		At this point, there are two routes to Savanna. Turn right 0.2 mile to Rte 84. Turn left on Rte 84 which provides access to Mississippi Palisades State Park and two motels before reaching Savanna (5 miles) (Caution—Rte 84 has no shoulders, close guard rails, relatively busy, fast traffic, especially on weekends).
		The alternative is to take Mill Hollow Rd left/NE 1.5 miles to Scenic Ridge Rd. Scenic Ridge Rd winds for 6.5 miles into Savanna with significantly less traffic, but still no shoulders and high speeds. Several state park access points are available but no camping. Descend from Scenic Ridge Rd/5th St to Webster, turn right to 4th St. Turn left and continue downhill for 7 blocks. Turn right on Washington and left on 3rd to Chicago St/Rte 84.	6.5
R	NW	Rte 84 (Caution!)	0.1
L	W	Across Rte 84 to the railcar/Visitors Center (This rest stop is at the north end of the Great River Trail, which is conspicuous with the bike Bridge soaring off to the south).	0.1
	S	Great River Trail (2.3 miles down the trail is the access park to 13 miles of dike and levee walks out into the middle of the Mississippi River).	3.2
L, R	E, S	Rte 84 (Caution!)	1.4
R	W, S	Riverview Rd (0.4 mile to Sloan Marsh overlook and the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Visitors Center)	4.5
L	E	Sand Patch Rd	0.5
R	S	Sand Ridge Rd	1.0
L	E	Main St (continues 0.5 mile into Thomson)	0.1
R	S	Lewis Ave, at the entry to the Thomson Sand Prairie Trail	0.4
		TOTAL DISTANCE	23.5

<< Prev - Next >>

Article Index
The Grand Illinois Trail
Trail Route and Sections
Section 1 - Eggers Woods to Navy Pier to Elmhurst
Section 2 - Elmhurst to Elgin
Section 3 - Elgin to McHenry
Section 4 - McHenry to Hebron
Section 5 - Hebron to Caledonia
Section 6 - Caledonia to Winnebago
Section 7 - Winnebago to Freeport
Section 8 - Freeport to Jo Daviess County
Section 9 - Jo Daviess County to Hanover Bluffs
Section 10 - Hanover Bluffs to Thomson
Section 11 - Thomson to North Cordova
Section 12 - North Cordova to Hennepin Canal Trail
Section 13 - Hennepin Canal Trail
Section 14 - Hennepin Canal Trail to Seatonville
Section 15 - Seatonville to East Ottawa
Section 16 - I&M Canal State Trail
Section 17 - I&M Canal State Trail to Old Plank Road Trail
Section 18 - Old Plank Road Trail to Eggers Woods
Recommended Trips
Recommended Trip 1 - Chicago Lakefront Trail
Recommended Trip 2 - Illinois Prairie Path/Great Western Trail
Recommended Trip 3 - Long Prairie Trail
Recommended Trip 4 - Rock River Recreation Path
Recommended Trip 5 - Apple River Canyon to Galena Route
Recommended Trip 6 - Great River Trail
Recommended Trip 7 - Hennepin Canal Parkway Trail
Recommended Trip 8 - Illinois & Michigan Canal Trail (I&M)
Recommended Trip 9 - Old Plank Road Trail
Recommended Trip 10 - Burnham Greenway Trail
Trail Signs
Biking Tips
All Pages