Always within sight or sound of the mighty Mississippi River. Ten communities are evenly spaced along the 60-mile recreational path from Rock Island to Savanna, Illinois. Each city and village offers an invitation to pause for a moment on the route to explore the remarkable diversity each community represents. The Great River Trail extends through three counties: Rock Island, Whiteside and Carroll. Each county has uncommon features which will amaze and please as you "get up close and personal" with Old Man River.

Under the White House Millennium Program, Millennium Trails is a national program that will celebrate, recognize and be a catalyst for creating trails to "honor the past and imagine the future" as part of America's legacy for the year 2000. From the earliest routes of our ancestors, to new urban greenways, to itineraries that tell the story of our nation, trails are an important part of the American landscape, providing real connections between our people, the land, our history and culture.

A Masterpiece in the making…
The Mississippi River Trail is a 10-state cycling route in process of development. It travels over 2000 continuous miles between the headwaters of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca, Minnesota and the Gulf of Mexico.

The MRT, one of 16 National Millennium Trails, traverses a diverse landscape of bottomland and upland forests, river bluffs and flood plains, expansive fields of agricultural crops and miles of river that in the spring and fall serve as the flyway for millions of migratory birds. Scenic backcountry roads, trails and levees, bridges and river ferries, natural and historic sites, and large cities and small towns are linked together through the MRT and together provide the traveler with the quintessential Mississippi River experience.

At this point, the MRT is posted on the ground at diverse points throughout the valley. In other areas, existing trail systems and back country roads provide a high quality bicycling experience, even though they have not formally been added to the MRT network yet.

Iowa Trails 2000 provides an array of resources which can be used by state agencies and local and regional governments during trail planning and implementation. Iowa Trails 2000 is a resource document designed to assist all trail developers in achieving the vision of an interconnected, multi-modal, easily accessible statewide trails system.

Welcome to RiverWay – The Quad-Cities’ scenic stretch if the Mississippi River with 65 miles of riverside parks trails and overlooks between the river bluffs.

Take time to enjoy America’s most famous river. Walk or bike along its riverfront trails. Ride its waves on the Channel Cat Water Taxi. Visit its many historical sites and riverfront attractions. Camp on its banks. Fish its backwaters. Enjoy its immense beauty.

Our RiverWay trails and wayfinding system encompass both sides of the Mississippi River, including the Illinois communities of Andalusia, Milan, Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, Hampton, Rapids City, Port Byron and Cordova; and the Iowa communities of Buffalo, Davenport, Bettendorf, Riverdale, Pleasant Valley, LeClaire and Princeton.

Here you will learn about the diversity of the prairie state: from Chicago's Lake Michigan shoreline to the fertile soils of the heartland, to the forests and wetlands of the state's southernmost boundaries, Illinois is rich with history, natural resources and scenic beauty. Find out what's new at the Department, learn its history, follow legislation, download applications for licenses or permits, purchase conservation merchandise, or just learn more about the world around you.

The department's mission is to manage, protect, conserve, and develop Iowa's natural resources in cooperation with other public and private organizations and individuals, so that the quality of life for Iowans is significantly enhanced by the use, enjoyment and understanding of those resources.

LIB is the statewide advocacy voice for all Illinois bicyclists. LIB promotes bicycle access, education and safety.

Mission Statement: To promote, encourage, and support safe participation in bicycle riding of all ages and abilities; to anticipate and address the needs and interests of all aspects of bicycling in the Quad Cities area.

The Green Scene provides readers with up-to-date information about what's happening in greenways and trails around the state and newsworthy greenways and trails issues around the nation that may affect advocates in Illinois. The Green Scene is published quarterly through the Greenways & Trails Section of the Division of Planning.

Outdoor recreation opportunities and open space are an important part of the quality of life enjoyed by Illinois citizens. The ever increasing need to provide quality, close-to-home recreation opportunities and open space is a difficult challenge for many units of government in Illinois. To assist in this effort, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Office of Capital Development, Division of Grant Administration, administers eight grants-in-aid programs to help local agencies in Illinois provide a variety of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities.