In the works for years, the 21-mile Old Plank Road Trail into Joliet was finally completed during the Centennial by the Forest Preserve District of Will County. It connects to Joliet’s municipal bikeway system, which, in turn, connects to the Illinois & Michigan Canal Trail. This exemplifies the Green Legacy approach by closing a critical gap in the Grand Illinois Trail, thereby giving Joliet and many other neighborhoods and communities new connections to rivers and streams and better access to nearby forest preserves and parks.

The trail passes through rare railroad prairie (Dewey Helmick Nature Preserve) and a wetland habitat with more than 200 native plants and 160 species of birds. The creation of the Old Plank Road Trail is the result of more than 20 years of inter-governmental cooperation, involving state and local government and many citizen volunteers.

For a print-friendly fact sheet on the Old Plank Road Trail, click here.