Illiniwek Forest Preserve

This is a large, fantastic, County-operated park. The location on the outskirts of the small village of Hampton is safe, and the locals are friendly and welcoming. The section along the Mississippi River (located just below Lock and Dam 14) offers tent and RV camping, and also has a boat ramp. This section closes in November to vehicle traffic, and reopens to vehicles in the Spring. This area, located just below Lock and Dam 14 is also a popular place to fish. The large campground is very nice, and is popular with locals and with people from out of the area. There is a field here, and across the highway, planted in Prairie plants. Also across the highway is a large, hilly forest preserve with a creek and multiple ravines. This area has a very large network of well-maintained trails that are designed for shared use by hikers and off-road bicycles. A local bike club helps maintain and expand the trail network. Dogs are welcome but must be leashed. Sledding is allowed in the winter in a cleared area accessible from the lower area. The forested area is accessible from the lower area by the highway, and from the top near a County highway maintenence barn (the road to the upper section is the first street to the left as you enter nearby Hampton, IL).

Illiniwek offers a a few trails, about 2 miles each, through woods for hiking and biking. So beautiful in the fall! Family friendly. We can easily hike with my 5 year old without him getting too tired. The trails are marked as one way, mixing it up depending the day of the week, but the signs are sometimes confusing, almost as if 1-2 are missing which is why I gave 4 stars.

Very nice trail for both mountain biking and hiking. It's got some hills and drops but nothing overwhelming, it's very manageable for all ages and physical conditions. The trails are very well marked and maintained.

Specifically reviewing the mountain bike trails at Illiniwek, I would say these are some of the best trails in the Quad Cities. Both the North and South system loops offer unique rides, but neither of them are too difficult. The hardest riding at Illiniwek is the incline to the top of the hill, but it's not as bad as I expected AND you can bypass the hill on the south side by driving up Hubbard Road and parking up there (and just staying on the upper south loop if you want to avoid the hill). From the main entrance, there are connecting trails at the bottom of the hill for both systems, and there is plenty of signage on the trails themselves. The South loop is pretty straight-forward, though it does cross over the road at the parking lot off of Hubbard Road. The North loop has two connecting parts and a couple of four-way stops and one-ways, so you really have to watch the signs and look at the map. There is a very cool scenic overlook at the top of the North system, but if you go to it, then you have to go back around a bit to get back down the hill (or you can skip the scenic overlook and just go down the AWESOME downhill ride). Overall, these are great trails and a lot of fun mountain biking!

Walked the north loop. It's a peaceful 2.5 miles with many fallen trees to look at especially after the derecho but the path is clear.