Illinois Prairie Path (IPP)
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 51.840 W 088° 06.960
16T E 407378 N 4635278
A 61-mile multi-use limestone trail 25 miles west of Chicago, in Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties in northeasten Illinois. In 1971, the IPP was designated a National Recreation Trail, part of the National Trails System.
Waymark Code: WM3PEM
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 04/29/2008
Views: 36
A former right-of-way for the old Chicago Aurora & Elgin electric railroad, it was the first U.S. rail-to-trail conversion in the nation in the 1960's. The Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railway was an electric line which carried commuters and freight between Chicago and the western suburbs as far as the towns along the Fox River from Elgin to Aurora. The CA&E suspended commuter operations in 1957 and freight operations in 1959. The right-of-way was finally abandoned in 1961.
Fr wikipedia: The concept of a regional trail in DuPage County was introduced in 1963 by May Theilgaard Watts, a leading figure at the Morton Arboretum. In a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune, she called for the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Electric Railroad right of way to be preserved for future generations instead of being given over to development. After eight years of contentious meetings between Watts and her representatives, and those of the towns of Wheaton and Glen Ellyn (who sought the right-of-way as valuable parking space), in June 1971, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Rogers C.B. Morton designated the Illinois Prairie Path as the second of 27 new National Trails in 19 states. In the designation, Mrs. Watts was honored "for her outstanding efforts toward establishment of the Illinois Prairie Path."
The IPP is also a part of the Grand Illinois Tour.
Country: USA
State/Province/etc.: IL
Trail Start (town): Wheaton, IL
Trail Finish (town): E to Maywood/Forest Park; SW to Aurora; NW to Elgin; W to Batavia and Geneva
Trail Length: 62
Trail Surface: Gravel/Stone
Fees: no
Rail-to-Trail Sign:
Signs for every part of the path: Elgin Branch, Aurora branch, Geneva Spur, Batavia Spur and Main Stem.
Internet Link(s):
IPP: http://www.ipp.org/GUI/index.html
Grand Illinois Trail: http://www.bikelib.org/git/index.htm
Pack Animals Allowed: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
A Trail Review
Please tell about the trail conditions the day you were there, If you used the trail please share your experiences. Things to see and do, possible problems etc.
If possible please post a photo of you OR you and interesting things along a trail OR just interesting things along the trail.
Also if you know of any additional Internet links not already mentioned about this rail trail please include that in your log.