Great Western Trail - Illinois - Rails to Trails on Waymarking.com

From wikipedia: The Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line called the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroad. Through mergers and new construction, the railroad, named Chicago Great Western after 1909, quickly became a multi-state carrier. One of the last Class I railroads to be built, it competed against several other more well-established railroads in the same territory, and developed a corporate culture of innovation and efficiency to survive. Nicknamed the Corn Belt Route because of its operating area in the midwestern United States, the railroad was sometimes called the Lucky Strike Road, due to the similarity in design between the herald of the CGW and the logo used for Lucky Strike cigarettes. It was merged with the Chicago and North Western Railway (CNW) in 1968, which abandoned most of the CGW's trackage.

Kane County - Western Segment
This 18-mile trail connects the communities of St. Charles and Sycamore. This section was right-of-way that was abandoned in 1977 and is built on the line originally constructed by the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroad in 1886. The St. Charles trail head is on Dean Street just west of Randall Road (at Leroy Oakes Forst Preserve.) The surface is crushed limestone. It roughly parallels Route 64 and, after leaving St. Charles, travels alongside occasional residences and numerous farm fields. The Great Western Trail crosses small streams and wetlands, a linear wildlife refuge, and truly one of the finer experiences available in Kane County.

DuPage County - Eastern Segment
DuPage County built the 12 mile Great Western Trail on the former Great Western right-of-way from the Illinois Prairie Path's Elgin Branch west of Prince Crossing Road in West Chicago east to the main stem of the Prairie Path in Villa Park near Villa Street. From 1990 through 1992, the trail was converted from a rail grade to a bicycle trail. The majority of the trail is uninspiring, with tall bushes and short trees on both sides of the trail and following the high-voltage power corridor.

Country: USA State/Province/etc.: IL Trail Start (town): West Segment: St. Charles ; East Segment: Villa Park Trail Finish (town): West Segment: Sycamore ; East Segment: West Chicago Trail Length: 30 Trail Surface: Gravel/Stone Pack Animals Allowed: no Fees: no Internet Link(s): http://www.kaneforest.com/greatwestern.asp http://hometown.aol.com/frndsgrtwstntrl/myhomepage/business.html Rail-to-Trail Sign: Not listed

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.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   07/29/2011 Go Boilers! visited it