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SIUE Trails

Tight and twisty with modest climbing, these trails are prone to overgrowth in the hot summer months.

  • Good
  • Current Weather
  • Beginner / Intermediate
  • 7.5 miles
  • Multiple Loops
  • Illinois

This trail system is made up of more than 7.5 miles of tight, twisty, all-dirt singletrack in 6 separate trails. Modest elevation gain, thick forest, and smooth hardpack make for rides which will satisfy every rider from beginner to advanced. The trails were designed in such a way that they would be a place not only for beginners to try out mountain biking, but also to allow more advanced riders an opportunity to test their bike handling skills by riding the narrow trails at a more rapid pace.

They are built partially on the site of an old outdoor amphitheater from the 1970’s, better known as the “Mississippi River Festival.” The trails are easily accessible from the numerous bike paths that intertwine the Metro-East, so if you live in the area, driving to the trails is not necessarily required. While all the trails are designed to IMBA standards, because of the all-dirt surface, it is recommended that you not ride these trails immediately following rain.

Please download a map and take it with you, so you will be able to find all the loops, as they are spread out among numerous cross-country running trails.

Directions

Take hwy 255 North past Interstate 270, to New Poag Road. Turn Right or East at the end of the exit ramp. Stay on New Poag Road until the first intersection with a 4 way stop sign. This will be University Drive. Turn Right onto University Drive. The road will immediately bend to the left, at the end of the bend on your right is a gravel road, turn onto the gravel road.

For those of you approaching by bike, there is a trailhead for Trail 2 off of the Delyte Morris Bikeway, which bisects the SIUE campus from Stadium Drive, and eventually connects with the Watershed Bikeway. The trailhead is in between Cougar Lake Dr. and University Dr., just to the east of campus. There is also a trailhead on Trail 3 at the back of Cougar Village behind the Northwestern-most collection of apartments.

MAPS

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Latest trail conditions

Our site utilizes crowd-sourced data to provide the latest conditions and that includes you. Be sure you are logged in first or set up a free account before updating a trail condition.

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21

Jul 2024

From dewey mathews on Sunday:
SIUE - SIUE - Rode trails 12456 and all were in good shape. Some tree debris from storms present otherwise trails are clear and trimmed, a nice treat for this time of year. Trail crossings and stone bridges in good shape. Appreciated. Thank you as always to those who maintain the trails 🙌

15

Jun 2024

From dewey mathews on Saturday:
SIUE - Rode trails 12456 and all were nice and fast and dry. New “ride around” on Trail *6* plus the fresh trim job on parts of 2 and 6 made it lovely. Thank you as always to those who maintain the trails 🙌

14

Jun 2024

From dewey mathews on Friday:
SIUE - Rode trails 12456 and all were pretty perfect. All were nice and fast and dry. New “ride around” on 5 and fresh trim job made it lovely. Very boggy in the usual boggy spots. Thank you to those who maintain the trails 🙌

07

Jun 2024

From dewey mathews on Friday:
SIUE - SIUE - Rode trails 12456 and all were pretty tacky. Very boggy in the usual boggy spots. Trails 2,5,6 still pretty wet but 4 is primo and crossings are in great shape. Thank you to those who maintain the trails --- Get out and ride!

31

May 2024

From dewey mathews on Friday:
SIUE - Road trails 12456 and all were pretty tacky. Very boggy in the usual boggy spots. Thank you to those who maintain the trails as the clear out and weed trimming in some sections really makes them flow. Get out and ride!

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