Old Plank Road Trail

The 20-mile Old Plank Road Trail travels over the original Michigan Central Rail Road (MCRR) line, a railroad started about 1850 that ran from Lake Station in East Gary to Joliet. The rail was nicknamed the “Joliet Cut-Off” because it enabled trains to skip Chicago.

The east end of the trail is in Chicago Heights, where it intersects the Thorn Creek Trail, a scenic 17-mile route through several parks and forest preserves.

From there, the Old Plank Road Trail heads west into Park Forest, where you’ll find Rail Fan Park

Continuing west, the trail alternates between secluded, quiet sections and suburbs. It connects Richton Park, Frankfort, and New Lenox, and ends on the eastern edge of Joliet.

Frankfort is the trail’s physical, and spiritual, center. As one enters town, a beautiful archway emblazoned with the trail’s name curves overhead, a welcoming sight. The pathway runs through the community’s historic downtown with many charming shops and restaurants within easy reach. A bustling Sunday farmer’s market offers locally grown produce and homemade baked goods May through October. On the western side of town, the trail reaches an award-winning arrowhead-shaped suspension bridge, which takes you over US 45.

Length: 20.2 miles
Trail end points: E. Washington St. (Joliet) to Campbell Ave. (Chicago Heights)
Trail surfaces: Asphalt

Info: http://www.traillink.com/trail/old-plank-road-trail.aspx