Review Date
September 11, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: streamrunner ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
It had rained for five days before I rode the Kickapoo -- my first bike trail ever -- and I thought it would be mud hell. But I was pleasantly surprised to find it is nearly 100% under cover of forest, so the dirt was nicely packed with only an occasional puddle to ride around. Being a newbie, I liked that the obstacles and jumps were optional.

Overall, not as dangerous as I expected, and my "Wal-Mart special" Mongoose bike did fine. (I had heard chilling stories of friends who folded a wheel or turning the bike upside down on an incline.) Maybe I'm just lucky. I came close a few times to hooking my handlebars around a sapling in the narrow spots.

There is plenty to come back for: I'll have to work up to tackling the longer climbs, but there were not so many that I was walking a lot. And the "playground" area with see-saw is definitely something I want to try in the future.

This is definitely a trail I will ride every time we come home! For other newbies, I recommend good brakes. Also, I felt physically equipped because I had been road-riding regularly throughout the summer with my seven-year-old! Practice some distance riding and various sizes of hills for a few weeks, and you'll be set to enjoy Kickapoo without much financial investment.

Recommended Route:
Started at 2 and finished the whole course (9.7 miles). Phil said trail 1 is all pasture and was therefore probably under water. Actual riding time 1 hour 30 minutes.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
This was my first! Thanks to everyone in the Kickapoo Mountain Bike Club who invested their time and effort to build this course!

Review Date
July 2, 2005

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: udontknowmehomie ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
It started last year , the addiction has become much worse, I cant stop taking off from chicago every couple of weekends to hit these trails. there a awesome network of trails. switchbacks , killer inclines "sweet jumps" and plenty of log pyramids too.I also gotta say thanks for the ride arounds on some of the more challanging obstacles, its nice to be able to ride with the girlfriend without the frustration. the've got a real nice flow to them. The trails are groomed fantastic. quite the switch up from most of the chicago trails. only takes 2and 1/2 hours and , wow what a difference the playground at the lookout is a nice addition aswell. BIG THANKS TO THE KMBC. me and my friends really enjoy what u guys are doing out there. look forward to maybe bumping into a few of ya's on the trail next time. oh and shame on the dirtball that took a dump all over the crapper at the trailhead , that was just wrong

Recommended Route:
start at 2 take everything then hit seven on the way back, much funner then the haul road

Other recommended trails in the same area:
wouldn't know

Review Date
June 26, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 2 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: eherbst ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Enough trails have been added or modified since my last review ~3 years ago that I thought an update was justified.
A little playground loop with teeter totters, a log ride, jumps, and banked turns has been added inside trail 5 just before the lake overlook. Additional singletrack has been added to trail 4 (not sure if you can still take the bottom part of the downhill -- it didn't look like it sees much use anymore). Fallen trees are now commonly built into obstacles, which in my view is a positive change from the previous practice of clearing away virtually anything that would happen to fall onto the trail. A number of little jumps have been added at various places including trail 2B and the new loop off 4B.
The jumps are a quality addition to the trails. Most of them are probably a foot to a foot and a half high. The approaches are nice and smooth, and the backside is rounded so that it's not a disaster if you don't take off well. For someone like me who is not yet very good at jumping but wants to improve, these are perfect for gaining some confidence. If you're a good jumper, they will still be fun for you, you'll just have to approach a little faster.
I might add that there are plenty of campsites at the park, and it's only a short ride from the campgrounds to get out to the trails (you would take the seldom-used trail #1 to get out to the main loop).
Virtually all the trails flow very, very nicely. There is a wide variety of surroundings, from meadows to creek bottoms to beautiful oak forests (my personal favorite). KMBC has done a great job of using the available space, with many of the newer trails routed around the tops of ravines and occasionally dropping across one to provide a little adrenaline rush. Though many of the trails loop back on one another, to me it doesn't feel like they intrude on each other or involve undue amounts of repetition.
The trails at Kickapoo still are not particularly challenging for experienced riders, but with the scenery, good flow, and now fun little obstacles, it is just a blast to ride there.

Recommended Route:
Start at the MTB trailhead and follow the trails in numerical order. The loop connects up very well, so if you take a map (available at www.KickapooMBC.org) with you your first couple times out there, you should be able to get your bearings easily on subsequent trips. Be sure to hit the little playground loop within trail 5.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
central IL:
Comlara Park -- 8 miles north of Bloomington-Normal off I-39 (1 1/2 hrs from Kickapoo)
Garman Park -- west side of Decatur (1 hr 15 min)
Independence Park (best in central IL) -- right off I-474 at IL Rte 29, Pekin (2 hrs)
Farmdale Park -- East Peoria (2 hrs)
Dirksen Park -- Pekin (2 hrs)
Jubilee State Park -- west of Peoria (2 hr 15 min)

west central IN:
gun club in Linton (don't know about access, but the race course is a blast)
France Park -- Logansport -- there is a small fee for use

Review Date
June 8, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: mitchellsk ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Went to Kickapoo over Memorial Day weekend, this is a fantastic trail! Well manicured by the KMBC. Riding singletrack wooded trails is the best and Kickapoo is in the top of my list. The bike playground is a fun distraction for a few minutes. Scenic spots overlooking water, good climbs, decents, ramps, great ride. I found the fire road was never very far if you run out of steam, but what fun is that?

Recommended Route:
I liked trail 4 & 5 best. Take a trail map, I didnt print one and wasnt ever really sure where I was and there are a couple splits.

Review Date
October 15, 2004

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: Craig Keeler ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Come see all the new stuff, at Kickapoo. We have something for everyone, jumps, climbs, stunts, and whole lot of fun.

Recommended Route:
There is only one way.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
The whole Peoria area.