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Preservation Path extended
New sections of the Preservation Path in Matteson have been completed (see picture below) making it possible to go two miles north from the OPRT to Vollmer Road. Crossing Vollmer Road puts you on the Tinley Creek Trail, a 3-1/2 mile long paved loop in a mile square forest preserve.
A short section of the Preservation Path in Matteson, just south of U.S. 30, was destroyed during the building of the Chase Bank and has not been rebuilt yet. There are three problems with this short stretch of Preservation Trail; 1) a water line was cut across the trail, 2) a 15-foot long section is missing by the Chase Bank driveway, and 3) loose gravel and a high curb make trail access problematic.
Trail patches are available
Earn a patch for completing the 20-mile trail in one trip or several smaller trips. Patches are full color, embroidered, and 2.5 inches in diameter, and ideal for sewing onto vests or backpacks. Patches sell for $3.00 each and come in two styles: hiking and cycling. Payment is accepted by cash or check made payable to the Forest Preserve District of Will County.
TO ORDER your Old Plank Road Trail patches, visit the Sugar Creek Visitor Center at
17540 W. Laraway Road (3/4-mile west of Route 52)
Joliet, Illinois
open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
or call 815-727-8700.
Trail Etiquette
- Motorized vehicles are prohibited
- Stay on the designated trail
- Be courteous to all trail users
- Announce your intention to pass
- Keep right and pass left
- Move off the trail when stopped
- Cyclists & skaters yield to walkers
- Dispose of trash properly
- Leash pets and remove waste
Joliet & Southern Traction Company
The Old Plank Road Trail (OPRT) is a rail-trail conversion, an asphalt hiking and biking trail built on an abandoned rail roadbed. The original Michigan Central Rail Road (MCRR) from East Gary (Lake Station) to Joliet was surveyed and built in the mid 1850s. It was called the "Joliet Cut-Off," because it allowed trains to avoid going through Chicago. The Joliet Cut-Off was one of the first rail connections between Illinois and east coast cities like Boston and New York.
During the early years of the 20th century the MCRR right-of-way also was home to an interurban line. The light weight interurban or trolley rails of the Joliet & Southern Traction Company ran parallel to the MCRR rails from Chicago Heights to Summit station west of Frankfort. For more information on the J&ST interurban click here or on the logo.
For more history of the OPRT check out the history section of this website. Click here.
Panorama pictures of the Old Plank Road Trail
I've posted some interactive Quicktime panorama pictures taken along the trail. These images are very large files, 6 to 12 megabytes. If you have a cable modem or DSL Internet connection then you might want to take a look at these panorama pictures. Click the photograph above to go to the Quicktime movie page.
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