Chief among these is the 20-mile Old Plank Road Trail, extending from Joliet to Park Forest, in Cook County. Access this trail at Hickory Creek Junction, where you can park your car during your workout.

Hickory Creek Bikeway-West Branch, in Mokena, offers a 2.8-mile asphalt trail that runs from Hickory Creek Junction to Brightway Lane and on to Schoolhouse Road. You'll enjoy the forested areas and meadows that this trail leads through.

The Hickory Creek Bikeway-East Branch can be found at LaPorte Road. This 1.8-mile asphalt trail runs through dense forest.

And the I&M Canal Trails connects the Joliet City Center to 135th Street in Romeoville. This 11.4 mile trail system passes through the Forest Preserve's Joliet Iron Works Historic Site and follows the historic I & M Canal. Its surface is made of asphalt and crushed stone. Trail access is also provided at Isle a la Cache.

The Rock Run Greenway-I & M Canal Access, in Joliet, provides access to the Rock Run Trail (3.7 miles: I&M Canal to Jefferson) and the 60-mile- long I & M Canal State Trail, owned and managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. This natural-turf trail is covered with crushed stone.

The Wauponsee Glacial Trail will run for 26 miles when complete (2005). An 8 mile segment from Joliet to Manhattan can be accessed now at Sugar Creek Preserve.

The Joliet Junction Trail begins at Theodore Street in Crest Hill near U.S. Route 30 and parallels Larkin Avenue for 4.4 miles. Use street routes for 1.6 miles to connect to the I&M Canal State Trail in Rockdale.