The new Mackinaw Valley Trail Guide includes a map and cue sheet to help people find their way as they ride bicycles between the Illinois cities of Peoria and Bloomington. The guide, available as a PDF on the League of Illinois Bicyclists (LIB) website, details an “interim” 40.8-mile route. The LIB reports that “the route should change as more off-road trails are built and improvements made to other roads.”
The LIB’s announcement includes a thank-you from the LIB and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for its financial support of the project.
16incheswestofpeoria 
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Can i know more about this bike route that goes from Peoria to Bloomington. I attend Illinois State University in Normal, IL which is right outside of Bloomington. I have been biking a lot lately and want to plan a trip to Bradley University in Peoria to see some friends. My buddies and I want to ride our bikes from Bloomington to Peoria in a day. Is it possible? Is this route reliable?
Thanks,
Michael Kane
It’s a simple question but a more complex answer. I rode between Washington and Bloomington twice a month, five months of the year back in the late 70s, early 80s, and between Washington and Peoria every workday one summer. No off road routes. Most of the trip between Peoria and Bloomington is flat. The ride up the bluff in Peoria would be the exception. Questions to ask yourself: Have you ever ridden 50 miles in a day? Have you ever done it two days in a row? Are you comfortable sharing the road with motor vehicles? If so, you’ll do fine.
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