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August 4, 2026

Katy Trail Connector Bike Route starting from New Baden, Illinois

With the opening of the MetroBikeLink trail extension to MidAmerica Airport, cyclists can now start a Katy Trail ride from locations east of Silver Creek using the following route.

Disclaimer: this route involves 11 miles of riding on highways that do not yet have parallel trails. Most of these segments have bike lanes and shoulders wide enough for bikes, however, you should travel on these with the appropriate caution and at your own risk.

Download GPX file of this route | View Route on Ride with GPS

Detailed Directions

From New Baden Community Park, turn left (west) onto Highway 161 (East Hanover Street) and continue west to County Line Road.
Turn right (north) on County Line Road and continue to Pfieffer Road.

County Line Road in New Baden
Turn left (west) onto Pfieffer Road and continue west to Highway 4. (Note: Pfieffer Road becomes Perrin Road after crossing Summerfield South Road).
Turn left (south) on Highway 4 across Interstate 64 (Caution: this 0.9-mile segment is a busy 2-to-4-lane road with highway ramps and a 55mph speed limit, but shoulders are wide).
Turn right (west) onto Airport Boulevard and continue to the MetroBikeLink trail entrance.
Continue west on the MetroBikeLink trail across Silver Creek to Rieder Road.

Frontage road, trail and Metrolink light rail tracks at Silver Creek
Turn right (north) on Rieder Road across Interstate 64 to Shiloh Valley Township Line Road. (Caution: this 0.6-mile segment is a busy 4-lane road with highway ramps and a 45mph speed limit, but shoulders are wide and traffic tends to be sparse outside of morning and evening rush hours).
MetroBikeLink Trail intersection with Rieder Road.
Turn left to go west/north on Shiloh Valley Township Line Road to Highway 50.
Shiloh Valley Township Line Road at Rieder Road
Turn left (west) on Highway 50 into O'Fallon (Caution: This 1.9-mile segment is on Highway 50, a busy 2-lane road with a 45mph speed limit. You may need to wait a long time for a safe gap in traffic to turn left across both lanes..
Continue west on Highway 50 for 450 feet and turn right (north) into the Moto Mart gas station parking lot.
Turn left (west) inside of the Moto Mart gas station entrance and travel around the outside edge of the parking lot to avoid pedestrian/vehicle traffic.
At the north entrance to the Moto Mart Gas station, turn right (east) onto Coral Sea Drive to Allied Way.
Turn left (west) on Allied Way and continue to Scott-Troy Road (Route 158).
Use the pedestrian signal to cross west across Scott-Troy Road (Route 158) then turn left (south) across Rec Plex Drive onto the Highway 50 Trail.
Continue south on the Highway 50 Trail. The trail will curve west at Highway 50.
The Highway 50 trail will end at Rec Plex Drive. Continue west on Highway 50 to South Highland Street at O'Fallon Community Park.
Turn right (north) on South Highland Street.
Take the first left turn, then turn to the immediate right (north) to enter the Community Park Trail.
Continue northwest on the Community Park Trail to the Apple Street Trail.
Turn right (north) onto the Apple Street Trail to East 2nd Street.
Turn left (west) onto East 2nd Street. and continue west to North Oak Street.
Turn right (north) onto North Oak Street and continue north across the railroad tracks and West State Street to West Madison Street.
Turn left (west) onto West Madison Street and continue west to the Illini Trail.
Continue straight onto the Illini Trail access ramp to the Illini Trail.
Illini Trail access spur at West Madison Street in O'Fallon. The main trail passes over the access spur on the bridge in the background. A ramp on the right connects the two trails.
Turn right (north) onto the Illini Trail and continue north to Illini Drive.
Follow the marked bike route north on Illini Drive to Kyle Road.
Turn left (west) onto Kyle Road to the Goshen Trail entrance.
Turn right (north) onto the Goshen Trail and continue north to Edwardsville.
Turn left (west) on the MCT Nature Trail in Edwardsville to the MCT Bluff Trail near the Southern Illinois University campus.
Turn right (north) on the MCT Bluff Trail to New Poag Road.
Turn left (west) on New Poag Road to the Confluence Trail along the Mississippi River (Caution: This is the route's longest on-highway segment at 4.8 miles. New Poag Road is a designated bike route, but it is a busy two-lane road with a 55mph speed limit. The shoulders are of an average width for bikes)..
Go north on the Confluence Trail to the Clark Bridge (US Route 67).
Go west on US 67 across the bridge using the bike lane. (Caution: This 1.1-mile segment is on the highway's shoulder that has been marked as a bike lane).
At the end of the bridge bike lane, the bike trail will curve to the right and end at the currently unnamed access road.
Turn left at the end of the trail, then the first immediate right toward Lincoln Shields Recreation Area.
At the parking lot, turn left to reach the start of the West Alton Trail.
Continue on the West Alton Trail (Caution: at times, vegetation overgrowth either partially or completely blocks the trail on its western end, which will necessitate riding on the US 67 shoulder from the Clark Bridge instead. If you're unsure of this trail's current passability, use the shoulder of Highway 67 to St. Charles Street).
The West Alton Trail will end at Machens Club Drive, at which point a short 0.4-mile ride on the shoulder of US 67 is required to reach St. Charles Street. (Caution: US 67 is a high-speed four-lane divided highway).
Turn right onto St. Charles Street and continue west to Missouri Route 94.
Turn right onto Missouri Route 94 and continue to Saale Road (you can also choose to stay on Route 94). (Caution: This 0.7-mile segment is on Highway 94, a two-lane road with a 55mph speed limit. Traffic can be high during morning and evening rush hours).
Turn left (west) onto Saale Road and continue west to Feltes Road.
Turn right (north) onto Feltes Road and continue north until the road ends at Missouri Route 94.
Turn left (west) onto Missouri Route 94 and continue west 0.2 miles to Dwiggins Road.
Continue straight onto Dwiggins Road (Highway 94 turns sharply north here) and continue west until the road ends at Missouri Route 94.
Turn left onto Missouri Route 94 and continue 0.9 miles to Machens Road.
Turn left (south) onto Machens Road. The Katy Trail entrance will be less than a half mile south, on the left, just across the railroad tracks.

Route Details (Food, Restrooms, Lodging, Bike Shops)

Total Distance: 63 miles
Maximum Grade: 3.3%
Dedicated trails or low-traffic road segments: 52 miles total
On-highway road segments: 11 miles total:
- Illinois Highway 4 near Mascoutah (0.9 miles)
- Rieder Road (0.6 miles)
- Highway 50 in O'Fallon (1.5 miles)
- New Poag Road west of Edwardsville (4.8 miles)
- US Highway 67 on the Clark Bridge (1.1 miles)
- US Highway 67 at West Alton (0.4 miles)
- Route 94 at West Alton (0.7 miles)
- Route 94 near West Alton (0.2 miles)
- Route 94 at Machens (0.9 miles)
Lodging available near the route:
- Best Western Plus across Interstate 64 from MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, 0.1 miles from the route
- Super 8 Wyndham on Eastgate Drive in O'Fallon, 0.1 miles from the route
- Multiple hotels on Illinois Highway 157 in Edwardsville, right on the route
- Tiffany Inn Bed & Breakfast and The Cracker Factory, 0.5 miles from the route in Alton
- AirBNB/Vrbo houses are sometimes available near the route in O'Fallon, Edwardsville and Alton.
Bike shops along/near the route:
- Bike Surgeon on East State Street in downtown O'Fallon, right on the route
- The Cyclery in Edwardsville, right on the route
Restaurants/groceries/food/restrooms along/near the route:
- Dominos Pizza at Highway 4 and Perrin Road in Mascoutah
- Pilot Truck Stop at Highway 4 and Perrin Road in Mascoutah, right on the route
- MidAmerica Airport passenger terminal, right on the route
- Moto Mart and Shell convenience stores on Scott Troy Road at Highway 50 in O'Fallon, right on the route
- Schnucks grocery store on Highway 50 in O'Fallon, right on the route
- Multiple restaurants on Highway 50 in O'Fallon
- Multiple restaurants in downtown O'Fallon
- Dierbergs grocery, Target and multiple restaurants on Troy Road in Edwardsville, 0.2-0.7 miles off of the route
- Numerous restaurants on Illinois Highway 157 in Edwardsville, right on the route
- Multiple restaurants in Alton, 0.5-1.0 miles from the route
Coffee shops along/near the route:
- The Red Porch Cafe in New Baden, right on the route
- Starbucks on Highway 50 in O'Fallon, 0.3 miles from the route
- Sweet Katie Bee's, right on the route on East 2nd Street in O'Fallon
- Dutch Brothers Coffee on Troy Road in O'Fallon, right on the route
- Starbucks on Illinois Highway 157 in Edwardsville, right on the route
- Germania Brew Haus in Alton, 0.1 miles from the route
- Post Commons in Alton, 0.8 miles from the route
Public transportation:
- The St. Louis Metrolink light rail trains allow bicycles on board (but not trikes). The newest Metrolink station, located on this route at MidAmerica Airport, is opening sometime in the summer of 2026. Shiloh-Scott is the nearest operating station, located 2.9 miles from the route via the MetroBikeLink trail.