Sangamon Valley Trail

The Sangamon Valley Trail is an 13.5-mile (21.7 km) rail trail on the west side of Sangamon County and the southeastern corner of Menard County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Skirting Springfield, Illinois, it extends from Centennial Park, on Springfield's southwest side (39°45′23.4″N 89°45′37.6″W / 39.756500°N 89.760444°W / 39.756500; -89.760444), to a location within Menard County near the municipality of Athens. It was constructed by a Sangamon County team in three stages; the 5.5-mile-long first or southern stage was completed in 2010–2011 at a cost of $3.8 million, and opened to the public on July 26, 2011. The 6-mile-long second section of the trail was completed in 2016-2017 at a cost of $4.4 million, and opened to the public on November 16, 2017. The 2-mile-long third section, and northernmost extension, of the trail was completed in 2025 and opened to the public on October 6, 2025. The trail is operated by the Springfield Park District.