Explore
East St. Louis Heritage Trail
East St. Louis, IL | 0.4 Miles
Type: Paved trail
Owned by: N/A
Hours: Open Sunrise to Sunset
Location & Directions
Located between the MetroLink Station at 5th & Missouri Ave and the East St Louis Higher Education Campus at James R Thompson Blvd. From the Metrolink Station, the trail travels along the track southwest to Broadway southeast and then turns southwest onto S 6th Street and connects to the campus at Railroad Ave.
601 James R. Thompson Blvd, Brady Ave, East St Louis, IL 62201
Trail & Facilities
Lighted and landscaped shared-use path connecting the MetroLink Station to the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus.
Wildlife & Habitat
Given East St. Louis’ location along the Mississippi River, it is an important location in the Mississippi River flyway. Depending on the season you may see migratory songbirds, like Painted Buntings.
Landscaping along the trail includes local trees and shrubs.
Regulations
Posted on the trail.
Overview
The East St. Louis Heritage Trail (originally named M&M Trail) was built in 2000 through a partnership between HeartLands Conservancy (then named Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation & Development), the Confluence, St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants, and the McKnight Foundation.
The trail, which takes the route of an old railroad spur, was built primarily to connect students between the Higher Education Campus and the MetroLink Station at 5th & Missouri to make it easier to access and safer for students and residents. This project was accomplished by community youth working alongside professional contractors. It is lighted and landscaped.
The historic community of East St. Louis was established in the mid-19th century as an industrial suburb of St. Louis, attracting a broad mix of industries that fueled the east side’s rapid growth around the small site initially known as “Illinois town.” Given that the community was strongly focused on industry, the community contains many railroad and highway crossings, sometimes making it challenging to walk or ride a bicycle safely or comfortably. This trail helps the community and surrounding neighborhood have a safer travel option to transit.
Funders included Ameren (Smart Lights Program), East St. Louis Community Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, USDA, and USDOT.
If you would like to find out more about how to create a new public trails, feel free to call Laura Lyon at (618) 566-4451 ex 22 or email her at la********@*******************cy.org
You may find information on our Trails Page and Ways to Give page helpful, too.