Originally Posted by
robow
I notice you're heading right thru East St. Louis en route to crossing the Mississippi, I would suggest hitting that early Sunday AM or consider re-routing north to the Chain of Rocks bridge and you could then ride the St. Louis River trail. Much safer.
Agreed about ESL. I do a ride through it about once every couple of years that we call the Urban Assault Ride. We do it early on a weekend morning so that the crack heads are sleeping it off. The trouble with the Chain of Rocks Bridge is that the dang thing is often closed. Still it's a great thing to ride across.
ees2112, With your current map, you'll be riding within a mile of my home in Belleville, Illinois. Maybe I could meet up with you. However I'm going to suggest a slightly different route. When you are on Illinois Hwy 177 after Mascoutah, turn north on Hwy 158 near Scott AFB. Get on Hwy 161 west then back onto 158 north. It has a wide shoulder after the first mile but is pretty rough for the first few miles. Gets much better. Stay on Hwy 158 until you get to Troy, Illinois. Then turn west onto West Edwardsville Road. About a mile after crossing over I-55, you are going to go under a bike path bridge. Turn right onto Old Troy Rd and get on the bike path. You are now on Madison County Trails.
http://www.mcttrails.org/
Take the MCT Goshen Trail north. It joins with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail. From it get on the MCT Watershed Trail. At the end of the Watershed Trail get on the road and head due west to the city of Hartford. Get on the MCT Confluence Trail which is on top of the levy overlooking the Mississippi River. Head north towards Alton.
Cross the Alton Bridge on Hwy 67 into Missouri. (This is the same bride RAAM uses). At the town of West Alton, get on Hwy 94 north and find your way over to the little town of Machens on Machens Rd. Here starts the KATY Trail! Enjoy the next 230 miles or so.