Home

Illinois Locations

Cahokia Creek Dirt Riders
White City, Illinois
I've raced here many times since moving to St. Louis, and I either love it or
hate it. As with most of Illinois, the trails get very slick when it rains. White
City happens to be located in one of the few places in Illinois that have
steep hills, so wet conditions virtually guarantee that every once in a while
you'll need a couple tries to get up a hill. When the soil has just a hint of
moisture (or is dry), Cahokia Creek is a joy to ride. Nice, loamy, smooth soil
with hardly any rocks. Now that's my kind of terrain. Two of the three races
that I attended in 2000 were muddy, including the enduro in October that
was nearly impossible. But the Fall 2000 hare scramble was pure ecstasy.
I've never been able to finish an enduro at White City for a variety of reasons,
either injury, bike problems, or too much mud.

The club has several hundred acres and has been known to lay out 12 mile
loops, the longest you'll find at Illinois hare scrambles. The trails are fairly
tight in places and the hills can be challenging. Expect to see plenty of tree
roots and some choppy ruts that develop during a race. The best part about
Cahokia Creek is that there aren't ATV's, so only motorcycles are shaping
the trails. Soft terrain tires like the Dunlop 752 or the Michelin S-12 work
well here. I've raced here 9 times...check out the race reports page for more
description of riding at White City.

Directions: about a mile west of White City, Illinois on Route 138 (exit 44 on
I-55)

Buffalo Range
Ottawa, Illinois
Don't worry, there aren't buffalo here anymore. Just an old strip mine that is
open to the public for riding off-road vehicles. They also hold at least one
race here each year. As with most abandoned strip mines, Buffalo Range
has a series of ridges that run parallel, and there are many different ways
that the promoters have fun with them. In the area where silica sand was
removed, a deep pit remains, full of sand so white you'd think you were
riding in snow. The property has a motocross track that is usually part of
hare scrambles courses.

Many of the areas have slick clay, but the sand pit adds some variety.
There's enough acreage to get 5-mile loops at hare scrambles and they
always route the course through a cool section that has rock stair-steps
(there's also a nice waterfall in that same area). Buffalo Range is open to
the public for a daily fee of something like $20 (at least that's what it was a
few years ago). I've never ridden anywhere in Illinois that a soft terrain tire
wasn't the rubber of choice, and Buffalo Range is no exception.

Directions: between Ottawa and Utica on 2803rd Road, which runs parallel
to U.S. 6 (2803rd Road is less than one mile south of US 6). The office is a
mile or so east of the actual riding area, and if you're trail riding you need to
stop there first.

Belleville Enduro Team (BET)
Belleville, Illinois
One word: CLAY. The BET club grounds are located on an old strip mine
property that was never reclaimed. As with most of Illinois, the property
contains plenty of clay that is very slippery when wet. There are some
sharp-endged rocks in a few places, but most of the terrain is black clay.
The strip mining activities left many ridges that the club uses in various
ways to challenge riders. Some of the ridges are approached straight into
the face, so it's impossible to tell what's on top as you ride up the ridge.
Many of the ridges are so narrow at the top that if you're riding straight up the
face, you can expect an immediate drop (usually very steep) when you reach
the top.

The BET club is located about 20 miles from downtown St. Louis and is set
up very well for spectators. Some of the ridges have been cleared, so
viewers can stand at various vantage points as the riders come in and out of
the woods. When it rains, BET can be a tough place to ride. Soft terrain
tires are a must. Most of the trails are tight, and the club usually gets
maximum mileage out of the property. Hare scrambles courses are often
4-5 miles long. If it is wet, plan on spending lots of time cleaning the clay off
your bike. Check out my race reports from 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004
.

Splinter Creek
Fosterburg, Illinois
The Splinter Creek club is a couple hundred acres of short, steep hills and
plenty of clay. The well-traveled trails can be extremely slick after a rain,
especially where the ATV's have packed down the surface. The club puts on
a couple of hare scrambles each year and usually lays out a 4-5 mile loop.
In dry conditions, the trails are fairly hard-packed, so much that a soft terrain
tire isn't really necessary. However, I learned in 1999 that it's better to be
safe than sorry. After a three-month drought, the rains decided to return
during the September hare scramble and my Michelin M-12 rear tire was
very ineffective. Unless conditions are very wet, the trails are rideable for
everyone. But wet clay makes racing difficult. Certain sections of the course
are very tight, so speeds are generally moderate.

Directions: North of Fosterburg on Hwy 5; then west on Terpening Road.
Club grounds entrance is on north side of the road.

Crab Orchard, Illinois
I raced Crab Orchard for the first time in December 2000 under less than
ideal conditions. Like most places in Illinois, Crab Orchard is a tough place
to ride after a rain. The grounds are now open to the public on weekends
and the site is on an old strip mine property. The ridges remind me of
Belleville and Ottawa, and many of them are very steep. In dry conditions,
the hills are not much of a challenge, but the December 2000 race was very
muddy and I didn't make it up one hill on the first try. Other areas of the
course had deep mud in which several riders got stuck. The trails are tight
in the woods, but the Little Egypt club had a mile or two of grass track and
ended up with an 8 mile loop. This race was the first time the property was
open for riding, so only the club guys had ridden the trails. The second time
I raced Crab Orchard, conditions were perfect and I had fun until I broke my
front brake perch. Crab Orchard is now open to the public on weekends.
You do have to buy an annual Illinois off-road permit ($20/year, I think) to
ride, plus the $10 (or so) gate fee. The AMA has taken note of this nice
property and awarded a National Hare Scramble to the Little Egypt club the
last couple of years.

Directions: east of Marion, Illinois on Hwy 13. Look for Crab Orchard Road a
few miles outside of town. Check out the Little Egypt web site for more info.

Dirt Riders, Inc.
Oakley, Illinois
The Oakley club is located along the Sangamon River near Decatur and
offers typical Illinois tight woods and some steep hills. Hare scrambles
courses are usually 4-5 miles long and there are some open areas to add
variety to the woods sections. Rain can make the black dirt very slick and
the hills challenging. The club has a small motocross course that is
usually part of the hare scrambles loop. Each year it seems that the jumps
get bigger and bigger. I always have fun when I race at Oakley, even when it
rains. Soft-terrain tires are the best choice here. My very first hare scramble
race was at this club and I also won my first trophy here, so it hold special
sentimental value.

Directions: Exit I-72 at Decatur; IL Hwy 48 south to Brush College Road;
south on Brush College Road to County Road 24 east; cross lake; road
heads north and then back east. North on Prairie View Road (I think). The
club grounds are around the area where Prairie View turns into Sheets
Road (this is all from memory...e-mail me if it's not correct).

Central Illinois Dirt Riders
Marietta, Illinois
Marietta is similar to White City in many ways. You either love it or hate it.
The last time I rode there was the 1999 enduro and I only made it through
the 7-mile section that is on the property where the hare scrambles are
held. But by that time I had already houred out. With some very steep, long
hills, Marietta is extremely difficult in wet conditions. But in dry or slightly
moist conditions, the place is very fun to ride. Sometimes the CIDRA club
cuts new trails, and usually they get 5-7 miles for loops that wind in and out
of the Spoon River Valley. If you are looking for a challenge, go race after
they've had a couple inches of rain during the week. If you want a very fun
ride, wait until the area has been dry for a week.

Directions: south of Marietta on County Road 34; entrance is on the east
side of the road a few miles south of town.

Central Illinois Dirt Riders
Glasford, Illinois
Glasford is a regular stop on the District 17 hare scrambles series. I've
raced there a couple of times and had fun. It can get pretty muddy when it
rains during the week (it's Illinois...what else is new), but there's some nice
woods and a few steep hills. The woods are fairly tight, but the CIDRA club
usually mixes it up with some runs through creeks and a couple of open
areas. The course is usually set up for 3-5 miles loops.

Directions: somewhere north of Glasford; south of Hwy 116 (is that specific
enough?)

South Fork Dirt Riders
Taylorville, Illinois
This club was opened a couple years ago and hosts hare scrambles. If you
race here, be prepared for the fastest Illinois race you'll ever experience.
Woods are scarce but high speed open "grass" tracks are plentiful. These
tracks contain blind jumps that can produce ugly surprises on the other
side. If you like motocross, this is the place. If you like tight woods,
well...might want to try something else. The owners are trying to buy some
adjoining land and expand the property, so it may one day be a little more
challenging. As usual in Illinois , the terrain is heavy with clay and gets slick
when wet. When dry, the surface gets pretty hard-packed.

Directions: about 5 miles west of Taylorville on state Hwy 104. Property
adjoins 104 on the south side of the road.