Whether you’re living in Chicago, Peoria, Rockfield or Naperville, you have some seriously good dirt bike trails on your doorstep.
In some cases, you’ll need a trailer to haul or you can even ride there if your motorcycle is legal. It really depends on how far away you live from some of these spots.
Luckily, the State of Illinois really encourages offroad motorcycling and dual-sport adventures. This brings in tourists dollars and keeps the local economy flowing well.
Best Dirt Bike Spots Illinois
We’ve done the research so you don’t have to! After all, you’d rather be out there riding and twisting that throttle hard. Whether you like the tight technical trails that you’ll find in the State Forests or the open savannah sections where you can find 5th gear and pin it hard, there are certainly some great options.
Such areas are just begging to be explored! In fact, you may need a few days set aside to see some of these trails because they seem like they go on for ever. Pro-tip: Bring your tent and sleeping bag, not just your dirt bike and make it a weekend getaway.
These are essentially the best dirt bike tracks in Illinois:
1. Fox Valley Off Road
With 10 miles of epic forest tracks for dirt bikes and ATV’s alike. It’s not the biggest place but certainly gets a lot of fanfare. You can camp here overnight and the place gets busy on weekends.
2. Joliet Motosports MX Park
Most popularly frequented by dirt bike riders of Illnois is the Joliet Motosports MX Park. This is a child-friendly place with junior riders joining in with their parents for epic adventures. There isn’t any enduro riding here, so if you like closed-circuit racing with some jumps and whoop sections, then this is for you.
3. Little Egypt Offroad Illinois
This is epic! Little Egypt is well known and you’ll find it in Marion, IL. There are almost 500 acres of dirt bike trails to explore through the hills and open fields. It can get dusty in the summer months and washed out in the winter months, so thiere is a mix for everyone.
4. Rocky Glen OHV Park
Located near Rockford is the Rocky Glen OHV Park. There are miles of tracks worth heading out to explore on paired with an MX track. Beginners are welcome here with a warm up area to help you learn paired with an obstacle course. The more advanced riders will appreciate the technical skills training area.
5. Williams Hill Pass
Created by the William Hill Pass Association, you’ll find almost 20 mile sof dirt bike tracks spread out over more than 200 acres. This is another great spot for children to explore with their dirt bikes. Check before hauling because this place is sometimes closed during the week.
6. Sunset Ridge MX Dirt Bike Club
Go west from Chicago and you’ll find yet another family-friend MX track. Peewee’s are welcome here and the main track is actually pretty long by MX-standards. They run racing events here if you’re looking to see some competition and what a dirt bike can truly do with the right hands behind the bars.
7. MC Motopark
Another great spot is the MC Motopark. This isn’t that highly rated but worth mentioning as it isn’t far from Chicago. Perfect for a weekend getaway and there are accommodation options nearby.
Getting Started
Unlike other states, Illinois doesn’t really have much in the way of dirt bike riding areas which are free and open every day to the public. It’s mostly motocross tracks here or some riding parks.
That said – don’t let this excuse stop you. You might want to head interstate to Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin or Michigan. They all have great places to also ride, several of which are national parks or state forests with camping. There are some good spots in Illinois open to dual-sport and adventure riders. To find these, simply look up 4×4 tracks and you’ll be permitted to travel on most of them.
Lastly, look in some of the most popular Facebook groups around. There are riders who are looking for others to go riding with most weekends, so if you need some riding buddies, this is where you’ll find ’em.
