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Places To Ride

Like much of western KY, McCracken County offers miles of flat road, ideal for bike riding. But, if you like more variety, there are rolling hills south of Paducah. Bicycle through unspoiled western Kentucky countryside, on paved rural farm roads past crops in the fields, grazing livestock and wildflowers. Roads are narrow, but overall the pavement is smooth, drivers are generally friendly and most roads have only light traffic, perfect for riding a bicycle.

For in-town touring, park your car at BikeWorld and do an easy bike ride in and around Paducah to check out the Floodwall Murals, River Heritage Museum, National Quilt Museum Quilts, the artists studios, and more. It's easy to ride downtown on low trafficed streets or on the Greenway Trail.

Trails
The Paducah Greenway Trail has 5 beautiful miles of greenway allows riders to traverse the entire north side of Paducah without riding on the street. The far western section which extends from beyond Stewart Nelson Park, 175 Stuart Nelson Park Road to Bob Noble Park, 2801 Park Ave is unpaved, but is packed gravel (similiar to what you'd find on a Rail-Trial) From Noble Park east, the next 3  miles are smooth, easy riding concrete.  It is on top of the floodwall and runs along the northside of the city to Campbell Street (next to Paducah Expo Center, 415 Park Avenue.) From there riders can easily access the low trafficed residental streets of Madison or Monroe to circle back to the west.  It's also easy and  great fun to explore the downtown area by bike.

In addition to the parks and Campbell Street Greenway entrances, the Greenway trail can be accessed at North 8th Street (U.S. 45) and  H.C. Mathis Drive. Access to the Noble Park section is behind the baseball fields. (During the summer,  Tuesdays through Sunday afternoons riders can cool off after their ride at Paducah's public Noble Park Swimming Pool.)

The Tunnel Hill Trail rail-trail in southern Illinois (22 miles north of Paducah) is terrific. Never more than a two percent grade and scenic! Railroad bridges with the creek way down below, really thrilling stuff, especially for our 10 year old friends. An exciting tunnel has about 20 heart stopping seconds when you can't see daylight at either end. To get to there, via Vienna, IL: From I-24, take exit 16; go west about half mile. The park is on the left.

Mountain Biking 
Land Between The Lakes (LBL) is 30 miles east of Paducah, and offers miles of hard packed, well drained single track. The Canal Loop Trail is one of the most popular and offers hiking and mountain biking. It is hilly!! Check out the Canal Loop Map. In addition to bicycling, there other neat outdoor things to do, especially with kids, including visits to the 1850's Homeplace and The Woodlands Nature Center. There's also a planetarium. In Grand Rivers don't miss: Patti's 1880's Settlement, where you'll find Miss Patti's famous 2 inch pork chops and Arielle's Miniature Golf Course.