Quannippi Trail

I have now officially hiked all of the trails in Alton! 😀

There is a shortage of information on this particular trail, but there are maps at each end, and it's fairly well marked, if you keep an eye out.  Half of it is road walking, the rest is a narrow woodland path the follows the river, and passes through the ballpark.  Overall it is a pleasant walk that is approximately 1.7 miles end to end.  Do it as an out & back from either the Bay or the fire station, and add in the Loop Trail at Jones Field to total a little over 3.5 miles.  Not too shabby!

Hummingbird & I grew up walking & biking to these old train trestles.

 

A few notes on the Quannippi Trail: 

First, there is a LOT of poison ivy along the sides of the trail & roads, so stay strictly on trail, and be very careful walking your pets (or kids) here!  I waited for winter snow cover to retry this trail in its entirety, but you should use caution year round.  

Second, the Loop Trail at Jones Field was a nice surprise.  Well blazed and signed, and longer than expected, with some good hills.  It seemed a bit overgrown, so may be less pleasant in the summer, but it was quite enjoyable as a winter hike.

Stay alert for vehicles while walking the Letter S Rd, as it's a small windy road.

Quannippi would likely be a great bicycle path as well.  You can also easily walk or bike to other trails from here, such as Levey Park or the B&M rail trail, or just walk around town or the Bay, for even more mileage & interest.  The snowmobile trail system appears to be connected as well, which can be another nice extended hike.

 

Hike 2. 1/8 Quannippi trail, 3.6 mi, 1:25 hrs, 72 ft.