Beloit Riverside Corridor Trails
For trail-goers, Beloit’s downtown paths offer the opportunity to explore attractive parks, stunning views of Rock River, and a charming downtown. The trails do not make a loop or follow any specific route. Nonetheless, by linking them together with occasional backtracking, it is possible to bike nearly 9 miles. The paved trails are in very good condition, and a yellow center line divides the trail into two lanes.
Three parks along Rock River are connected by trails. Each one may serve as a trailhead. They are Wootton, Riverside, and Turtle Creek parks. All three have parking lots and athletic courts or fields. Riverside and Turtle Creek parks have restrooms and playgrounds.
One suggested bicycle route spans 7.5 miles. It begins at Turtle Creek Park, which has two entrances. One is on U.S. Highway 51 (Grand Avenue), and the other is off St. Paul Avenue. The park sits along Turtle Creek, near the state line. It has restrooms, a playground, basketball courts, softball fields, and an open field.
The trail begins at Turtle Creek Park by Grand Avenue and travels west one mile to ABC Supply Stadium. It runs along railroad tracks and crosses Park Avenue and Prospect Street, before arriving at State Street. Trail-goers should use the crosswalk to traverse this busy intersection. The west side of the street has a Wisconsin welcome sign, Beloit city sign, and stone marker with an inscription about the location of Joseph Thibault’s cabin.
The trail continues west next to Shirland Avenue. After a short distance, cyclists need to pay attention to where the path crosses railroad tracks. The tracks run diagonally across the path, and it is easy for bicycle tires to catch in the grooves and cause a fall. Cyclists should pass over the tracks perpendicularly.
After passing city hall, the route turns right (north) and runs along a black iron fence by the city transit station and ABC Supply Stadium, home of the Sky Carp baseball team. After 0.2 mile, it crosses Mill Street and bridges Rock River. The path then travels north one mile to Beloit Memorial High School. Along the way, it crosses 6 city streets and passes Merrill Park.
At Middle Street, the path turns right (east) and proceeds 175 yards to a trail junction. This new trail runs north and south aside the Rock River. The route turns right (south) and travels 0.4 mile along the west riverbank to Portland Avenue. Dedicated lanes on both sides of a bridge over the river allow easy passage to the city’s east side.
On the east bank, the route enters the southern part of Riverside Park. Jones Pavilion is located there and has public restrooms. The parking lot is accessible from Portland Avenue. This 23-acre park stretches a mile north along the river. Riverside Park has several other parking lots, all accessible from U.S. Highway 51 (Riverside Drive). Other amenities include the playgrounds, picnic shelters, bicycle and paddle boat rentals, concessions, lighted tennis courts, and the Harry C. Moore Pavilion and Rotary River Center.
A 3.5 mile network of paved paths winds throughout Riverside Park. After entering the park from the bike lane on the bridge, the prescribed route heads north into the park. Trail-goers then have two path options.
One path journeys along the east side of the park and heads north next to U.S. Highway 51 (Riverside Drive). Along the way, ice cream lovers may venture across Riverside Drive to enjoy a treat at a local Dairy Queen. This path treks north for 0.5 mile to the tennis courts. Within the park, it passes a parking lot, Moore Pavilion, and a reflection pond. The immense buildings of ABC Supply Company are quite a sight, across the street from the trail.
The western path is more scenic, traveling along the banks of the beautiful Rock River. It passes the Rotary River Center, Turtle Island Playground, a historic marker, and the same reflection pond. The marker tells the story of Roy Chapman Andrews, a renowned scientist and explorer from Beloit.
The two paths rejoin by the tennis courts, while other spur trails run across the park to connect them. These extra paths allow trail-goers to access amenities and attractions throughout this large park.
The newly combined path moves into the northern narrow section of Riverside Park. The route journeys over a half mile, past tennis courts, two parking lots and several covered picnic shelters. It finally arrives at the “Celebration Sculpture” artwork on the northern edge of Riverside Park. It’s worth pausing to behold artist O.V. Shaffer’s creation.
Now at the northern edge of Riverside Park, the route turns southwest. It crosses the Rock River by way of a dedicated path on the Hendricks Memorial Bridge. It’s another perfect place to enjoy views of Rock River and downtown Beloit.
After the path turns south from the bridge to travel along the river’s west bank, it cuts through Wootton Park. This riverside park has a parking lot, boat launch, tennis and pickleball courts. Heading south out of the park, the trail crosses Lenigan Creek aside 4th Street, and turns east to follow the shoreline. For nearly a half mile, the trail passes between the bank of the Rock River and the campus of Beloit Memorial High School.
Trailside park benches face the Rock River here and at other places along the route. The view of the river is magnificent. Normally not so wide, the river here broadens due to a dam near downtown that holds the water back.
At Middle Street, a path arriving from the east converges with the one going south. Following the layout described here, trail-goers have already traveled on that trail section and the next segment from Middle Street to Portland Avenue bridge. After crossing the bridge and returning to the east bank of the river, the route now turns south. Turning north leads back to Riverside Park. Turning south takes cyclists through downtown Beloit, leading back to the starting point at Turtle Creek Park.
Heading south, the path travels along the river past the entrance to Wood Family Fishing Bridge and next to Beloit College Powerhouse. The trail also runs by the Rock River Dam. In this section, the path tracks along the river or next to U.S. Highway 51. On the way, it passes the Beloit Visitor Center. On the opposite riverbank is the large Ironworks campus.
This trail segment has three sites of historic interest. A bronze statue of Ken Henricks honors the founder of ABC Supply Company and a major philanthropist in Beloit. A historical marker shares the story of Rolling Thunder’s Ho-Chunk village in that vicinity, and the troop encampment during the Black Hawk War. And on a State Street, a plaque on a downtown building commemorates a visit by Abraham Lincoln to Beloit in 1859.
It is slightly over a mile from the Portland Avenue bridge to State Street. At State Street, the paved path ends, and trail-goers navigate 3 blocks of downtown streets to the return of the path at Mill Street. One route option is traveling on State Street for 2 blocks, turning right (west) on Broad Street, and then left (south) back onto the path at Mill Street. Another route option cuts through parking lots to reach the path at Mill Street.
Downtown Beloit has many great places to grab a bite to eat, including several along or near the trails. Three standouts are Bagels & More, Cheezhead Brewing, and the Flying Pig Treat Shop. Bagels & More serves breakfast, lunch, and gourmet coffee. Cheezhead Brewing offers tasty hand-crafted pints in a taproom and outdoor beer garden. The Flying Pig sells gourmet popcorn, soft serve ice cream, and flavored shaved ices.
After leaving downtown, the path follows Mill Street to a trail junction. The route turns left (south). This path runs by the fence next to the Beloit transit station and baseball stadium, and was previously ridden at the beginning of the journey. The route then turns left (east) at Shirland Avenue and returns on the same course back to Turtle Creek Park one mile away.
Map of trailheads and addresses along this section of the trail.
The 7.5-mile route described here is certainly not the only course to take when biking around Rock River and Beloit’s downtown. Regardless of the route chosen, the excursion promises a pleasant ride with stunning vistas.
Trail last ridden and documented in September, 2023.