ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. – Looking for a place outdoors where you can avoid COVID-19? Fox 2’s Patrick Clark looked at a 60-mile long trail in Illinois.
From scenic backroads to peaceful prairies the Kaskaskia Cahokia Trail wants to offer an okay Covid safe alternative to your family to get away to this summer in St. Clair County, Monroe, and Randolph counties.
“I’m part of the Kaskaskia Cahokia Trail Coalition and we’re trying to promote the trail. It is the first road in Illinois. It goes from the first capitol in Kaskaskia all the way to Cahokia. That was the main part in the 1700s, or 1786 when George Rogers Clark captured Kaskaskia and it became part of the United States,” said Tom Smith, Mayor Waterloo, Illinois.
The do it yourself road trip allows you to download detailed information about the self-guided tour through three southwestern Illinois counties along the Kaskaskia Cahokia Trail.
“This is the only remaining stagecoach stop on the Kaskaskia Cahokia Trail. All the others are gone. It was a stagecoach stop, a grist mill, a rope factory, a store, and a tavern,” said Brian Hart, Waterloo historian.
There are printed versions of the maps and routes and places to pick up a carryout meal along the KCT, or you can find them by following the signs in southwestern Illinois.
“This is the church of the Holy Family. This church and parish were established in 1699. You can stop and hike or stop and walk, on the other hand, you can go to site to site and see what is there. So, it is a great alternative to see something such as this without necessarily interacting with another person,” said John Reed, Log Church tour guide.
So, saddle up your vehicle and drive the 60 miles of the first trail made by buffalo that became the first road in Illinois.
