Routing
The Illinois Prairie Path consists of three distinct branches originating from a point just west of downtown Wheaton. The northwest branch is called the Elgin Branch and runs approximately 16 miles (26 km) to Elgin. This branch is the longest of the three. The southwest branch is called the Aurora Branch and runs approximately 14 miles (23 km) to Aurora. The eastern branch is known as the Main Stem and runs 15 miles (24 km) east to Forest Park at the Forest Park CTA station, where it crosses the historic Elmhurst Great Western Prairie.
All three branches are marked with concrete mile markers stating the name of the branch, and how many miles away from Wheaton the rider currently is, although the frequency and character of these markers varies from county to county.
After its conception, spurs were added to the system extending west from the Elgin Branch to Geneva (known as the Geneva Spur) and west from the Aurora Branch to Batavia (known as the Batavia Spur). These spur branches are 6 and 5 miles (10 and 9 km) long respectively, and are also marked with mile markers.
The Prairie Path itself is part of a larger regional network of trails in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Elgin Branch and Main Stem are part of the 575-mile (925 km) long Grand Illinois Trail in north-central Illinois. On a more local level, the Prairie Path intersects with Kane County's Fox River Trail four times, and the Great Western Trail — a parallel connector between the Main Stem at Lombard and the Elgin Branch. There will also be future connections to the West Branch DuPage River Trail, the East Branch DuPage River Trail, and the Salt Creek Trail.
The DuPage County Department of Transportation maintains internal designations for the Illinois Prairie Path as a part of the county's highway system. County Highway 47 refers to the Main Stem and the Aurora Branch. County Highway 48 refers to the Elgin Branch. County Highway 49 refers to the Batavia Spur, while County Highway 57 refers to the Geneva Spur.
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