Where to Walk in the Quad Cities?
There are so many great areas to walk in the Quad Cities to keep your fitness, health, and longevity at the forefront of your life. Whether you are looking for a long walk to cover all your steps for the day, or simply want a quick burner to boost your mood, the Quad Cities has many areas that allow you to walk, jog, or run safely. One of the most recent walking paths that was added to the ever extensive list of Quad Cities walking paths is the I-74 River Bridge. This was made as part of the new I-74 bridge being built, giving individuals the ability to enjoy the scenic Mississippi, all from the walking path that connects Iowa and Illinois together. Let’s take a look at it! If you are interested checking out another article I made, detailing a few of my favorite Quad Cities walking paths and trails, you can check that out, below.
Top 3 Walking Paths in Bettendorf, Iowa – Walking and Bike Trails in the Quad Cities
One of my favorite things about the Quad Cites is that you are only a 10 minute drive from the grocery store, entertainment, or beautiful parks and trails. Once spring starts to bleed more into a “summer” feel, I ooze with excitement is I know I am going to be able to experience some of…
I-74 River Bridge Walking Path
The I-74 River Bridge walking and bike path is a wonderful way that connects citizens of the Quad Cities, through manual transportation, between Illinois and Iowa. The River Bridge starts at near the downtown area right off of Grant Street in Bettendorf, or off the end of the bridge in River Drive in Moline. Both of the locations are fairly easily accessible, with free public parking at the 15th Street Landing in Bettendorf, and on street parking near 19th St. and 2nd Avenue in Moline. From there, you are just a few steps away from being on the pedestrian path portion. When it comes to which bridge to enter on, you will enter on the bridge that is going East Bound, toward Illinois. If you are coming from Iowa, it would be the bridge on the right, and from Illinois, the bridge on the left.
Logistics of The Walking Path
Once you get on the walking and bike path itself, it is about a 1 mile trek from the one side to another. Assuming you don’t have a ride waiting at the other side, this would a round trip of about 2 miles. If you are unsure how long that would take, most individuals walk at an average pace of around 3 mph. Walking at this speed would be about a 20 minute per mile walk, or 40 minutes round trip. Of course, if you are slower walker, the time to finish will increase. Also, this would be assuming that you don’t take any breaks to stop and check out the beautiful view of the Mississippi river (which I would definitely do.) One of the really neat things about this walking path, is that there is a large railing separating you from traffic the entire way across the path. Being 14 feet wide, the fully ADA accessible path allow individuals that are in a wheelchair, to move comfortably next to bikers, walkers, and runners.Fully separated from traffic and ADA accessible, the new path provides a safe way to cross the Mississippi River. At 14 feet wide, there is ample room for bikes and pedestrians to travel in either direction. The path connects to existing trails on both sides of the river. In addition to this, it should be noted that the path is lit up at night, allowing it to be safely used during the evening hours.
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Oculus Viewing Lens
By far one of the coolest additions added to this Quad Cities walking and bike trail is the Oculus Viewing Lens. This large, tempered glass display, allows Quad Cities citizens that ability to look straight down at the Mississippi from above. The thing that I really enjoy about this viewing lens, is that there is only one way to get there. Walking, biking, or running. It’s almost like having to trek to the top of the mountain to see a beautiful view. Experiences like this, where you have to use your fitness to actually enjoy a certain view are hard to find. The Oculus viewing lens gives you a quick glimpse!
Check it Out!
For more details about the bridge and all the other great walking and bike trails that the Quad Cities has to offer, feel free to checkout the QC Trails website link here.
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