Largely in Kane County, the trail connects the communities of (North to South) Algonquin, Carpentersville, Dundee, Elgin, South Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora, Aurora, Montgomery, and Oswego.

Limited portions require a user to travel across intersections or directly on public streets.

On the east side, the trail passes a "Dutch" style windmill from the 1850s that was moved to the river site and refurbished in 1914.

The west side of the preserve has a Frank Lloyd Wright designed "Villa", gardens, greenhouses, pools, and other attractions.

[9] In Aurora, a short distance up the connecting Illinois Prairie Path is a large railroad roundhouse.

The Valley Model Railroad Club moved into the old Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railway Clintonville Station in 1953 and has been there since.

The HO scale trains are run with a state-of-the-art signal and DCC control system developed by one of the members who is an electrical engineer.