We rode the I&M Canal Trail, end-to-end, from east to west this weekend. In sum, the route was a century. The first 48 miles, from the trailhead in Willow Springs to Morris, were very scenic and filled with beautiful flora and fauna. From Morris, things slowly went downhill. The crushed limestone/gravel trail became overgrown singletrack, littered with numerous downed trees, and eventually completely barricaded. The latter was super frustrating as it required doubling back and rerouting along roads. No signs or any other forms of notification were placed along the trail to indicate the upcoming dead ends. There were a number of solo campgrounds along the western portion of the trail. However, they were not well maintained. We ended up crashing at a hotel in Peru, IL. If you do this route, and choose to camp, bring something to clear the camping area. The only alternative would be to bring a hammock and skip a tent. While we had planned to ride the route in reverse to head back to our car, we ended up paying a local with a truck to drive us back to the trailhead the following day. I'd still recommend the route to anyone interested in riding along a historic canal trail. This waterway helped build Chicago into the city it is today. And, along with the Erie Canal in upstate NY, this water trail helped link the Atlantic with the Mississippi River. There isn't much intel on the trail conditions for this route. And, there appears to be minimal maintenance on the western half. I imagine it becomes more overgrown with vegetation during the summer. And, there is a lot of poison ivy in the area. Pix are all from the first portion of the route. I was too annoyed to snap photos once the trail turned sour.