Sylvan Island

Weve only been here twice but were in love with this island! Making plans to explore more next spring when everything warms back up but I also want to go play in the snow there! Its beautiful and I highly recommend checking it out!

Best place for some crazy and exciting mountain bike riding, a must to visit, wear protective gear and be ready to have an amazing time.

Unique park, with great views.Ive been going here for over 20 years, and its always a lovely walk. A reclaimed Iron works the area features trails that wind through the old crumbling foundation. Mind you dont trip over bits of iron slag.The trails that edge the island make for some great views and offer good bord watching. Also a popular fishing spot. If your into plants and herbology, your spot quite a bit of biodiversity, such as sweetgum, mullen, and motherwort to neme a few.Well worth the drive to this little of the way spot.

Bike park but nice hiking if you look out. Birds migrate through. Interesting ruins from steel factory. Wish trash was picked up better. Two outlook decks. Statue of John Derek. People fishing. Graffiti.

Ive been going there since i was a kid my old stomping grounds. Its Changed over the years clean and safe . lots of trails for hiking and biking.good fishing and lots of wildlife to be seen Lots of good memories there. All i can say is go there and make some of your own memories today

This is a neat little park with some cool trails. Plenty of shade to stay out of the sun. Bring some bug spray though! Tons of areas to go fishing. Lots of places to take photos. There are some trees down blocking some paths but it adds to the fun climbing over them. Cant wait to go again and explore some more trails. Not very packed today which was good as well.

Absolutely beautiful nature! The circle takes about a half hour to complete. But there are many side trails to take so your journey could take several hours to fully explore. Great for all ages!

Quiet and peaceful. Good walking area.

Its one of the best places to do some off road Mountain Bike trail riding within City Limits...Its a very good place to teach Kids how to Ride & Enjoy trail riding with different levels of trail riding All in a fairly small area with nicely groomed trails. Theres just never enough places like Sylvan Island to Enjoy Mother Nature on a Bicycle, its One of the Quad Cities Area hidden Jewels !

Fun place to run, ride bikes or just a scenic walk.

A great place for a Hike !!I found this park on Google maps while looking for somewhere to jog and hike during a trip to Moline last year. This is a historic area as its the former home of the Republic Steel mill which was shut down years ago. The island has hiking and mountain bike trails, its quiet and I did not see too many people there while on my hike. There are several trails on the island, so I had time to walk most of them. There are wooden outcrops that you can use for photos. The trails go in and around the island. You find find wildlife, birds, small animals, and the remnants of the old steel mill. This is a great place for a hike.

The recreational area has a selection of trails for biking/hiking as well as a lot of water front available for fishing. One downside is that no restrooms of any kind are present on the island.

Such a great little bit of nature right in the middle of the Quad Cities. My boyfriend and I love the hiking trails (some of which are gravel) and the wooden river viewing platforms. Its a great place to take a walk and look at all the native birds nearby! Park at the adjoining parking lot, or park further down the river bike path for a longer walk.

Its a very well maintained and calming place to be. Easy trails. Good for all ages. Wildlife is abundant. The dogs and I love the open space to play soccer.

Nice place for a hike. We hiked around the whole island. Some parts there is access to the water for fishing.

A great time for the nature family

Was definitely a great place to walk and talk for a first date.

Trails were alot of fun for my kids and I.

Trails to walk. Great fishing spots. Bike path. Also a good spot for Pokemon GO.

Cool place, nice trails. But people really need to take better care of the place. Pick up your trash. Plastic will stay on the Earth for 500+ years so why just throw it around so it can damage the ecosystem. Pick it up or dont go anywhere. Its that simple.

I always enjoy going fishing, walking and bike riding....

Short hike, bring bug spray, lots of trash, broken glass. Nice waterfowl wildlife viewing.

Great trails. Beautiful scenery. Its a wonderful place for families to ride bicycles, especially wide trails for little ones. Not crowded normally.

Went at midnight and just walked the outer path. It is beautiful and quiet. So many places to fish and sit. I wish I would have taken more photos, going back tomorrow during the day to explore the inner part of the island.

Good place for a short hike. Lots of people fish and mountain bike here

Excellent place for bike trails, fishing, walking, running, wildlife, photography, and enjoying the peaceful raw nature of this historic place.

Certainly one of the more overlooked areas in the QC! I finally visited here in July 2019 and I must say, it’s a beautiful little “island” with an interesting history. I only ran into one person the entire time I was there. Truly a hidden gem.

Great mountain bike trails!

Very pretty area despite the current flooding. Gorgeous place for sunsets, walking, cranes and pelicans.

Beautiful place to take a walk or ride a bike. My only suggestion would be more gard rails, but over all I love this place!!!

Doing an investigation..AJ was telling us what was being said.

Great island for walking, jogging, fishing. Probably one of the most beautiful parks in the area. Though, no playground or anything so may or may not be great for little kids especially with close proximity to water everywhere. Also be forewarned it can get very muddy or even flood.

Amazing little oasis considering its in the middle of the Quad Cities. Well maintained mountain bike trails. Find a map online if you dont know your way. Its small but the trail layout is very good and they use every inch of the island.

Great hikes with so many options. Wonderful views.

Beautiful pictures galore.

Its a great place to hike with little chance of getting lost.

Nice quiet place to walk!

Easy trails, never far from the car, but look out for the bikers!

Well cared for bike/walking trail system

Trails are in great shape.

Lots of wildlife, fishing, walking, off road bike trails FORC access to bike path. Make sure you have bug spray.

Nice little hour home

Very peaceful. Its great that its an Island walking over such a calm part of the Mississippi is exciting but not scary like the Centennial bridge. Walking or running is nice but there is a bunch of great off road biking trails as well. Definitely worth checking out.

This is a great place, nature Lovers must visit

The island floods at least once a year, so areas need cleaned up. Its a nice place to picnic, walk, fish, bike ride. Currently the road into the park is tore up. But you can still get in. I think they are giving up on maintaining the island.

So. Much fun

My favorite place in the quad cities

Been going there since I was a boy

It Was awesome. First time on island. Great trails

Its a beautiful island and it has lots of fun little trails and some cool beaches. I found a pretty cool walking stick that I am now very fond of.

Great park for a quick hike!

Very cool

Cool bike trails lot of fun Good view of the arsenal

Cool place for a relaxing walk

Quit littering.

YE HA!!! The new bridge is open!!! Great place to fish, hike, bike, explore, or have a religious experience. The island used to have factories all over it. Nothing left but grown over foundations.. And plenty of trails. Come have fun, observe what really lasts in this crazy world.

Beautiful scenery

Sylvan Island is a Quad City classic. Such a fun place to walk, explore, run, or mountain bike. During the winter months there are times for great Bald Eagle watching. This island is also host to some great races during the year like the Sylvan Stampede. Whether you want to race or watch, its fun to be present.With the new access bridge to the island complete, Sylvan promises to be great fun for decades.

The river,flowers and the walkway are my favorites

Awesome spot for pictures, a walk, biking, or fishing :-) it also connects to the long bike path that runs the river

Nice spot for fishing. Or exploring trails.

Great place

My parents tell me alot of great stories of this place before it was for trails and walking so its pretty cool to be here and fish, walk, mild hike, bike trail, alot of nice people come here to enjoy as well

Great place to stomp around. Pretty flat with short steep features. Perfect place for a fat dude like myself.

So many activities!

Bike trails for all levels of experience. Clean and maintained well

This is an awesome place to kick back and go fishing and some people even use the trails for biking.

A lot of history and river views at this small island park. Extensive ruins of a former steel mill make for a fascinating hike!

Beautiful place for run, cicling walk.

Has beautiful scenery along the shore of the Mississippi, plus spots made to sit and fish!

24/7 gnar shreddage.

Great get away for a few hours.

Nice place to hike and bike

I caught a couple of fish at that Park, Sylvan Island Park or whatever it is. Its great, its nice, its clean and I think theyre going to plant native plants or something there. I got a Sheepshead and some other guys caught a striper and a catfish. Weather was nice, cant beat it.

Great trails for walking or comfort biking. Separate trails for single track riding and walkers. Great eagle viewing and a lot of history.

One of my favorite places to ride especially just starting out again you can build your stamina up just by going around the perimeter or you can take one of the middle trails and give yourself more of a workout. And a thumbs-up to all the people that are continuing to improve the trails its really a nice place.

Just wished I was younger to enjoy it more lol

Alot of good trails worth it

Went there to ride the mtb trails. It was a decent place to thrash around once you spend a little time to connect some trails to get a decent loop. Youre in Rock Island so theres a good chance of getting your vehicle broke into.

Great place to walk the dog, ride a bike or go fishing for awhile!

Great place for everything outdoors fishing, walking, bicycling, running,kyaking, nature watching. Love this place!!

Great place to go for a walk, bike, or throw in a line!

Sylvan Island, Big improvement, great job.

10 out of 10 would recommend for just about any outdoor activity. It is absolutely gorgeous here. So glad I came.

So fun!

Great location for senior photos! One of my top 3 locations to use in the Illinois side.

This used to be the hangout in my teen years. We went to visit while we were in town and they have made so many changes but so many memories came back.

Nice place to tromp around

The water is pretty low right now, so not the best fishing.

Fishing was great

Nice place for pictures

A very nice recreational area, but closed to pedestrian access as of summer of 2013 due to structural issues with the pedestrian bridge. While the island is still open to the public, hopefully walking and biking access will be restored.The island had historical value and is a nice place to walk, bike, fish, or just enjoy a bit of nature in an otherwise urban location.EDIT: As of December 2017, the island is open to pedestrian traffic again because of a newly built bridge!

Found this place by accident, awesome place

Mysterious yet cool

So happy the bridge is finally open again. Trails are in fantastic shape!

Loved it 15yrs ago in high school, loved seeing all the trails and nicely arranged, not a fan of the mosquitos. We will be back for more hiking.

This is the best place to go ride your Fat Tire Bike Im glad its open again sit right down the street from my house

I went swimming here its super fun and climb the tower thx

Is nice when its not flooded

Hard to find if you dont know where it is, but some beautiful views of the Mississippi.