Illinois Virtual Endurance Challenge

Think you can take the Lake Michigan Challenge? The benefit is you always have the option to jump in the water to cool off along the way!

Enjoy all that Southern Illinois has to offer. Check out antique shops, artist studios and local farmers’ markets along the way. Make it real, consider camping out under a blanket of stars (at home!).

Nearly as old as the automobile, the Lincoln Highway – the first New York-to¬-San Francisco route - stretches from Lynwood, a Chicago suburb, to Fulton along the Mississippi River. Take your time and follow the plentiful red-white-and-blue signs that bear the highway’s trademark oversize “L” (not available in all neighborhoods).

Like most National Scenic Byways, Route 66 today carries travelers more interested in the going than the getting there. Here’s your chance to go at your own pace and sleep in your own bed. Enjoy some of the favorite stops along the way and be sure to swap your virtual experiences on social media.

Our toughest challenge, run the length of the Illinois Scenic Byway beside the Mississippi River from East Dubuque in the north to Cairo in the south, through 18 counties and past 15 locks and dams, defining much of the Prairie State’s western edge. The average surface speed of the water is about 2 miles per hour BUT the water doesn’t take any time off. During your 90 days of the Challenge the River will flow 4320 miles!