Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Piney Creek Ravine Piney Creek Ravine, while well known, is a sort of hidden gem in southern Illinois. It is located on the west side of the state near Ava, Illinois and provides a wonderful hiking opportunity as well as an...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Bell Smith Springs Bell Smith Springs is truly a magical place of the Shawnee National Forest. It is home to a popular diving and swimming hole, the largest arch in southern Illinois, iconic rock formations that are...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Garden of the Gods Observation Trail Garden of the Gods Observation Trail is said to be the most Instagram’d area of the Shawnee National Forest. Chances are, if you’ve been to southern Illinois for hiking, you’ve hiked on the...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Pounds Hollow Recreation Area Pounds Hollow Recreational Area is a great spot to visit in the Shawnee National Forest because of the many things to do in the area. Aside from the obvious hiking activities, there are also camping...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Kaskaskia Experimental Forest Kaskaskia Experimental Forest was a forest set aside for experimental research in tree and forest stands. From the 1940s to the 1970s, the site went from less than 500 acres to over 1,300 acres....
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: East Trigg to Splatterstone Fall Splatterstone Fall is a really scenic waterfall located in Jackson Hollow Ecological Area within the Shawnee National Forest. This area is very wild and scenic all the way from East Trigg...
