Belknap, Illinois

For a full day on Lusk Creek, put in at Iron Bridge and paddle 7.1 miles of Shawnee National Forest beauty. This 8 hour excursion is sure to delight the senses as you pass through some of the most pristine areas in Illinois. Lusk Creek is a remote, pristine stream that provides some of the best c...

Trail of Tears State Forest lies within one of the most rugged landscapes in Illinois. The hills are steep, and the soil is shallow and susceptible to erosion. Cliffs are all around and streams with gravel bottoms are in the narrow forest filled valleys. In 1838-39 the Cherokee, Creek, and Chicka...

Designated a national natural landmark in 1980, Lusk Creek Canyon is the name of a 906-acre canyon located within the Lusk Creek Wilderness Area of the Shawnee National Forest in Pope County, Illinois. The Lusk Creek Canyon Nature Preserve and National Natural Landmark features an outstanding sce...

Located within Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge and along one of the most scenic lakes within the Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois Little Grassy Lake Campground is a awesome place to camp for a night or a whole week. There are 14 full hook up campsites. 54 sites have water and electric acc...

Visit Paducah's thriving riverfront and take a self-guided tour of the Paducah Wall to Wall Murals along the concrete floodwall in downtown.  These works of art depict Paducah's  rich history in more than 50 life-sized panoramic murals by renowned artist Robert Dafford and the Dafford Murals Team...

The massive stone wall was at one time 285 feet long, six feet high, and nine feet thick. The appearance of a “stone fort” or stone wall here at Giant City is one of at least ten in Southern Illinois.  The trail begins at the parking lot and traverses a intermittent cascade waterfall that is amaz...

The natural area you are now entering is 110 acres of bluffs and forest designated as Fern Rocks Nature Preserve. The reasons this was designated a preserve were to protect not only the sandstone bluffs, but also two endangered plants. The white flowered mint, and the grove bluegrass. many other ...

A Native American village once occupied the site of Wickliffe Mounds, about A.D. 1100 to 1350. Here, the Mississippian culture built earthen mounds and permanent houses around a central plaza overlooking the Mississippi River.  Visitors follow a self guided trail system to view the Ceremonial, Ch...

Adjacent to the beautiful Bald Knob Cross monument is one of the most scenic drives in Southern Illinois. The road winds and turns through this rugged and remote wilderness.  Highlights along the way for hikers are the Bald Knob trail loop and the linear Godwin Trail which connects into Clear Spr...

Joy Falls (aka "Mandy Falls") is a great cascade and shelf that falls of about 10 feet await along the roadway a few miles from Mantle Rock Nature Preserve. Glades and barrens also provide for rare wildlife and countless wildflowers in the spring and summer. Spend an hour or five minutes enjoyin...

Just as its name implies, the centerpiece of The Nature Conservancy's Mantle Rock Nature Preserve is a 30-foot natural sandstone bridge spanning 188 feet and embellished by bluffs, shelters, honeycomb formations, fluorite deposits, and a rock-lined stream. The nature preserve also contains extrao...

Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site is a nationally significant Native-American archaeological treasure. From about 800 AD to 1500 AD it was the ‘capital' of a chiefdom that stretched from Brookport to Hamletsburg along the Ohio River. Large flat-topped mounds were erected on which the houses and ...

Fernlands Preserve Trail is a loop trail where you may see beautiful wildflowers located near Carbondale, Illinois.

The Pomona Natural Bridge located in Pomona Illinois is a great hike for most ages.  Starting on a scenic drive from the small town of Pomona, there is ample parking at the trailhead. The hiking trail is easily identified with its gravel path and sign. The trail begins at the top of a hill then d...

Inspiration Point Trail is a 0.7 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Wolf Lake, Illinois. The Inspiration Point Trail offers a panoramic view of the Mississippi River valley and the Big Muddy bottomlands and is well worth the climb. The 300-foot drop, seven feet to the left ...

Arrowhead Lake Trail is a loop trail that takes you by a lake located near Johnston City, Illinois.