A couple of years ago, I was trying to find a spot for my dad’s and my father/daughter hiking trip when I stumbled upon a treasure trove of hikes in Southern Illinois. Between Shawnee National Forest and the many state parks in the area, there are so many unique trails to explore. I had no idea that these trails were so close to home and once I discovered them, I can’t stop talking about them. These are my favorite hikes in Southern Illinois, but this post comes with a warning… If you continue reading, you’ll want to plan a hiking trip as soon as possible. I already cannot wait to get back to Southern Illinois and share it with Matt!
The hikes in Southern Illinois are located in Shawnee National Forest and state parks across the region. Instead of sorting them by park, I decided to list them by mileage from longest to shortest. Shawnee National Forest is quite large, so when you’re planning your trip, just look at the map to put your hikes closer together. I’ve also included the closest town to each hike to help you plan where to stay.
Little Grand Canyon Trail – Shawnee National Forest
DISTANCE: 3 Mile Loop. You can get to overlooks in short sections out and back, if you want.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate to strenuous.
NOTABLE FEATURE: Climbing through the canyon.
OTHER HIKES NEARBY: Pamona Natural Bridge
In addition to being the longest trail on this list, it was also my favorite. At first when all we saw was the “overlooks” that I mentioned above, and we were honestly disappointed. However, there comes a point when the trail changes and you start to descend into the canyon and it all changed. When you hear “grand canyon” it’s easy to imagine a red rock canyon, but this is different. It’s a smaller box canyon with moss and ferns growing through and around it. Water trickles (or flows a bit after a good rain) down through the canyon where you step down through it. Eventually the trail flattens out and can be very muddy just before ascending the next section of the canyon. Watch your step through the canyon, especially if the water is flowing, because the stone is very slick when wet.
Check out my complete hiking guide here.
Rim Rock Trail – Shawnee National Forest
DISTANCE: 1.7 mile loop if you combine the upper and lower loops. 0.8 Miles is you just do the Rim Rock Trail (“upper loop”).
DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate.
NOTABLE FEATURE: Passing through massive stones and formations.
OTHER HIKES NEARBY: Garden of the Gods Trail
Rim Rock Trail is wonderful trail in this area because of the historical self-guided trail and the sheer beauty of this trail. My favorite part of this trail is when you start down to the lower loop and you pass through two massive chunks of rock. It’s actually a bit of a tight squeeze, and that’s what makes it so cool. Also Ox-Lot Cave, which historically was a place where settlers kept their oxen, is quite beautiful. It is a bluff that creates a nice alcove of a cave.
Todd Finke – Heron Pond Trail – Heron Pond Preserve
DISTANCE: 1.5 Mile Loop – You can shave off a little bit of the hike if you turn back at the pond instead of adding the tiny spur to the Champion Cherry Bark Oak Tree.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
NOTABLE FEATURE: The Cyprus Swamp
OTHER HIKES NEARBY: Ghost Dance Canyon Trail
The Todd Finke Heron Pond Trail is so memorable and unique that it has to be on your hikes in Southern Illinois list. The trail crosses over and then follows the Cache River for a short distance until you find yourself to the edge of Heron Pond’s floating boardwalk trail. The boardwalk takes you through the towering trees that let light peep through them. The green shades are simply mesmerizing. It’s hard to believe that this swampy area isn’t in Louisiana, but it really is in Illinois. Luckily, that means no alligators, but there are cottonmouth snakes, so watch out for those. This is a trail you’re sure to remember.
MORE TO SEE NEAR HERON POND: Metropolis, Illinois is very close to this hiking area. Here you can see the giant Superman Statue as well as visit The Super Museum dedicated to all things Superman!
Ferne Clyffe Waterfall Trail – Ferne Clyffe State Park
DISTANCE: 1.3 miles total, out and back
DIFFICULTY: Easy
NOTABLE FEATURE: The beautiful Ferne Clyffe Waterfall.
OTHER HIKES NEARBY: There are other trails within Ferne Clyffe State Park
This trail is one of my favorites in hikes in southern Illinois. It’s an easy trail, perfect for families and has a beautiful waterfall at the end of it. I love that there are benches along the trail making it a great trail for a picnic too! The waterfall isn’t a big, powerful one, but it is a stunner. It falls over beautiful moss-covered rocks and looks like a place that fairies would come to live.
Ghost Dance Canyon – Dixon Springs State Park
DISTANCE: 1 mile total, out and back
DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate
NOTABLE FEATURE: The cascades at the end of the trail.
OTHER HIKES NEARBY: Todd Finke – Heron Pond Trail
This was a trail we lucked into. Our AirBNB host told us about this beautiful trail that was just down the road, and I’m so glad that she did. When you try to find the trailhead, it is a bit deceiving because the beginning of the trail is just a path beside the pool. Then it goes under a bridge of the nearby road and leads down into a canyon. Near the end of the trail, there are a series of boulders in the creek and along bank that you have to scramble over and around. At these boulders, you’ll also find a series of cascades of teal blue water. It’s a truly beautiful hike in Southern Illinois.
Burden Falls Trail – Shawnee National Forest
DISTANCE: 0.8 mile loop
DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate
NOTABLE FEATURE: The 20-foot Burden Falls
OTHER HIKES NEARBY: Jackson Falls and Bell Smith Spring
A NOTE OF WARNING: This waterfall seems to be a place where a lot of accidents occur. A few years ago, a woman fell to her death and two hikers have already had to be airlifted from this area in 2021. Basically what I’m saying is don’t get too close to the edge.
Burden Falls is a 20-foot waterfall that flows over a bluff. The trail is a little hard to find and follow. In fact, we didn’t even complete the loop, we turned it into more of an out-and-back trail. Before you get to Burden Falls, you’ll see a series of smaller waterfalls. They’re quite beautiful as well. The trail is beautiful, but definitely use your best judgement as far as getting near the edge of the cliffs. Also, keep in mind that the waterfall will be flowing the most in the spring when it rains more often.
Jackson Falls – Shawnee National Forest
DISTANCE: 0.5 miles total, out and back
DIFFICULTY: Easy
NOTABLE FEATURE: This trail takes you to the top of Jackson Falls.
OTHER HIKES NEARBY: Bell Smith Spring and Burden Falls
This is a super short trail and takes you up to the top of Jackson Falls. There is a much longer trail that will take you to the bottom of the falls. Also, this is a popular spot for rock climbers and belayers which is alway fun to watch. This is a great, quick addition to any day of hiking in Shawnee National Forest because it’s such a short distance.
Pamona Natural Bridge – Shawnee National Forest
DISTANCE: 0.3 mile loop
DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate
NOTABLE FEATURE: The 90-foot wide natural bridge.
OTHER HIKES NEARBY: Little Grand Canyon Trail
Pamona Natural Bridge Trail is a super quick trail and easy to tack on to a day of hiking. The trail winds through the woods and takes you right over the top of the natural bridge and then on to a very pretty viewpoint of Pamona Natural Bridge.
Garden of the Gods Observation Trail – Shawnee National Forest
DISTANCE: 0.25 mile loop
DIFFICULTY: Easy
NOTABLE FEATURE: The amazingly, crazy rock formations.
OTHER HIKES NEARBY: Rim Rock Trail
A NOTE OF WARNING: There are some high cliffs here, so be careful when near the edge and watch children if you have them on the trail with you.
Garden of the Gods is one of the main features of Shawnee National Forest, making the Observation Trail one of the most popular hikes in Southern Illinois. This section of the National Forest is a bluff line covered with crazy rock formations. Some of the most notable are Camel Rock and Table Rock. But you’re sure to be amazed around every corner and you can find other shapes in rocks like you’re looking at clouds. This trail is easy and allows you to take in the highlights. Although this hike is short, take your time; you’ll find so much beauty in the details.
Don’t Forget to Pack…
For hikes in Southern Illinois specifically, these are the things that we recommend. Obviously, some things vary depending on which season you’re visiting. Hopefully this helps you plan your trip to take on these hikes.
In the past, when I thought of traveling in Illinois, I only really thought of Chicago. However, there are clearly lots of beautiful sites to see in Illinois. I already cannot wait to get back to the beautiful hikes in Southern Illinois to take on some more trails and return to my favorites, of course.
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