Hogg Bluff Scenic Area

Continuing with our series,"Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-adventure in Southern Illinois",we feature Hogg Bluff geological wonders. Directions: From Marion,ill take 1-57 to 1-24 to Tunnel Hill exit, cross US 45,and follow about 6 miles to a left onto Gum Springs Rd(just south of the church). This good road will bring you to an unmarked Shawnee National Forest parking area after crossing a bridge. An alternative direction as follows: go east from Marion on rt 13,turn right on rt 166,go thru Creal Springs,and turn right on US 45. Follow this to a left turn on Gum Springs rd just south of the sign for Ozark.
From the parking lot,note the user-made trail going west along beautiful cliffs. This is Cedar Wonders(scroll index for Cedar). It is also a parking access for River to River trail. Cross the paved road and walk east on an old road: the River to River trail turns right; we go straight ahead on an abandoned railbed. This will be a 25 minute walk to our goal as we view distant cliff lines on the left and marsh/swamp on the right. GPS N37.29742 and W-88.45467.  Alas! a 150 ft isolated massive boulder empompassed by a semi-circle creek. Look for an unmarked trail to its top for great views. Evidence suggests that indians used this top for ceremonial purposes rather than military functions. This mass formerly was surrounded by a lake until the Illinois Central railroad put its railbed thru it.  Visible from the roadbed is a perfect semi-circle cliff line on the north side of the creek-very unusual.. Back up to a place where you can cross the creek and bushwhack along the base of the cliff line. On 2-19-13 I found  extensive icicyles dripping from cliffs,many cliff overhangs,and one rockhouse about 25' deep and 40' length. Ownership is confusing: the railbed has private property signs posted as no hunting or fishing, but no postings at the geological oddities. This railbed will run all the way to Camp Ondessonk.More information on this area,contact Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.
3-1-13: a reader clarified ownership. camp ondessonk owns the railbed and postings to keep people from straying off the trail. The geological area belongs to Shawnee National Forest.

Rim Rock Trails

Continuing with our series,"Adventures with Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois", we feature Rim Rock National Recreation trail in Shawnee National forest.  Directions: From Harrisburg,ill, take us 45 south to a left turn on Rt 145. Follow it past Mitchelville and a left onto Rt 34. Follow this past Herod,Ill and turn left on Karber Ridge Rd.  This road will pass Garden of the Gods, High Knob, and another 4 miles to the well marked entrance.
Along with ample parking in the paved lot, there is a rest room and numerous picnic tables.  Note the sign board with an orientation to the trails and history of the area.  GPS coordinates are 37  36'  8.76"N and 88  16'  41.97"W.  We are confronted with 3 trail choices: left, right, and straight ahead.  The left segment provides continuous views 70 ft below the paved trail into the canyon; On the left, we also parallel continuous sandstone glades. We come to an observation deck.If you took the center trail which is also paved, it arrives at the same deck.  This trail isn't as scenic-just goes thru woods and has a long descent.This one is also paved. That left segment is accdessible for wheelchairs as far as the deck. The brochure states that a loop of both trails is one hour.  From the deck we descend a staircase thru a rock tunnel maze and arrive at the base of the cliffs.  Going to the right, we encounter Ox-Lot Cave.  This is a massive cliff overhang but has very little depth; Rather it is more noted for historical significance.
Now we are following a dirt base trail which provides views of tall pretty clifflines. A junction appears: a left goes 0.5 mile to Pounds Hollow Lake and a right continues our baseline trail back to the parking lot.  Soon our trail becomes a canyon with tall cliffs on both sides of the trail. Near the end, the trail suddenly climbs thru switchbacks.  We arrive at the 3-way junction and parking lot.  You will note numerous resting benches on all 3 trail segments.
More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.

Horse Creek Trail

Continuing with our series,"Adventures with Uncle Bob-Guide to self-exploration in Southern Illinois",we feature the above trail in Shawnee National Forest.  This trail disappeared off our old website. Directions: From Jonesboro,illinois, go west on rt 146 to rt 3, turn left and drive about 10 miles to the village of McClure, turn left by the schoolhouse onto Grapevine road. Proceed about 5 miles and turn right on Oxford Rd (the Forest Service refers to it as FR 220). If you go by an abandoned campground, you went too far-back up. Our route up to this point has been very scenic. Drive up the steep gravel road,fork right onto the lane with grass in the middle, and you will see two trailheads. As a loop trail, I prefer the second one.GPS coordinates are N37 18' 19" and W 89  22' 16.28".
The trail has a number of switchbacks with many overlooks over the countryside and ravine views. This trail is rugged. Eventually we descend to the bottom of the canyon and a "T" intersection. If you go right it will end at a pond. Proceed left. In the spring you will be overpowered by the sounds of Cicada insects. Good pictures at http://www.semissourian.com/blogs/pavementends/entry/38670. If the link doesn't go, re-type it in your browser. Along the bottom of the canyon we climb in and out of hollowed-out creekbeds.At some point we come to an unclear junction and I hope my blue marker is still there. Turn left. The trail now makes a steep ascent back to the top and out to the road. Turn left there and back to your car. Estimated length of this loop was 5 miles.
For another very scenic drive, turn left on Grapevine and drive approx half mile to a road sign( county line road?), turn right and follow several miles and reach rt 127. Go left and follow to Jonesboro. Any comments or questions, contact Bob Tyson 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.

One Horse Gap Trails

Continuing with our series,"adventures with Uncle Bob-Guide to self-Adventure in Southern Illinois",we feature One Horse Gap trails in Shawnee National Forest. This article replaces one on an old website. Directions: From Harrisburg,Ill take Rt 145 south to rt 34 and follow to Herod,ill. Turn on Williams hill rd and then a left onto Raum Rd. Follow this gravel road several miles to Dutton Chapel Rd, turn left,and look for FS 186(Mousey Mt sign). Set your odometer as there is no signage to prominent features.

Skip this first parking lot-trails 106-174 are steeply downhill to the lake. Park roadside at either 1.6 or 1.9 and walk 15 minutes to a huge rock cedar glade.GPS N37 31' 06" and W 88 27' 35".  You are on top of interesting rock formations. The hole in the ground is the narrow chute between rock boulders,hence, the gap.  This gap is usually muddy while you walk thru it to the bottom. There,you may want to turn right and explore the slot canyons and small cave; Otherwise, turn left to walk along a pretty cliff line and shelter cave.  At some point we run into a 5 way confusing junction. If you can find #177B segment to end at a great valley overlook, do so.  At this junction, either get #001 to continue north past shelter bluffs and arrive at FS 186, or else return to the car. You can drive to 2.7 miles, park in a clearing just ahead,and access a less confusing trail to the overlook.

Driving further, veer right at a junction and park roadside at 3.9 miles. Walk less than 1/8 mile to a great overlook. We turned right onto this spectacular rim trail where #170 crossed the overlook. This ended approx 3/4 mile. We then noted that #169 switchbacked to the base of this long cliff line while paralleling #170 going in a north direction. The sign says 1 mile to trail 121. 500 ft cliff walls, 2 caves, rock formations-wow! Why is this not advertised? It ended at the junction with 170. Turn left to a parking roundabout.  The sign was missing for trails # 120 and 121. You can descend to the right for those trails.  

Just want to do #120? Continue driving to the end of this forest road 4.3 miles. Park, go right, and then left. This is steadily down hill on rocky tread along a bluff line. At the bottom, the serpentine trail goes by a different tall cliff line with each turn. Note interesting patterns in the walls and hollowed-out surfaces in the rock.  The texture looks like part limestone and chert. The trail gradually ascends to the rim. I would turn around here and head back to the car. It will be strenuous climb to the car but worth it all. Any questions or comments,contact Bob Tyson 618-684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net. There are several horse tieups at all points featured in the article.     

Little Cedar Loop Trail

Continuing with our series,"Adventures with Uncle Bob-Giuide to Self-adventure in Southern Illinois", we feature this moderate to rugged loop trail in Shawnee National Forest. This is either 5 or 7 miles. I clocked 3.2 hours to do the loop. This article is a reprint from our former website. There are 3 trailheads: 1) Take Rt 127 south from Murphysboro to Boat Dock rd near Pomona. Turn left and follow a couple miles to a parking signboard. Go south on this trail to Debolt trailhead, turn left and follow approx 2 miles almost to the lake. Start the loop trail south near the sign. From where you parked, this access trail is quite rugged-tired before you even start the loop. 2) Continue down Rt 127 to Landreth rd(county line rd), turn left and then left again. Forest Service has graveled it this year to Debolt trailhead. This road could be a problem after spring rains. 3) Continue Rt 127 to Alto Pass, turn on Cedar Rd near the fire station. Follow it a few miles to a "T" junction, turn left, and go aprox 3 miles to Little Cedar Lane, turn left, and follow to the gate here without blocking the entrances to the fields. We will start from this last trailhead.
Starting from the gate, we descend on an old service road. When the trail curves left, note a faint trail on the right; this will connect with the River to River trail ( R-R) after 1/8 mile to go east to Rowan Rd near Makanda. Back  to our trail, we eventually hook up with R-R trail to go west thru Pine plantations. This trail is muddy after rains even though some segments have been graveled. We arrive at a ridge descent: The trail on the left is the east segment of the loop and marked as LCL.  Let's continue straight ahead to the stone dams that separate Little Cedar and Big Cedar. GPS N.37.65838 and W 89.28370 (from mapquest). Note the massive rock glade. Now we ascend to the woods. sign on the right ( R-R and cove hollow).Turn left. As we travel south on this west segment the signs will alternatively read trail 379, LCL, and R-R (makers are an "i" shape).We parallel the lake frequently, view high ravines, isolated cliff formations, two cliff overhangs in case of rain, and finally reach a creek crossing on rocks. This could be problematic after frequent rain.

After crossing, note the R-R goes right and on to Alto Pass. You want to go left. For those who came here from the east segment, I note no signage across the creek: just veer SW 50 ft to find the trail again. As we ascend, the marker says 379. Cross another creek, turn north, and our ascent gets steeper. We have many upper views of the lake, a cliff line about 300 ft above us, intermittent rock formations,and finaly arrive at a "T" junctrion.  We complete the loop, turn right, and retrace back to the car.  any questions,contact Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.

Mantle Rock Nature Preserve

Continuing with our series,"Adventures with Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure",we feature a re-print of this article from our former website.  From Cave in the Rock,Illinois,take the free ferryboat over the Ohio River( open daily 6am-9:40pm) and turn right on Ky 135. Follow this pretty winding road for approx 20 miles to the village of Joy,Kentucky. Turn right on Ky 133 and proceed 2.2 miles and note a historical marker. There is no nature preserve sign. Turn left on the unmarked road after this sign and either park near the port-a-potties,or down by the information kiosk if the lane isn't muddy.
At 0.44 mile we encounter this 167 ft long natural bridge: 21 ft height and 9 ft thick. GPS N37.35636 and W -88.42709. It shows an overgrown trail to climb up to the top of the bridge, otherwise note some neat rock formations to the left, cross a narrow creekbed, and arrive at an unmarked junction. Let's go right and enjoy a ravine and cliff canyon with nice views. It ends at some point.  Go back to the junction and go on another trail to see the Medussa tree which has dead cedar branches that twist in all directions. Beyond this point the trail either was uninteresting or fizzled out. Unusual vegetation include June grass and Hairy Lip Fern. Go to http://www.naturalarches.org/db/arches/kentucky.htm for the picture of the natural bridge. If the link doesn't happen you may need to re-type in your browser. I leave you with a couple admonitions: avoid the ferry boat on holiday weekends as the line of cars and horse trailers backs up a significant distance. Apparently, for those who live north of here find this to be a shortcut to Land Between the Lakes. Secondly,if there has been flooding on the Ohio or excessive rain, route 135 gets flooded in many places. Also that creek bed near the natural bridge will be ankle deep to prevent going further on the trail.
Any questions,contact Bob Tyson at 618-684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.
10-12-12: the above was from my notes 5 yrs ago. i had an unexpected occasion to go there today. there is a sign for the place on the road now. clearly marked. new loop parking lot, toilet gone, and now the sign at the natural bridge says 188 ft length-the longest one east of the mississippi river. the sign also says there is a new 2.7 mile loop trail,but such loop past the prominent feature was not evident.

Kinkaide Lake Trail

Continuing with our series,"Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-adventure in Southern Illinois",we feature this 12 mile Shawnee National forest trail which starts near the spillway/waterfall and ends in Johnson Creek Recreation Area.  I will describe the first 4 miles and comment on the other access areas. Readers can blog or email on the other sections.  Directions: From Murphysboro, go west on rt 149 about 6 miles, make a right turn upon crossing the bridge at the bottom of the switchback( Spillway Rd).  Go 1.5 mile to the small parking area near the gate.  Before doing so, go further to the waterfall parking area to see this cascade drop over 5 ledges- nothing better on a hot day than to sit under a crashing wave for the ultimate massage; no chlorine and water temperature just right. GPS coordinates N 37.7778 and W 89.5878.
Walk up this steep road from the gate to the top of the dam and enter the trail. We enjoy continuous lake views down below the trail, as well as steep ravine views above us.  The trail is "up and down" but not steep.  Several downslopes have stone steps. At the first one, go 30 ft to the left to find a small cave. Continuing on, we do a long descent to a cliff line with nice formations,cascade,and rock canyon. The trail ascends on switchbacks,and distant cliff lines parallel the trail. We are high above the lake. Eventually we encounter an old forest road; Upon turning right,you can visit Buttermilk beach penninsula( restrooms and picnic tables), Turning left on this road will bring you on private property and welcomed by a shotgun. Either turn around here and return to the car,or go straight ahead to continue the trail to Buttermilk trailhead. The trail beyond this point is rugged,poor trail signage as well. It has the same features as noted earlier.
You can access Buttermilk trailhead parking area from Rt 3 and note the brown sign to turn. This road is a steep ascent. Near the top you will turn right onto Taylor Rd; follow to the unsigned parking area. The Forest Service has reconstructed the access trail from here to Kinkaid trail.  The third access point for the trail is Hidden Cove trailhead.  From Rt 3, turn onto Rt 151, then a right on Gum Springs Rd, follow to a right on John Lee Rd. The latter becomes a steep descent to the parking area. Warning: just before the road descends,you may find the road washed out by spring rains. Good luck trying to back up!  Going south on the trail we encounter a junction with Waterfall trail(the falls is only 3 ft high) and will go to Buttermilk Rd.  Otherwise continue on Kinkaid trail which is now less rugged,nice views,and eventually connect with the forementioned Buttermilk trailhead inn 4 miles. Any questions, contact BobTyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.