Fall/Winter 2013 Outings

This is the Sierra Club hikes for Sept-December 2013. More information on these places are on this same blogsite just by scrolling the index. All hikes require an RSVP to Bob Tyson at 618-684-5643.

Sept 8. Cove hollow Trail. Pomona,ill. Leave Murphysboro ranger station 12:45. this 4 mile shuttle trail offers views of steep cliff lines,shelter caves,slot canyons,frequent lake views. This outing venue may change if the nearby privately owned shawnee cave opens to the public.

Oct 13. Hayes Creek Trails 191-191A. Glendale,ill. Car pool starts murdale Shopping Ctr sign at 9:30, former Wal-mart parking 10am Marion. Other points tba. Well-constructed trails take us along pretty cliff lines which parallel hayes creek. 
Oct 27.  Service outing at Kinkaid waterfall/spillway. Meet 12:45 Murphysboro ranger station. Clean up trash in both the parking area and each level of the waterfall. This is adjacent to Kinkaid lake Trail.

Nov 10.  One Horse Gap. Pope County,ill. Car pool starts 9am Murdale Shopping Ctr sign in Carbondale, 9:30 former Walmart parking in Marion. other points tba. First stop is the geological formation known as the gap. Next we make a loop of trails 169-170 which features a rim trail over a cliff line and views of surounding valleys and ridges. The base trail runs 1.2 miles along 300 ft cliff lines and rock formations.

Dec 8. Fountain Bluff River Trail. Gorham,ill. Meet 12:45 ranger station in Murphysboro. This is on private property. Enjoy continuous views that bisect steep cliff lines on one side, and mississippi river views on the otherr side.

Note: Missouri Sierra Club outings which are within 75 miles of Carbondale will be added when available. Likewise, River to River Society hikes will also be added to this page when available this fall. Check back about mid-September or so.

Giant City State Park

Continuing with our series,:Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to self adventure in Southern Illinois",we feature less known places within or near the park. Directions: From Carbondale, take US 51 south 10 miles to the turnoff for Makanda.  Follow the switchback road downhill to the downtown. Turn left,and enter the park.
Our first stop is Fern Rocks Nature Preserve. There are 2 small parking areas on the right and also a larger one on the left. GPS 37.61866 and W89.19564. This is a 2 mile loop.  We will start on the right and walk the base of a continuous pretty cliff line as it zig zags up and down. Rare plants are found here. Soon there are steps and staircase to the top and we continue with frequent overlooks below the cliffs. The trail gradually descends to base level and continues along the cliff line and back to the parking area. From here, the park road takes you to other cliff area trails such as Devil's Standtable, Giant City, and Indian Creek shelter. Signage is clear so further elaboration from me is not needed.
Back in Makanda, turn right onto Old Cobden rd, go past the 4th red and white pole and watch for the River  to River marker on the left side of the road( blue "i"). park roadside and climb steeply to a junction of Red Cedar Trail and the River to River.  The former takes us along the top of this half mile cliff line with distant views; the latter walks the base of the cliff line. Eventually both merge. Walk a little further past the merger to a nice shelter cave. Turn around and take the opposite trail segment back, and descend the trail back to the car.
Upon returning to the car,drive on further a few miles and turn left on Giant City State Park Rd and then an immediate right turn. This road will ascend south. As soon as you see a small farm and mailboxes, turn left into a parking area. Cross the road and follow a lane bordering the house and the trail will go along the edge of woods and field. Soon the trail will descend steeply thru woods to the bottom. Now we are on the Red Cedar Trail which runs 10-12 miles. At the point where it makes a sharp right curve( marker #12),go off-trail a short distance to a nice seasonal waterfall over a shelter cave.  A massive sandstone glade is noted.  Either follow Red Cedar from here or return to the car. More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.

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.