Buzzard Point

Continuing with our on-going series," Adventures With Uncle Bob - Your Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois", we feature Buzzard Point. This is part of the Garden of Gods Wilderness Area (scroll this page index to Trail #112, as well as visit http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm.

Directions: take Rt 145 from Harrisburg to Rt 34 and follow thru Herod. South of town, turn onto Karber Ridge Road. Turn at the Garden of Gods sign. Instead of turning into the main area, continue north on the switchback county road until you see the River to River trail crossing. Park on the gravel shoulder. You are now hiking east on that trail. This will travel approx 3 miles to another parking spot on High Knob Road. The first mile is scenic, and then becomes unspectacular until near the end. Expect to dodge mudholes due to horse damage.

Upon hiking about 0.3 mile on the trail, look to the cliff line on the left. Follow along this user-made spur trail to visit several slot canyons and scenic formations. This trail is obliterated when a large rock shelter comes into view. You may want to bushwhack further along the cliffs to reach a nice natural bridge (go behind the bridge and climb up to the top of the cliff line to reach Buzzard Roost: nice overlook over the area). Come back to the main trail and continue along the cliff line to Buzzard Point lookout. While taking in this magnificent view, note two nearby spur trails on the left: one climbs rocky ledges (Buzzard Roost sign) and travels thru a pine forest to reach the stone glade roost. The other is horse trail #110. The Forest Service has changed this to Trail #158 on the new map. This latter trail runs at least one mile along a scenic cliff line and beautiful rock formations.

At some point, the cliff line seems to disappear and the trail is not easily discernable. I know it is supposed to eventually reach Rice Hollow, as I have seen its junction from Trail #137 in the hollow. We will re-trace our route back to the River to River main trail. Go right to return to the car, or go left and follow the trail to your car shuttle on High Knob Road.

As to setting up your car shuttle here, just continue about 50 ft past the horse camp and look to the left for a gravel forest road which will descend to the parking lot. Buzzard Point highline GPS 37 36' 02:N and 88 21' 33"W.  The Buzzard Roost, however shows 88 37'  48"W.

For more information, contact Bob Tyson at 684-5643.

Burden Falls

In our on-going series: "Adventures With Uncle Bob - Your Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we offer an update on Burden Falls. Directions: From Marion, go east to Rt 166 and follow this road thru Creal Springs to US 45. Turn right, and go to Ozark. Turn left and follow the brown Bell Smith Springs signs. After several miles, there is a junction: the right fork points to Bell Smith Springs, and the left to Rt 145. You want to go left. There used to be a Burden Falls sign.

Upon parking at the falls, walk across the stone glade and locate a rim trail on the east side of the canyon. This trail will deadend at approx 0.3 mile. Look down upon a raised boulder which has a hole underneath it. Crawl thru this hole and easily descend to the bottom of the falls. The previous article took the hiker along the west rim trail for some distance before descending to follow the rugged base trail to the falls.  4-6-13: on the east rim trail, boulder is gone. just walk about 60 ft after crossing the rock glade and look over the rim for a user-made path which will switchback to the bottom. As to the rim trail on west side: you will walk about 0.3 mile before th cliff line ends and easily descend.
We discovered a new place in this Burden Falls Wilderness known as Caney Branch Ecological Area. From the waterfall, go east to the 2nd parking access area on this road (gps N37.5859 and W88.6420). Commence the trail and go north almost a mile. Look for an unmarked trail on the right. While not always easy to follow,keep descending until the cliff line is visible on the left. Now bushwhack along this line and note the unusual patterns in the rock surfaces. Later we make a steep descent into a canyon valley. let's cross the creek on stepping stones and another long interesting cliff line appears and seems to go on forever heading east. note the cliff in front of us is tilted at 30 degree angle due to glacial uplift. Upon returning to the parking lot,you may be able to avoid that steep climb back up the cliff line by following the creekbed while keeping you eyes on the cliff line.

For any questions, contact Bob Tyson at 684-5643. This wilderness area was previously featured at: http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm.GPS coodinates 37 33' 48.49"N and 88 38' 32.62:W

Trail #112

As part of our on-going series, "Adventures with Uncle Bob - Your Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we turn our attention to Trail 112, also known as FR 1621. The new Shawnee Forest Service Wilderness map indicates the trail numbers will change. This is part of the Garden of the Gods Wilderness Area (see http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm). Directions: From Harrisburg, IL., take Rt 145 to Rt 34. South of Herod, take a left on Karber Ridge Road. Turn north at the sign for Garden of the Gods. Instead of turning left into the main area, continue north on the county road. After the switchbacks, look for an unmarked road on the right with a wood sign. Now we are driving beside a cliff line for a half mile.

Look for a small parking area on the right. Cross the road and descend along trail 112 a short distance to view a pretty natural bridge and its adjacent keyhole in the cliff. It is approx 4 ft high, 20 ft wide, and 5 ft thick. You can go behind it to climb up a bluff for distant views. Come back to the road and walk west about 1,000 ft and note a user-made trail along the cliffs, starting with a 20ft deep rock shelter. Continue on past interesting rock formations, a cave, and slot canyons. Further on, note the huge shelter overhang (30 ft high and 20 ft wide). Pass a couple more slot canyons and note the line patterns as the cliff line curves. At some point, brush impedes further progress and I return to the car. While this trail involves some bushwhacking, you will not get lost while staying along the cliff line.The GPS coordinates at the arch are 88 21' 48.30"W and 37 36' 26.55"N.
4-7-13: this trail is now re-named as trail 010. The marker for #112 is removed. I don't know how to deal with changing the title on the index.

More info from Bob Tyson at 618-684-5643 or John O'Dell at 618-252-6789.

Hamburg Hill Trail

This trail was previously featured in our on-going series: "Adventures with Uncle Bob-Your Guide to Self-adventure in Southern Illinois", in our June, 2005 Shawnee Group newsletter( see http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/news.htm). The previous article described the first couple miles, starting from its southern trailhead on Old Cape Road; This is an update from the north end of the trail (I could not find it until last year).

Directions: From Rt 146 at Jonesboro,Il., go west and turn left on to Berryville Road. At the first unmarked junction, go right and travel until you see the sign for Water Plant Road. Follow this road thru the plant and ascend the steep grade to the top of the hill. Park near the old water tower. Hike downhill on the eroded, old roadbed. Near the bottom, as the steep ravine suddenly tapers off, look for a faint trail on the left. It will soon widen as an old forest road. You will enjoy viewing the steep ravines, cliff walls, and wetlands.
My first hike on this trail was in the winter when leaf-off made the cliff line more prominent. My last hike in early April featured an impressive display of wild flowers across the wetlands, as far as the eye can behold. The total distance is approx 4 miles; Why not park cars at both ends for a shuttle? 10/05/2011: forget this trail. Recently I checked both ends and can no longer find the trail. It has been overtaken by vegetation in the last 2 years. The Forest Service indicates no plans to work on it.

More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643

Cove Hollow Trail

This is an update to a previous article in our on-going series: "Adventures with Uncle Bob - Your Guide to Self-Adventure"( see that article at http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm).

1. Assuming you started from the trailhead on Cove Hollow Road, the trail will wind along the cliffs for approx 2 miles before you reach a signed trail junction. About 0.2 mile prior to that junction, notice an easy access to the top of the cliff line which has a nice cave. It looks to be 20 ft deep, 5 ft high, and 10 ft wide.

2. The signed trail junction leaves something to be desired. The mileage is wrong-it should be 4 miles from Cove Hollow Road to Pomona Boat Dock Road (park on the latter for a car shuttle). The sign says go left on the trail for Cove Hollow; Go right for Wolf Den Hollow. Both trails will merge back together in less than a mile, and continue to that Pomona Road. I recommend taking the left fork if your interest is scenic cliff lines. The Wolf Den Hollow segment travels thru ridgetop wooded areas, surrounded by ravines.

3. If you traveled north from the boat dock road, the same trail intersection occurs. No signage here. I recommend taking the right fork. For further questions, contact Bob Tyson at 618-684-5643. GPS coordinates are 37.639446 and -89.29056

Cave Valley Trail

As part of our on-going series:"Adventures with Uncle Bob-Your Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois", we turn our attention to Cave Valley Trail.

Directions: Take Rt 127 south from Murphysboro. Turn at the sign near Pomona for Natural Bridge. While traveling the gravel road north toward the bridge, look for a Forest Service gate and parking area on the right before ascending the steep hill. This trail is an old level-grade forest road. At approx 0.5 mile on the trail, look for an ATV spur trail on the left which will climb steeply to a line of cliff walls. Follow the unmarked trail either direction at the top until it deadends. There are nice views of the valley during leaf-off. Back on the roadbed trail, we are soon looking down into a marsh or wetlands(depending on rainfall) on both sides of the trail, as far as the eye can see. This is a natural area for non-game birds and protected as a nesting preserve. The next point of interest along the way is a marked spur trail which will take you to a large wildlife pond.
Our 1.5 mile trail ends at a wide eroded creek. One could continue across the creek on a trail if you don't mind getting wet. Re-trace the route back to the car. Views of the cliff line from the trail are better on a sunny day during leaf-off. The only detailed information on Cave Valley consists of one page in the Shawnee National Forest DEIS proposal book.

While here, why not continue up the road to Pomona Natural Bridge. The object is viewed from a short walk down steps from its parking lot. The span is 90 ft, 25 ft height, and 10 ft thick. The best photo can be viewed at www.naturalarches.org/gallery-ilpomona.htm. The GPS coordinates at Cave Valley are 89 20' 37.39"W and 37 38' 27.21"N.

For any questions, contact Bob Tyson at 684-5643.

Eagle Mountain Scenic Area

This is a further installment of the on-going series: "Adventures with Uncle Bob-Guide to Outdoor Recreation Opportunites in Southern Illinois".

A Hiking Guide to Eagle Mountain

This area is bisected by the Crest Trail which starts at Glen O.Jones Lake and ends near Old Stoneface. Directions: Take rt 145 from Harrisburg and turn at the sign for Glen O. Jones Lake. You will travel approx 6 miles until the road comes to a "T" intersection. Go right and look for the next road on your left (the sign is turned the wrong way: It should say Eagle Mountain Road). Follow this steep switchback road until it levels off. Look for a boulder along the road surrounded by two trails forming a "V" shape. Either park along the road or travel another 100 yards to a primitive campsite parking area. (see http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm for a partial description of Crest Trail).

At the boulder, take the left trail and soon come to a beautiful boulder-strewn area. The brush between boulders impede an in-depth exploration; However, it is easy to climb up for overlooks. The trail continues steeply downhill and comes to a junction near a long cliff line. Go left to follow a faint trail along the base of this interesting cliff line until the brush gets thick. Return to the junction, go straight ahead, and look for two ribbons on a tree. Turn left and follow the yellow marker leading to the rim trail.

Walking along the rim trail, 75 ft above the valley floor, affords numerous overlooks on the left. Another layer of cliff line (about 20 ft high) is on your right. The line tapers off at some point and I return to the trail junction at the base. If you get confused on which of the three trails return to the top and your car, look for the one with the yellow natural area signs. I have found no brochures for this area. You may want to avoid this road in the event of winter ice, or after heavy rains.

Crest trail has fallen off the above website. This trail is rugged and at least 6 miles. From the Indian statue point of embarkment, we have overlooks over the valley at times. near Eagle Mountain, we are walking along a double-decker cliff line with the trail between both. After crossing Eagle Mountain road, the trail has a nice cliff line for a while, goes thru woods, and arrive at a confusing junction. Turn left and walk a ways to go thru a power line crossing, descend over rocky terrain, and finally end up on a pretty rim trail as you arrive at Old Stoneface.

More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or John O'Dell at 252-6789. The GPS coordinates are N37.669867 and W 88.436112.