Hurricane Bluff Trails

Continuing with our monthly series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we feature Hurricane Bluff Trail, Grindstaff Hollow, and FS 106A Trail. All 3 are adjacent to each other.

Directions: Scroll down to High Knob Trail on this blog to get directions from Harrisburg. Rather than park at the picnic/observation site on top of High Knob, go to the lot just before the stone pillars. Cross the road and follow the River to River trail for 1/4 mile and arrive at a signed junction by an old barn. Follow Snow Cone Trail (also known as horse trail 117) a short distance to a massive stone glade with pretty boulders. This is known as Hurricane Bluff. Continue on the trail while enjoying views over the cliffs and ravines. After another 1/4 mile, things did not seem that interesting. Continue past a pond, old grave yard, rotting structures, and turn left at a free-standing chimney. At some point I turned around and returned to the stone glade Hurricane Bluff.

Note two side trails start here: Trail 106A and Grinstaff Hollow. #106 follows the base of a tall pretty cliff line and huge, free-standing boulders for 1/2 mile. At some point the cliffs diminish and the trail descends into the woods. I turned around and returned to the above junction.

Let's take the Grinstaff (#164) trail, also known as horse trail 117A. This trail gradually descends, continually. Salient features include a continuous cliff line up to 100 ft high, slot canyons off the trail, a 30 ft tunnel thru rock, and beautiful rock formations. After a half mile, the trail makes a steep descent, veering from the cliff line, and headed for a boulder-strewn valley. One can bushwhack off-trail to continue the cliff line but the brush impedes progress. I turned around and returned to the parking lot.

Trail 117 has poor tread due to horses; However, trails 106A and 164 have no damage, although they are rocky. More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 and robkay43@webtv.net, or John O'Dell at 252-6789. The GPS coordinates are 37 36' 05"N and 88 20' 16"W

Cedar Grove Trailhead

Continuing with our monthly series, "Adventures with Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we feature this section of the River to River Trail from Cedar Grove Road to Bay Lake. Its length is 3.7 miles, and I rate it at moderate level (alternates between level grade and stretches of up and down). 2/3 of the trail travels on old Forest Service road and the remainder along narrow paths.

Directions: Take Tunnel hill exit off I-24, follow thru Tunnel Hill to US 45, cross the latter and proceed to the junction with Rt 147. Turn left and go several miles to Cedar Grove Road; turn left, and go approx 5 miles, pass Flamini Rd and start looking for the River to River (R-R) trail crossing. Park here and go west. The first 1 and 1/4 miles are not too exciting-some overlooks over ravines. Come to a clearing and note a side trail on the right. I went down this one for 30 minutes and found it deeply rutted due to horse damage and lacks direction near a steep downhill slope. It is supposed to go to Sand Cave.

Back on the R-R trail, we walk out of the woods onto Flamini Rd. Turn right, walk past a couple residences and re-enter the woods. Tread is rocky. Come to a three-way junction: go straight ahead or slightly left. Later on we come to another junction with Ruby Falls trail-go left. Soon we encounter a steep grade and walk along the base of a high ravine. Note the boulders on top of the ravine. We can see the edge of Bay Lake now. Later we come to a cliff top glade with a lookout over Bay Lake dam and the surrounding ridgetops ( pictured above). From here the trail descends to the county road. Up ahead you will find a junction to continue the R-R trail west for 2.4 miles to East Trigg trailhead, or to turn right for the lake.

I turned around and returned to the car. Due to places where the trail is narrow, you may not want to do this trail when all the leaves are down. Put this hike together with 3 other trails indexed on this blog (Peter Cave, East Trigg, and Cedar Wonders) and you will be able to follow the River to River trail from the west section of Hayes Creek Canyon to Tunnel Hill-Simpson blacktop road. More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net

GPS coordinate for Cedar Grove Rd 37 29' 31"N and 88 38' 28"W.
12-3-2012: The first paragraph noted a side trail going to Sand Cave. This is marked now as trail 030. I walked this trail and is in great shape: lots of switchbacks for gentile terrain, well graveled,well marked along the way. Scroll this blog to sand Cave where i have a complete description of 030 loop trail.

East Trigg Trailhead

Continuing with our monthly series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we feature this River to River Trail section (trail 001 or blue "I" on signs) which connects East Trigg trailhead with Bay Lake.

Directions: From US 45 at Ozark, Ill. turn left and follow the sign to Trigg Forest Tower; However, the trailhead parking area is approx 3 miles north of the tower and will be on your right. Watch closely since there is no sign on the road itself. Alternate directions are from I-24 Tunnel Hill exit. Follow thru Tunnel Hill, cross US 45, and follow to Rt 147. Turn left, go a few miles, and watch for signs to Trigg Tower. Again, the trailhead is north of the tower.

Cross the road after parking and we head east. The first 1-1/4 mile is steadily downhill, but not steep. Nothing of interest is noted. This is an old forest service road. As we approach the big culvert under the elevated railroad bed, the trail is rocky for a short distance. Go thru the culvert-now the trail is narrow, but flat. The next mile or more is impressive. We are running parallel with the railroad track, averaging about 75 ft above us. Below the tracks, we are continually viewing either a cliff line or steep ravine. In some places, vegetation is over the trail but the path is discernable (don't come here in tick season). At a later point we have a confusing junction: Note the gate on the right. You need to turn left and cross the small creek on stepping stones. Continue straight ahead on the roadbed and reach the junction with county road 463. This spot is marked with R-R(River to River trail) signs both ways. If you want to continue on R-R to Cedar Grove Rd, continue straight; otherwise, turn left and go 1/4 mile to Bay Lake. If you drive up from county 2 off Rt 147, you better park here at this junction and walk unless you have a jeep.

The Bay Lake area is very interesting. We are on top of an extensive rock glade. Below the glade are isolated rock formations, featuring a slot canyon. A trail continues across the top of the dam affording scenic views high above the lake. Upon crossing, there is no indication where this unsigned trail leads. I turned around to retrace the route back to the car. At the railroad culvert, note trail 049 heading north. That trail had some similar cliff and ravine views until I found it blocked by downfalls at some point: it may go to Jackson Hollow. While here, drive over to Trigg Tower and climb to the top for fantastic views.

At the junction of two roads near the tower, there is a wide trail which will join the R-R trail after 1/4 mile. It will go to Cedar Wonders on Gum Spring Rd. Nothing of interest was noted on this section except for one view of a steep ravine. More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net. There is confusion as to whether GPS coordinates are for the trailhead or for the fire tower,but try this:37 30' 0"N and 88 42' 30"W. Upon second visit,be aware that you will get wet trying to cross that creekbed after a wet spring. o7/07/2011. when tree cover is thick,it can be harder to see the parking area on trigg tower rd. If so, look for the river to river trail white and blue marker on the opposite side of the road from the parking area as your hint to look for the opening. On a further note, the brown sign at us 45 and Ozark, may say bell smith springs instead of trigg tower: turn left here no matter what. 10/05/2011: The Forest Service states that the coordinates at the tower are 88 44' 10.08"W and 37 29' 15.90"N.

Fountain Bluff Update

Recently I planned to hike on the river trail in Fountain Bluff. After one-fourth mile there now is a gate across the old rail bed and no tresspassing sign. This pretty trail runs between a continuous tall cliff line and frequent views of the Mississippi River and bayous. I sent a letter to the owners about permission to hike. Check this blog index for a previous update on Fountain Bluff canyon. A good overview of trails in Fountain Bluff can be accessed at our website: http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm. Scroll to Fountain Bluff and Tyson Canyon. More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net i do have permission from the owner, however since the 2008 inland hurricane, the trail is demolished. Further updates on fountain Bluff: GPS coordinates for the top of Fountain Bluff road are 89 29' 58.95"W and 37 41' 36.85"N. The coordinates for the township road running along the base of Fountain Bluff are 89 29' 58.91"W and 37 41' 56.51"N.

Blue Hole Trail

Continuing with our series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we feature the above trail this month. Find directions from this blog index for Peter Cave Trail. Again, we park at the River to River trail crossing on Cedar Grove Road, go east, and 1.5 miles later, arrive at a junction with two trails: Peter Cave and Jackson Hole. We take trail #497 (Jackson Hole). The sign says 2.2 miles to Petticoat Junction.

This Shawnee National Forest trail is adequately marked. While not level grade, it is not steep. We eventually reach Blue Hole after approx 1.5 mile. The creek water does have a blue reflection. This is a pretty cliff line, confined to a small area. Cross the creek on stepping stones to walk the base of the line. On the right, note the long line of shelf overhang as well as the small cave to the left. There is a pole line to tie up horses. Trail #497 goes north from here to Jackson Hole-still says 2 miles and a steep climb. I went one mile on it and did not that the trail is well-graveled on top-a lot of work went into this endeavor.

Back at Blue Hole, I took trail #496A. This pretty rim trail continues to parallel the creek until it seems to end at a creek crossing. Cross it on logs and arrive at Petticoat Junction. There is nothing of significance at that area. It is literally a junction of 3 trails. #496 does continue north. I turned around and returned to the car. More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net .GPS coordinates at Petticoat are 37 29' 44"N and 88 36' 39'W.

Indian Bluff Trail

Continuing with our monthly series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure," we travel across the border to visit Indian Bluff Trail in Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park.

Directions: Cross the Shawneetown, Illinois bridge on Rt 13 and the highway changes to Kentucky rt 109. Follow for 53 miles to Dawson Springs, Ky. Pick up 109 again in town and travel 10 miles to the park entrance road. Park at the lodge. The trail starts on the road to the right of the swimming pool.

The PNT trail will double with our trail for a while. Indian Bluff starts as a moderate climb thru Oak-Hickory forest and then levels off to a pretty, extensive cliff line. The trail passes thru a large shelter bluff and then descends to the valley floor and golf course entrance. Cross the road, continue on Clifty Creek Trail along the streambed. We travel along the base of a long ravine, dense vegetation, and fields of ferns. Go left to arrive to arrive at Pennyrile dam. Walk on top of the dam and ascend to your parking lot. Our journey was approx 1.5 mile.

There are 5 other trails in the park: descriptions suggest 4 are nature trails and 2 are strenuous. While in the area, we were in the Jones-Keeney Wildlife Area attempting to locate the natural bridge without success. Later, I am led to believe that one should go west on US 62 about 10 miles from town and turn at a cementary, ascend the road and look to the southeast of the plot. While traveling to the park, why not also visit Mantle Rock Nature Preserve (88 ft natural bridge): http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm.

For further info, contact Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net

Peter Cave Trail

Continuing with our series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we feature the above trail this month. It is unclear whether this is on Shawnee National Forest land or that of a willing landowner. Respect the "keep out" signs on the side trails and land.

Directions: Tunnel Hill exit on I-24. Follow thru Tunnel Hill, cross Rt 45, and proceed to Rt 147. Turn left and go several miles, and look for Cedar Grove Road (just before the Rt 145 junction). Turn left and proceed approx 2.4 miles, keeping your eye out for the River to River Trail crossing signs. Park on either side of the road and walk east (right) on the R-R trail. It starts out as a narrow trail thru pine plantations for 0.5 mile. Now we encounter an old forest service road-turn left. 0.5 mile later, we reach Crow Knob Ecological area. This is a pretty, circular bluff, although brush impedes circling the bluff at its base. You can walk on the top. Continue another half mile to a couple marked side trails. One is trail 497 to Jackson Hole; the other is for Peter Cave (no trail number). I estimate the distance to the cave as 1.1 miles. It seems to be adequately marked; however, there is a stretch of trail heavily damaged by horse traffic and no way to circumvent it. This trail is level grade up until the end approaches. Now we suddenly descend into a valley where beautiful tall cliff walls form a "U" shape configeration. Note the pole line where you can tie up horses. Climb up 30 ft to enter this huge rockhouse/shelter bluff (not really a cave). I estimate the length at 200 ft, depth at 75 ft,and 30 ft high. Take time to also hike along the base of the cliff line. Two other trails from Hayes Creek Canyon terminate here too so make note of your trail as you return to the car. Remember to turn right upon reaching the junction with R-R trail.I cannot find GPS corrodinates for the cave;However,here are the ones for crow knob which you pass on the way to the cave:37 29' 55"N and 88 37' 56"W. During a 2010 Sierra hike in the winter,there was a 60ft waterfall flowing over the top of the cave-spectacular!
I have forgotten to deal with the ownership issue. The trail and cave are private property according to the owner I ran into during a Sierra hike.  He said it is open to the public-just don't go off trail or leave trash.

I'll deal with Jackson Hole trail in the future when finding an easier access is found: Trail 497 is a real "gut buster" in the first 2 miles. More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.