River to River Trail Guide (2018)
Welcome to the home of the release of the official
River to River Trail Guide
Click on the cover to download
the entire 141 page guide in Adobe PDF format.
This guide is designed to be used in conjunction with the new River to River Trail maps released in 2017. By releasing the guide electronically, it can be uploaded to your phone for use as a handy reference while on the trail without adding any weight to your pack. The maps are included in the guide and have highlights added to them.
The following map features a quick and interactive means of viewing the points of interest included in the trail guide.
Questions about the Guide
1. Is there a charge for this Guide?
No, because of the numerous changes to the River to River trail associated with trail reroutes and other useful information along the trail, it was decided to make it a living document. As new information is made available the guide will be updated to reflect that new information.
2. Why is there advertising in the Guide?
To be able to allow the guide to be distributed free one line, the goal is to support the guide with related advertising. This advertising can be anything that supports Southern Illinois tourism, the Shawnee National Forest, or the River to River Trail.
3. How will the Trail Society use the advertising funds generated by the Guide?
Proceeds from ad sales will be used to pay for hosting fees of the website, for matching funds for trail improvements in the Shawnee National Forest, and other activities of the Society.
4. Can I provide advertising to support keeping the guide available for free?
Yes, the intent for the advertising is that they would be for a period of a year after which the advertisements would have to be renewed. If you are interested in supporting the Trail Society in this fashion, please click on the following link for details.
2018 Advertisement Application
5. Can I provide suggestions for improvements to the guide?
Yes, all suggestions will be considered. If you have additional information or suggested improvements to the guide that would be beneficial to others, please consider submitting them. Please post them in the comments on this website and we will get back to you.
6. Are GPX or KML files available for the trail?
Yes, below is a link to a zipped file that contains the best available files for use with portable GPS units or Google Earth. These may have slight differences from the Forest Service maps because they are maintained by the Trail Guide’s author. Use at your own risk.
Zip file of GPX and KML Files (Updated 11/12/2022)
Release History:
| Revision Number | Date | Summary of Changes | Link to version of Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Version 5.5 | 2024-05-14 | This updated version of the guide to includes the following: - Locations of all picnic tables along the trail in a table and shown on maps. - Information on the John O'Dell Memorial installed along the trail in Herod. - Added the trail mileage chart to the guide. - All recent trail reroutes have been added to the guide including info on the upcoming Cedar Lake reroute. Reroutes included are: * Dutchman Lake in 2022 * Giant City in 2021 * HWY 127 bridge removal in Alto Pass in 2021 * A sneak peak at the upcoming major Cedar Lake reroute which is under construction. - Also made numerous other updates of POI's, known camping locations and other updated information. | R2R_Trail_Guide_V5.5_202404 |
| Version 5.4 | 2021-04-10 | - Added a chapter on planning a thru hike with the help of Bob Ellis of Two Bob's Adventures. This also includes info on resupply options along the trail including using the U.S. Postal Service. - Added long term parking guidelines at the Elizabethtown and Grand Tower trailheads - Included a section with GPS coordinates of water (H2O) and camping spots along the trail and shown in the guide on the maps. - Included a page dedicated to Bart Lane's transportation service. - Added a new advertiser. Thank You Shot Gun Eddys in Eddyville. - Added several other POIs, H2O and camping spots along the trail. - Also added information on some lodging options along the trail. - Several other minor revisions have been made. | R2R_Trail_Guide_V5.4_202104 |
| Version 5.3 | 2020-01-24 | Updated the guide with the recently issued new FS trail maps. The most significant update included a 3 mile reroute in Lusk Creek Wilderness between trail 425 and Little Lusk Creek. We also updated several of the advertisers in the guide. | R2R_Trail_Guide_V5.3_202001 |
| Version 5.2 | 2019-05-24 | Updated entire guide with new 2018 maps and added several other small changes. The most important update includes information on a section of the R2R trail that floods when the Mississippi River is high. | R2R_Trail_Guide_V5.2_201905 |
| Version 5.1 | 2018-12-16 | Updated Hogg Bluff information in chapter 8 and added West Panther Den to chapter 12. Also added ad from southernmostillinois,com. | R2R_Trail_Guide_V5.1_201812 |
| Version 5.0 | 2018-10-31 | Initial Release | R2R_Trail_Guide_V5.0_201810 |