Saturday, April 13, 2024 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 7th public hike of the 2024 spring hiking season on Apr. 13th. Hiking: Ghost Dance Canyon (Pope County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a moderate hike, 2 miles in length (1/2-mile trail, 1-1/2 miles bushwacking), 2 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-694-7034 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at Dixon Springs State Park swimming pool parking lot. This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks. No dogs please. There are some steep grades and some slick rock on this hike, and there are two stream crossings which requires hikers to walk rocks in order to cross. If it rains prior to this hike, hiker’s boots/shoes may become wet when crossing the streams. For a map to the meeting location at the Dixon Springs State Park swimming pool parking lot click this blue link Dixon Springs State Park pool parking area and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River to River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River to River website at the following link River to River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the Dixon Springs State Park pool parking meeting area for your signature.

Saturday March 30, 2024 Hike Summary

On a warm Saturday morning, March 30th, 21 hikers gathered at Berry Ferry landing parking area, on the East side of the Ohio river, across from Golconda, Illinois. Cathy Jennings was the hike leader for the day. We then carpooled to the parking area for Mantle Rock. We had quite a few new hikers for the day. We proceeded down the trail for about a mile, then turned to our right, to bushwack over to a stream, and we followed the stream to a waterfall area known as Joy Falls, that, fortunately was trickling some water flow. It was a different way to get to the glade that is a few hundred feet down the highway from the Mantle rock parking area. The water drops into a pool, that has a nice deep, flat ‘cut-back” that was easily explored. We then headed back to the main trail. 4 hikers decided to leave the group. and proceeded back to their vehicle. 17 hikers continued on  the trail.  The front part of the group passed right by a nice, long rat snake, brown, that was sunning itself on a log within a couple feet of the trail. It took off and most watched it climb a small tree. The trail is very well marked. We stopped for lunch, then wound around, seeing a nice ‘wading’ pool area,a nice overhang area, and then Cathy led us off trail for a few hundred yards to some flat rock areas that had petroglyphs. We then continued on the main trail until we got close to the arch of Mantle Rock. Sam Morales took some hikers up on top of the arch, which is over 180 ft. long. Once everyone was back together, we took the group picture under the arch, and then it was only about another half mile, and we were back to the parking area. 

Next weeks hike will be led by Sam Morales, meeting at the East Trigg Trailhead, which is about 1 mile North of Trigg Tower. 

Until then, “See ya’ll On the Trail”.