Saturday, October 17, 2026 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 1st public hike of the 2026 Fall hiking season on October 17th.  Hiking: Ferne Clyffe State Park (Johnson County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a moderately difficult hike, approximately 4 miles in length, 3-4 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-759-1924 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at the West Loop off Turkey Ridge Road. For a map to the meeting location click the link, then click Directions. This hike is intended for people in very 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. Check the post on the River to River Trail Society website www.rivertorivertrail.net for this current week’s hike information. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River to River Trail Society requests that hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the website at the following link https://rivertorivertrail.net/ under the Society Information tab. The waiver will be at the beginning of the hike.

River-to-River Trail Society Announces Fall, 2026 Hiking Schedule

The River-to River Trail Society announces its schedule of free guided hikes in and about the Shawnee National Forest for Fall, 2026. All hikes are open to the public free of charge. No reservations are required except where noted on schedule. These hikes are of at least moderate difficulty, and are intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Boots or sturdy shoes and a walking stick are recommended for all hikes. Hikers should bring their own water and a snack. No dogs, please.

2026 Fall Hiking DatesDownload

The River-to-River Trail Society is an Illinois not-for-profit corporation founded in 1993 by John O’Dell to promote completion of the River-to-River Trail, which now runs 160 miles through the Shawnee National Forest between Elizabethtown on the Ohio River and Grand Tower on the Mississippi River. The Society engages in trail maintenance and advocacy, and it offers free guided hikes to members and the public during the spring and fall hiking seasons. In addition, the Society has a Trail Guide to the entire River-to-River Trail, which can be downloaded for free from the Society’s website: http://www.rivertorivertrail.net/.

2026 National Public Lands Day, 7th Annual Garden of the Gods Trash Blast

Hi all, we hope everyone has had a safe and enjoyable summer considering everything going on. We in the Trail Society have been working on our fall hiking schedule which will be released soon. In an effort to give back to the forest, the Trail Society is planning our 7th annual trash blast work day at Garden of the Gods on National Public Lands Day. National Public Lands Day is held annually on the on the fourth Saturday in September and is the largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. Join us and the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest at Garden of the Gods main parking lot at on Saturday September 26, 2025 at 9:30 AM to celebrate National Public Lands Day by helping to clean up the trash in area before the fall tourist season.

Depending on the number of volunteers that register/show up, we plan on having several groups picking up in various areas. These would include below the observation trail, another group picking up along the observation trail and around the parking lots and a third group picking up at the backpackers parking lot and on the Indian Point Trail. If you are planning on volunteering please plan on bring your own gloves, water, trash pickup tools and snacks needed for the event. This trash blast will involve bushwhacking around the base of the observation area and in the woods below parking the parking lots.

It is requested that volunteers call or email Chris Drone (618-926-3250 or chris.drone@gmail.com) to register your participation. Please leave a message if no answer.

Let’s make this as successful as previous years rescheduled events.

Max Creek R2R Trail Detour Lifted

Hi All:

We were notified today by the Shawnee National Forest Service personnel that the April 1 – July 2026 R2R Trail detour in the Max Creek area has now been lifted. This detour was necessary because of ongoing work in the area to salvage the trees downed by the tornado that went through the Max Creek area in 2024. This detour was previously shown in this post. https://rivertorivertrail.net/april-1st-through-july-1st-r2r-trail-reroute-in-the-max-creek-area/

Use of the temporary detour map is no longer necessary and the original trail map marks the official trail.

Thanks

River to River Trail Society.