Saturday, April 5, 2025 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 6th public hike of the 2025 spring hiking season on April 5th. Hiking: Little Black Slough Trail (Johnson County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a moderately difficult in and out loop hike approximately 5.5 miles in length approximately 4 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-967-0019 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at the Wildcat Bluff access area. 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. This hike requires the crossing of a rock ford on the Cache River, difficult to cross during high water and this crossing is located 1.5 miles west of the Wildcat Bluff access area. Hikers may get wet. For a map to the meeting location Wildcat Bluff access area click this blue link Wildcat Bluff Access 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 Wildcat Bluff Access meeting area for your signature.

Saturday, March 29, 2025 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 5th public hike of the 2025 spring hiking season on March 29th. Hiking: Hayes Creek Section (Pope County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a moderate thru-hike for experienced hikers approximately 6 miles in length, 4 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-926-3250 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at the Shawnee Mart, Eddyville IL.. 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. We will have plans to shuttle for this hike. We will have two stream crossings and there will probably be flowing water. Hikers will have to walk rocks to cross streams and their boots and or shoes may become wet. There may be some slick rock areas. For a map to the meeting location at the Shawnee Mart Eddyville, IL. click this blue link Shawnee Mart Eddyville, IL 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 Shawnee Mart meeting area for your signature.

Saturday March 15, 2025 Hike Summary

It was cloudy this morning and had rained just a few hours before Marcus Owens led 21 other hikers South down the upper trail at Jackson Falls. The first stop was the carving into the rock of the Civil war soldier, then on to the top of the falls. There had been enough rain to make the 3 waterfalls we saw run nicely. We stayed on top” on the West side of the falls. We made a few stops to just take in the views Above the valley. We continued to work our way north, bit by bit, until we came to the area that we slowly worked our way down toward the railroad tracks. Then, we headed south alongside the tracks for just a few hundred feet, then back onto the trail, along the lower bluffs. Today, we saw No horses, just a few other hikers at the parking lot, and No rock climbers at all, which was a bit unusual. We got to the bottom of the main falls, where we quickly ate our lunch, because it was starting to sprinkle/shower some rain. We took the group picture with the water tumbling Over the falls in the background, then headed out, to climb up and out through the keyhole. By the time we got up through the keyhole, the rain sprinkles had stopped. We crossed a few streams, then back to the parking lot. We were done by a few minutes after 1pm. 

Next weeks’ hike, on Saturday March 22nd, will be led by Corey Evans, meeting at the huge Knights of the Golden Circle parking lot, on Forest Road,  near Garden of Gods. 

Until then, “See ya’ll On the Trail”. 

Saturday, March 15, 2025 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 3rd public hike of the 2025 spring hiking season on March 15th. Hiking: Jackson Falls (Pope County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a very difficult loop hike approximately 3.5 miles in length, 3 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-534-8139 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at Zion Hill Church, Ozark IL. 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. We will have plans to shuttle for this hike. Hikers will need to walk rocks when crossing streams and their boots or shoes may become wet if it has rained. Hikers will need to navigate very steep grades when entering the canyon at the Northern access point and leaving the canyon at the Key Hole access point.  There may be some slick rock on this hike. For a map to the meeting location at Zion Hill Church, Ozark IL. click this blue link Zion Hill Church, Ozark, IL. 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 Zion Hill Church meeting area for your signature.

Saturday March 1, 2025 Hike Summary

On a Sunny, but, windy Saturday March 1st, Sam Morales gathered 28 hikers at the Indian Kitchen trailhead to hike into the Lusk Creek Wilderness. He had asked for and received special permission from the U.S. Forest service to take a large group into the area. We crossed the road and headed into the forest. Along the way, we saw a Lot of trail improvement work done by the Back Country Horsemen group. They had cut logs and put them in areas where erosion had been causing problems, and then filled the “rectangles” with rock. Nice work. And there were quite a few spots where they had “stockpiled’ logs to be used for the same purpose. It made for a great walk into the woods. Along the way, we also noticed a few new signs. Almost 1/4th of our hikers today were “new” to a River to River Trail Society hike. We were Very glad to have them. We made our way to the “tie-up” area, then worked our way slowly down to the creek. It was pretty full, with water running over the rocky areas. We then all headed back up to the ‘tie-up” area, ate an early lunch, took the group picture there, and hiked back out to the pickups that had been spotted at the end of Indian Kitchen road. It was a Great day to be out taking a walk in the woods with friends. 

Next weeks’ hike, on Saturday, March 8th, will be meeting at the top of High Knob, to be led by Todd Carr. 

Until then, See ya’ll On the Trail, 

Saturday, March 8, 2025 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 2nd public hike of the 2025 spring hiking season on March 8th. Hiking: Grindstaff Hollow (Gallatin County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a moderate thru-hike approximately 4 miles in length, 4 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-499-9629 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at High Knob Lookout Parking Area. 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. We will have to shuttle for this hike. Hikers will need to cross 1 stream for this hike and will need to be able to walk rocks to cross the stream. Hikers’ boots and or shoes may become wet. There may be some slick rock on this hike. For a map to the meeting location at High Knob Lookout Parking area click this blue link High Knob Lookout 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 High Knob Lookout meeting area for your signature.

Saturday, March 1, 2025 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 1st public hike of the 2025 spring hiking season on March 1st. Hiking: 1000 Drips (Pope County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a thru-hike approximately 5.2 miles in length, 3.5 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-384-1321 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at Indian Kitchen Trailhead. 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. We will have plans to shuttle for this hike. There are creek beds which will need to be crossed. If it has rained prior to this hike the creek beds may contain water and the hikers’ shoes may become wet when crossing the creek beds. Rocks may have to be walked. For a map to the meeting location at Indian Kitchen Trailhead click this blue link Indian Kitchen Trailhead 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 Indian Kitchen Trailhead meeting area for your signature.

River-to-River Trail Society Announces Spring, 2025 Hiking Schedule

The River-to River Trail Society announces its schedule of free guided hikes in and about the Shawnee National Forest for Spring, 2025. 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.

2025 Spring Hiking Schedule RevisedDownload

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/.

Saturday November 30, 2024 Hike Summary

On the cooler, cloudy morning of Saturday, November 30th, 15 hikers gathered in the camping ground of Giant City State Park to be led on the last hike of the Fall 2024 hiking season, by Bob Mulcahy. We had several new hikers, some who were camping, and even 1 hiker got dropped off by a friend. Vehicles had been spotted at strategic places. Bob had it planned so that hikers could do about 5.5 miles, 9 miles, or even the full round trip of 12 miles. We crossed several streams that had a small amount of water, but, no real challenges. We did see a few scattered “frost flowers” since the temperatures had dropped enough. The sun never really broke through the clouds for the day. Most all the leaves were off trees. The 1st hiker left when we got close to the River to River trail, and he hiked on back to Makanda. We continued on, above another trail offering some nice views. There were a few small, low bluffs, but, nothing that was outstanding. We made it 5.5 miles, to the picnic table area where we all stopped, ate, and then took the group picture. Sam Morales had parked his truck out on the road, and 9 total hikers decided they had enough exercise for the day. Bob and 6 others continued on, and 4 made the full round trip of 12 miles back to the starting point. 

I will make a later post of some numbers for this fall, but we, the Trail Society want to Thank All the hikers who came for any hike this fall. I felt that we had the best “numbers of hikers’ that we have had in several years. We are already planning for next spring. I will be exploring and scouting an area or 2 over my Christmas break from teaching. If you have any feedback about hikes, Please let us the board members know, through texting, email or social media messaging. If you are interested in becoming  a hike leader, we would be glad to have that sort of help also. We look forward to seeing you All soon, and have a Peaceful, Happy, Merry Christmas and a Bountiful, Happy New Year of 2025.  Until then, as always ,”See Ya’ll On the Trail”. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Chris Drone. 

The Trail Society would also like extend a sincere thank you to Society Vice President Mr. Chris Drone for all his efforts in taking the group pictures, handling hike sign in sheets and doing all of the hike summaries for the 2024 hiking seasons.

Saturday November 16, 2024 Hike Summary

Well, this hike…we were “blown away”.  We had soooo many hikers, newbies and everyone, that we had to “revise” things. Sam Morales led this hike, North of the Lusk Creek area, on a perfect Saturday for hiking, sunny and mild temperatures. All in all, we had 33 hikers. We met at an old abandoned church well south of Oak road, down a dead-end lane. We ended up moving vehicles so that a vehicle pulling a horse trailer could turn around. We had planned on using vehicles to move the half mile north to the start of the hike, going East into the woods, but, with so many hikers, we abandoned that idea, and just walked up the road. I had not been in some of this area prior to this hike. We took a ’round-about’ way to Secret Canyon. The rock formations today were not huge or anything such as that…they were somewhat ‘short’, but with a few interesting crevices and crawl spaces. We were ‘on trail” pretty much all the time, since we were in the wilderness area. We got to Secret canyon, where the horse tie-up cable was, and took our lunch break.  There was a big shelter, somewhat reminiscent of, but much smaller than Sand cave. We took the group picture using that as a backdrop. We then followed the trail out, and found the waterfall, which was very slightly flowing. Many took pictures. We then headed back north on the trail, wound our way around and headed west, until we reached the road and then walked back to the vehicles. It Was a Gorgeous day to be out hiking with friends. All in all, we hiked about 4.5 miles. Our next, and last official hike for the Fall 2024 hiking season, will be at Giant City State Park, led by Bob Mulcahy, on Saturday, November 30th. 

Until then, “See ya’ ll on the Trail”.