The Shawnee Group is pleased to present the following virtual tour of the Tunnel Hill Trail in Southern Illinois to supplement the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' website that offers the State's interpretation of the trail.
The 44.9 mile trail can be broken into a minimum of eight segments listed below. There are additional trail heads where day trips can be started and stopped. The northern most end of the trail is in Harrisburg. The southern trailhead is at Karnak, Illinois.
Physically fit bikers can travel the entire length in a day Most day riders travel the segment between Tunnel Hill and Vienna. While it is perhaps the most scenic section with the most bridges, limiting yourself to this popular segment would result in a diminished experience. Each segment has something unique to offer the visitor.
Trail Segments Map Guides and Descriptions (under development)
- Guide ~ Harrisburg to Carrier Mills (7.5miles)
- Guide ~ Carrier Mills to Stonefort (6.7 miles)
- Guide ~ Stonefort to New Burnside (4.4 miles)
- Guide ~ New Burnside to Tunnel Hill (6.2 miles)
- Guide ~ Tunnel Hill to Vienna (9.3 miles)
- Guide ~ Vienna to Belknap (8.0 miles)
- Guide ~ Belknap to Karnak (2.8 miles)
We have available nearly 100 photos documenting the 43 miles of the bicycle trail and its history, habitats, railroad infrastructure, indigenous species, rivers and streams, flora and fauna. These will be available in August, 2001.
What makes the trail so special? Well...
" Its a great example of federal Rails-to-Trails development.
" Its traverses through the Cache River State Natural Area
" Along its route can be found a great diversity of habitats supporting 56 endangered and threatened species, including Lynx Rufus (BobCat) and Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Bald Eagle). The Lower Cache River is also home of eleven (11) of the state's Champion Trees.
Selected Highlights of the Tunnel Hill Trail | ||
Harrisburg Trailhead | Entering the tunnel | |
Cache River |
Exiting the Tunnel | |
Turtle on the trail
Trailside flowers | Trailside swamp
Karnak Trailhead
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Last edited: 08/03/05