10 Great Spots for Backpacking in Southern Illinois

You should try backpacking in Southern Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest.

The Shawnee National Forest and our local state parks offer great backpacking trails. You can do a simple overnight hike or a multi-day, multi-night hike. There is a trail for everyone, from beginners to experienced backpackers, who would like to enjoy backpacking in Southern Illinois.

In this guide, I’ll show you 10 great backpacking trails in the region and everything you need to know to enjoy them.

About Backpacking in Southern Illinois

Backpacking in Southern Illinois is one of the best things to do if you’re looking for more of an outdoor adventure, a bit more challenging than day hiking.

It’s mostly completely free to backpack in this area, minus some campground fees along the trail. You can do numerous loop trips, out-and-back hikes, or point-to-point section hiking on our longer trails.

Just be sure you bring the right backpacking gear and always put safety first when enjoying the Southern Illinois outdoors.

10 Trails for Backpacking in Southern Illinois

Now that you understand some tips for backpacking in Southern Illinois, let’s get to the important part: the trails.

1: Indian Point Trail – 2 Day Tip – Easy

Indian Point at Garden of the Gods Wilderness is great for beginners. The trail is easy (2-mile loop), and there are many great spots to camp. Enjoy amazing views of rock formations and tall bluffs.

Indian Point Trail is located at the Backpacker Trailhead right before the main area of Garden of the Gods near Herod, Illinois. Here’s a Google Map to the trailhead.

To hike this trail, you can use Avenza Maps, All Trails, or a paper map.

This area has rattlesnakes, and the most common hazard is falling from the bluffs. Please put safety before anything else. Remember to Leave No Trace when camping in the wilderness.

2: Red Cedar Trail – 2 Day Trip – Moderate

Red Cedar Trail is a great, moderately difficult backpacking trail. It is a 12-mile loop trail with a primitive campground in the middle. You can enjoy a diverse trail system, bluffs, and very scenic creeks while doing this hike.

This trail is located at Giant City State Park and starts and ends at the main campground. Here is a Google Maps link to the parking area and start/finish.

To hike this trail, I recommend using AllTrails or a paper map from the Visitor Center.

During the summer months, some parts of the trail will be grown over, and water will be very scarce if we have a drought. There is no water source at the primitive campground. Stop at the Visitor Center to get a camping permit.

3: Panther Den Wilderness – 2 to 3 Day Trip – Moderate

Panther Den Wilderness is a great place for a 2 to 3-day backpacking trip. It’s moderate and contains out-and-back and lollipop loop trails of about 4 to 6 miles, depending on where you go. You’ll see scenic creeks and amazing rock formations.

Panther Den Wilderness is located outside of the Makanda/Carbondale area, down a narrow forest service road. Here is a Google Maps link to the parking area.

To hike this trail, you could use All Trails, Avenza, or paper maps.

This is a wilderness area. It’s remote, moderately rugged, and has no amenities.

4: Lusk Creek Wilderness – 2 to 4 Day Trip – Moderate

Lusk Creek Wilderness is great for a 2- to 4-day backpacking trip. It’s a moderately rugged trail system with loops and out-and-backs ranging from a few miles to several miles. There is a lot to see, including amazing overlooks, natural arches, and scenic Lusk Creek.

Lusk Creek Wilderness has multiple trailheads, mainly located around Eddyville, Illinois, in Pope County. Here are some Google Maps links for Frank’s Tract, Lusk Creek Trailhead, and Secret Canyon Trailhead.

It is highly recommended that you use Avenza Multiday Maps for backpacking in this area. You can also use All Trails or paper maps.

Timber rattlesnakes occur in the Lusk Creek Wilderness. It’s easy to get lost here if you don’t follow trail navigation properly. For the most part, the creek is always running in some capacity, so you can collect filtered drinking water.

5: Burden Falls Wilderness – 2 to 3 Day Trip – Moderate

Burden Falls Wilderness is a beautiful wilderness that could accommodate around 2 or 3 days of backpacking. This wilderness offers moderately rugged hiking on mainly out-and-back trails ranging from a few miles each. You’ll see amazing waterfalls, beautiful rock formations, and a very wild area while backpacking through the Burden Falls Wilderness Area.

Burden Falls Wilderness is located near Ozark, Illinois. Here is a Google Maps link to the trailhead for this wilderness area.

The best way to hike in the Burden Falls Wilderness is to use AllTrails. However, some of its trails are not available in the app, so you might need to use an alternative like OnX Hunt or Gaia.

Use caution about the main waterfall, as people have fallen to their deaths there. Do not attempt to go past the protective cable at the top.

6: Garden of the Gods Wilderness – 2 to 4 Day Trip – Moderate

Garden of the Gods Wilderness is a vast wilderness system that would definitely provide 2 to 4 days of backpacking. This wilderness is moderately rugged and contains many loops, ranging from a few miles to several miles. You’ll see some of the best rock formations and overlooks the Shawnee National Forest has to offer along these trails.

Garden of the Gods Wilderness is located near Herod in Illinois. Here is a Google Maps Link to the Indian Point Trailhead, where you can park overnight to access trails.

I recommend using AllTrails, Avenza, or paper maps for navigating the Garden of the Gods Wilderness.

Timber rattlesnakes occur in this area. This is also an area where most falls happen. Please watch your step and use caution. This area commonly lacks creek water, so be prepared to bring all your water with you.

7: Bald Knob to Clear Springs – 2 to 3 Day Trip – Moderate

Bald Knob and Clear Springs are two wilderness areas that meet each other at Hutchins Creek. You could easily get 2 to 3 days of backpacking in this area by using the moderately rugged out-and-back trails. While there aren’t many bluffs in this area, Hutchins Creek is worth seeing because it’s so scenic and beautiful.

These wilderness areas are located near Alto Pass and Pomona in Southern Illinois. You can access the wilderness from Godwin West (Clear Springs) or Godwin East (Blad Knob) trailheads.

It’s best to use the River to River Trail Bundle from Avenza or the Multiday Hiking Bundle to navigate this trail system.

This is timber rattlesnake country. During very wet seasons, Hutchins Creek has been known to reach dangerous levels. Please use caution when visiting these areas.

8: East Trigg to Jackson Falls – 2 Day Trip – Moderate

East Trigg to Jackson Falls is one of my favorite backpacking trails. It’s a great 2-day trip, about 10 miles total, for the lollipop loop. You’ll see a lot along this trail, including beautiful bluffs, scenic creeks, waterfalls, and a very diverse National Forest.

This area is located around the Simpson and Eddyville areas of Southern Illinois. Here is a Google Maps link to the East Trigg Trailhead, where you will be parking for the night.

I recommend using either the Multiday Maps Bundle from Avenza or paper maps for this route.

This area is widely used by horseback riders. Please remember to share the trail with others. If you see a rider, simply yield and talk to the rider so that their horse knows you’re not a threat.

9: River to River Trail – Multiday Trip – Rugged

The River to River Trail is probably the most popular backpacking trail in Southern Illinois. This trail is about 160 miles long and can be section-hiked or thru-hiked. You’ll see a bit of everything you can imagine while hiking along the sections of this trail.

This trail stretches from the Ohio River to the Mississippi River. Its Ohio River terminus is in Elizabethtown, and its Mississippi River terminus is in Grand Tower, with many different access points in between.

I highly recommend using the Avenza River to River Trail Bundle to navigate this trail, as well as the updated River to River Trail Guide – both free.

While the River to River Trail allows you to see a lot that Southern Illinois has to offer, it’s nowhere near everything we have to offer. Don’t feel like you’ve seen everything after hiking this trail because there is a lot more to see.

10: Battery Rock to Camp Cadiz – Multiday Trip – Rugged

This is a historical section of the River to River Trail that was essentially rerouted to Elizabethtown instead. This section is considered rugged and consists of a 23-mile point-to-point hike. You’ll see historical Battery Rock (Civil War Location) and much more along this route.

This section can either be started at Battery Rock or Camp Cadiz. Please note these areas are extremely remote, which is why it was initially moved to E-Town.

I highly recommend using the Avenza River to River Trail Bundle to navigate this trail, as well as the updated River to River Trail Guide – both free.

Timber rattlesnakes occur in this area of the Shawnee National Forest. Again, this is a very remote route, and phone signal will likely be nonexistent.

Final Thoughts About Backpacking in Southern Illinois

As a final tip, I suggest you start out with an easy trip if you haven’t tried backpacking in Southern Illinois yet. Do an easy 2-day overnight adventure, and then gradually do more challenging trips after that. This will let you know if you like backpacking or not because it’s definitely not for everyone.

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