Hiking with Shawn Blog
Welcome to the official Hiking with Shawn Blog, where you can find my trail guides, gear reviews, and more! I try to post a few times a week! Please feel free to share my posts and leave a comment!
Hiking with Shawn Blog: Latest Posts
The latest posts from Hiking with Shawn!
Outdoor Adventures in Southern Illinois for Every Season
Outdoor Adventures in Southern Illinois for Every SeasonAre you looking for outdoor adventures in Southern Illinois? Maybe you’re more of a spring adventurer. Or maybe you like going outdoors in the fall the most. You could be a winter-only outdoor adventurer. And...
How to Train for Hiking to Able to Hike Anything
How to Train for Hiking to Able to Hike AnythingAre you looking for best practices for how to train for hiking? The more you train to be a better hiker, the better at hiking you can get. That means it'll be easier for you to hike longer and take tougher trails. By...
Hiking with Kids: Kid-Friendly Trails in Southern Illinois State Parks
Hiking with Kids: Family-Friendly Trails in Southern Illinois State ParksHiking with kids in southern Illinois state parks is great for making memories. Whether you're a parent looking for fun outdoor activities, a teacher looking for a hiking field trip, or even a...
Ultimate Bikepacking Gear List: Bikepacking Essentials for Any Trip
Ultimate Bikepacking Gear List: Bikepacking Essentials for Any TripKnowing what bikepacking gear list items you should take on your overnight biking adventure is important. There are many bikepacking essentials that riders typically forget to take, only to regret...
Mill Branch Trail Guide
Mill Branch Trail Guide Mill Branch Trail is one of the most unique hiking trails in the Shawnee National Forest. (Moderate – 1.8 miles – Loop)There’s no other trail quite like Mill Branch. This trail can be accessed at Bell Smith Springs in the Shawnee National...
How to Hike in Extreme Heat and Humidity
How to Hike in Extreme Heat and Humidity Would you hike in extreme heat and humidity? Many of you are probably answering with a no. That’s understandable. There are many other things to do around the house on hotter days for many folks. But some of you may need to...
Hiking with Shawn Trail Guides
Free and detailed trail guides for navigating the Shawnee National Forest, State Parks, and Beyond!
Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area Guide
Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area GuideHave you ever visited Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area in southern Illinois? It's an amazing spot for all different kinds of recreational uses. Whether you're a boater, kayaker, fisherman, hunter, cyclist, hiker,...
Abneyville Rock Trail Guide
Abneyville Rock Trail GuideThe Abneyville Rock Trail is a short but very remote hiking trail located in the northwestern Shawnee National Forest near Sand Ridge, with the closest city being Murphysboro. The trail is around four miles out-and-back and has roughly 600...
Bork Falls to Cedar Bluff Hiking Guide
Bork Falls to Cedar Bluff Hiking GuideHave you ever hiked Bork Falls to Cedar Bluff (or reverse)? If you haven’t yet, and you’re looking for a nice long out-and-back hike, this would be an excellent hiking trip for you to enjoy. This hike is around 10 miles out and...
Lake Glendale Recreation Area Guide
Lake Glendale Recreation Area GuideLake Glendale Recreation Area has something for everyone, and it’s located in a central part of the Shawnee National Forest that, gives you easier access to many great areas around the forest and southern Illinois. Lake Glendale is...
Indian Point Trail Guide
Indian Point Trail GuideIndian Point Trail, or the Backpackers Trailhead, is a short trail within Garden of the Gods Wilderness in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. This is a popular hiking and overnight backpacking trail used throughout the year. This...
Illinois Iron Furnace Guide
Illinois Iron Furnace GuideIllinois Iron Furnace isn’t just a nice spot for a picnic on a warm sunny day. It’s the last remaining Iron Furnace in the region. It’s a piece of southern Illinois history worth seeing for yourself. Illinois Iron Furnace is the last iron...
Hiking with Shawn Gear Reviews
Check out my hiking, biking, and outdoor recreation related gear reviews.
3 Osprey Hiking Backpack Reviews for Different Hiking Trips
3 Osprey Hiking Backpack Reviews for Different Hiking TripsThe Osprey Hiking Backpack is well known for being a prominent pack for the hiking community. Osprey Packs is a widely-known hiking backpack brand. It is usually a little bit more expensive than other brands,...
Shop Southern Illinois Local this Holiday Season
Shop Southern Illinois Local this Holiday SeasonThe holiday season is upon us, and you can help your neighbors by choosing the shop Southern Illinois local this year. By shopping locally, you can get the best locally made or sold gifts for your friends and family...
10 Most Important Hiking Gear Items for the Shawnee National Forest
10 Most Important Hiking Gear Items to take to the Shawnee National ForestAre you carrying the most important hiking gear items that you should be? The Shawnee National Forest is a small forest consisting of just shy of 280,000 acres spread across the southern portion...
Oboz Waterproof Hiking Boots Review
Oboz Waterproof Hiking Boots ReviewSince I’ve recently purchased my second pair of Oboz waterproof hiking boots, I figured that was a good time to create a review for it. I’ve used these new Oboz Mid Bridger waterproof hiking boots for a few months and those before...
Day Hiking Gear: 4 Essentials for a Successful Day Hike
Day Hiking Gear 4 Essentials for a Successful Day Hike When it comes to day hiking gear, we tend to think that we don’t need to pack that much day hiking gear because we’re not going to be out in the forest that long. However, we tend to forget the underlining issues...
MPG Cycling Shorts Review
MPG Cycling Shorts ReviewYes, I am a Cyclist... I've been an adult cyclist since 2012 after realizing that I was 300 pounds of fat and laziness. I would become out of breath bending down to tie my own shoes - no joke! So I got a bicycle and started riding every other...
Hiking with Shawn Blog Posts
My latest posts about the Shawnee National Forest, state parks, and beyond!
Outdoor Adventures in Southern Illinois for Every Season
Outdoor Adventures in Southern Illinois for Every SeasonAre you looking for outdoor adventures in Southern Illinois? Maybe you’re more of a spring adventurer. Or maybe you like going outdoors in the fall the most. You could be a winter-only outdoor adventurer. And...
How to Train for Hiking to Able to Hike Anything
How to Train for Hiking to Able to Hike AnythingAre you looking for best practices for how to train for hiking? The more you train to be a better hiker, the better at hiking you can get. That means it'll be easier for you to hike longer and take tougher trails. By...
Hiking with Kids: Kid-Friendly Trails in Southern Illinois State Parks
Hiking with Kids: Family-Friendly Trails in Southern Illinois State ParksHiking with kids in southern Illinois state parks is great for making memories. Whether you're a parent looking for fun outdoor activities, a teacher looking for a hiking field trip, or even a...
Ultimate Bikepacking Gear List: Bikepacking Essentials for Any Trip
Ultimate Bikepacking Gear List: Bikepacking Essentials for Any TripKnowing what bikepacking gear list items you should take on your overnight biking adventure is important. There are many bikepacking essentials that riders typically forget to take, only to regret...
How to Hike in Extreme Heat and Humidity
How to Hike in Extreme Heat and Humidity Would you hike in extreme heat and humidity? Many of you are probably answering with a no. That’s understandable. There are many other things to do around the house on hotter days for many folks. But some of you may need to...
Day Hiking Gear Checklist
Day Hiking Gear ChecklistA day hiking gear checklist will help you ensure that you bring the right gear with you on your daytime hiking trips. It's important to pack the right stuff. When you don't pack the right gear, and when you need it the most, it can ruin your...
Hiking with Shawn Patreon Posts
Premium blog posts only available to Patreon Members. Learn more at My Patreon Page.
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: 5 Less Populated Areas of the Shawnee for Viewing Fall Colors
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: 5 Less Populated Areas of the Shawnee for Viewing Fall Colors This article is a Patreon Exclusive meaning it was created exclusively for Patreon members of Hiking with Shawn and will not be released to the public outside of Patreon subscribers. The...
Write for the Hiking with Shawn Blog
I’m always looking for one-time guest bloggers as well as reoccurring guest bloggers. If you’re interested in writing outdoor-related articles for my blog, then I am interested in you. While I will allow you to have a link to a related websites (outdoor related), I don’t allow affiliate links or posts that are commercial in nature from guest bloggers. If you’re just looking for do-follow links, you should definitely look somewhere else. I’m looking for articles about Shawnee National Forest, southern Illinois state parks, local events related to the outdoors, state outdoor topics, and general hiking/biking/outdoor articles. If you’re interesting in writing for my blog on a one-time or regular basis, please Contact Me Today!
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