Hiking with Shawn Blog
Welcome to the Hiking with Shawn Blog! You can expect weekly blog posts featuring hiking, camping, cycling, and kayaking tips. I also post trail guides around Southern Illinois and beyond. You’ll also find gear reviews on the Hiking with Shawn Blog, as well.
Latest from the Hiking with Shawn Blog
The Hiking with Shawn Blog will feature one post a week featuring outdoor recreation tips, trail guides, and gear reviews.
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...
101-Mile Bike Ride
101-Mile Bike RideI just recently completed a 101-mile bike ride. I started at Cave-in-Rock Ferry in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois. I was supposed to finish the ride at Saint Nicolas Brewing Company’s Landmark in Chester, Illinois. I couldn’t finish the ride in Chester, and...
Kayaking for Beginners: A Guide to Start Kayaking Today
Kayaking for Beginners: A Guide to Start Kayaking TodayWelcome to the kayaking for beginners guide! I wanted to write this guide to help you try kayaking and fall in love with it if it's right for you. Storytime – Up until last year, I was terrified of kayaking. I...
Hiking for Beginners on a Budget
Hiking for Beginners on a BudgetI wanted to create something for hiking for beginners on a budget because not everyone can afford the best hiking gear and take any hiking trip they want. And that's fine. But you should still get out and hike if you can. I actually...
Finding Abandoned Places in the Shawnee National Forest
Finding Abandoned Places in the Shawnee National Forest A Recap of Last Week's Hiking with Shawn Episodes!I'm always finding abandoned places in the Shawnee National Forest. And in today's first-ever article of my new "Weekly Recap Series," I will recap last week's...
10 Fastpacking Gear Items to Take with You this Summer
10 Fastpacking Gear Items to Take with You this SummerThe following fastpacking gear items are what I love to take with me when I go fastpacking in the Shawnee National Forest. Fastpacking is a term coined for fast hiking or fast backpacking. You can fast pack in a...
10 Unique Waterfalls in Southern Illinois
10 Unique Waterfalls in Southern IllinoisAre you looking for unique waterfalls in Southern Illinois? Everyone already knows about Burden Falls, Cedar Falls, and Jackson Falls waterfalls, right? But there must be some unique ones you've not been to yet, right? There...
How to Prepare for a Hiking Trip the Right Way
How to Prepare for a Hiking Trip the Right WayIt’s important to prepare for a hiking trip before you go. If you don’t prepare, it can be a bad trip. You could get hurt. You could get stranded. You could have a bad enough experience that you never want to go hiking...
What are the Best Hiking Trails Nearby in Southern Illinois?
What are the Best Hiking Trails Nearby in Southern Illinois?Are you looking for the best hiking trails nearby where you live? This is a list of some of the best hiking trails in the area of five different communities spread across the southern Illinois region. Surely,...
Latest Trail Guides
Check out the latest trail guides published in the Hiking with Shawn Blog.
Cache River State Natural Area Guide
Cache River State Natural Area GuideCache River State Natural Area is a nearly 15,000-acre Illinois state natural area with ample opportunities for fish and game, outdoor recreation, and educational programming. Visitors can enjoy miles upon miles of hiking, biking,...
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...
Latest Gear Reviews
Check out my latest outdoor gear reviews posted in the Hiking with Shawn Blog.
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I am currently accepting guest contributions from outdoor enthusiasts and local businesses and organizations that are interested in posting on my blog. For the most part, guest posting is free as long as it’s non-commercial in nature. Just to be clear, I do not sell links. While I do accept paid sponsored posts from time to time, I reject around 9 out of 10 of sponsored post requests. If the content isn’t of the highest value to my readers, I will not accept it.
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