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.
How and What to Pack for Your Overnight Hiking Trip
How and What to Pack for Your Overnight Hiking TripDo you want to go on an overnight hiking trip? But you don’t know what to pack? How about how to pack it? You’re probably saying, “How to pack? What does Shawn mean by that”. The truth is that there is a technique on...
18 Shawnee National Forest Weekend Itinerary Ideas
18 Shawnee National Forest Weekend Itinerary IdeasDo you need a Shawnee National Forest Weekend Itinerary? A visit to the Shawnee for a weekend adventure is a great idea! It’s affordable! It’s close to a lot of significant areas! There is a lot to do! There is...
10 Least Visited State Parks & Recreation Areas in Southern Illinois
10 Least Visited State Parks and Recreational Areas in Southern IllinoisAre you looking for the least visited state parks and recreation areas in southern Illinois? I get it! Not everyone wants to go where everyone is. Garden of the Gods is an incredible place, but...
Tunnel Hill State Trail Guide
Tunnel Hill State Trail GuideTunnel Hill State Trail is a 50+ mile rail trail in Southern Illinois. The trail was once a bustling railroad line during the 1800s into the 1900s, back when there was a coal mining boom in the region. The railway transported coal and...
LaRue Pine Hills Snake Road Guide
LaRue Pine Hills Snake Road GuideLaRue Pine Hills Snake Road is the only road in the world that closes annually so snakes can migrate across, and that road is located in the Shawnee National Forest. The road closes two times a year. During the closer-horseback,...
What to do at Garden of the Gods Illinois?
What to do at Garden of the Gods Illinois?Garden of the Gods Illinois consists of a recreation area, natural areas, and a designated wilderness area. Garden of the Gods is located in southern Illinois and part of the Hidden Springs Ranger District of the Shawnee...
Glen O Jones Lake Visitor Guide by Hiking with Shawn
Glen O Jones Lake Visitor Guide by Hiking with ShawnGlen O Jones Lake is an Illinois state-managed fish and wildlife area. Other than fishing and hunting opportunities, there are numerous other recreational activities, too. You can kayak the lake. There is a bicycling...
22 Benefits of Hiking for Health, Fitness, and Wellness
22 Benefits of Hiking for Health, Fitness, and WellnessThere are a lot of benefits of hiking! Hiking can save your life. It saved my life! It made me healthier. I met my girlfriend because of it. I think that hiking will make me live longer. Hiking can do the same for...
How to do the Shawnee Challenge!
How to do the Shawnee Challenge!Have you heard of the Shawnee Challenge? If not, I created a website for it. So, to sum it up, this is a 10.5-mile adventure challenge where you can hike, mountain bike, or do both activities to complete the challenge route and get a...
Latest Trail Guides
Check out the latest trail guides published in the Hiking with Shawn Blog.
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Garden of the Gods Observation Trail
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Garden of the Gods Observation TrailGarden of the Gods Observation Trail is said to be the most Instagram’d area of the Shawnee National Forest. Chances are, if you’ve been to southern Illinois for hiking, you’ve hiked on the...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Pounds Hollow Recreational Area
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Pounds Hollow Recreation AreaPounds Hollow Recreational Area is a great spot to visit in the Shawnee National Forest because of the many things to do in the area. Aside from the obvious hiking activities, there are also camping...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Kaskaskia Experimental Forest
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Kaskaskia Experimental ForestKaskaskia Experimental Forest was a forest set aside for experimental research in tree and forest stands. From the 1940s to the 1970s, the site went from less than 500 acres to over 1,300 acres. Once...
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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