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.
Shawnee National Forest Bear Branch Trail Guide
Shawnee National Forest Bear Branch Trail GuideShawnee National Forest Bear Branch Trail is a loop trail located in Pope County, Illinois. This trail consists of a 4.5-mile complete loop trail system shared by hikers and horseback riders. This trail has minimal...
Shawnee National Forest Iron Mountain Hiking Guide
Shawnee National Forest Iron Mountain Hiking GuideHave you ever been to Shawnee National Forest Iron Mountain? No, I don’t mean Iron Furnace, either. Shawnee National Forest Iron Mountain is located between Anna-Jonesboro and Alto Pass here in southern Illinois. This...
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...
5 Southern Illinois Cycling Trip Ideas for All Types of Cyclists
5 Southern Illinois Cycling Trip Ideas for All Types of CyclistsLooking to plan a cycling trip? Why not make it a southern Illinois cycling trip? Whether you’re from Chicago or St. Louis, Nashville, or Indianapolis – southern Illinois is a quick drive down, up, over,...
5 Southern Illinois Hiking Vacation Ideas for All Types of Hikers
5 Southern Illinois Hiking Vacation Ideas for All Types of HikersPlanning a vacation? Why not plan a southern Illinois hiking vacation? Escape the big city and head down, up, over, and out to southern Illinois for a grand hiking vacation that you’ll always remember....
10 Shawnee National Forest Bike Trails & Routes for All Types of Cyclists
10 Shawnee National Forest Bike Trails & Routes for All Types of CyclistsShawnee National Forest bike trails are some of the best trails in the Midwest according to local and travelers who ride in the area. It is a common misconception that cycling isn’t allowed...
10 Giant City State Park Activities to do this Spring
10 Giant City State Park Activities to do this SpringSpring is near and so are the Giant City State Park activities that are worth checking out. With gas on the rise, finding cheaper or even free activities is critical. Luckily for us in southern Illinois and our...
Top 10 Amazing Shawnee National Forest Waterfalls to Visit in 2022
Top 10 Amazing Shawnee National Forest Waterfalls to Visit in 2022There are some amazing waterfalls in the Shawnee National Forest. In fact, there are a lot more waterfalls that I am mentioning in this article. But rather than write a book, I figured you’d like a...
Hiking with Kids
Hiking with KidsAs we approach another hiking season, I thought it would be a good idea to look at some tips that can contribute to a successful outing when hiking with kids. In 2018 my son and I completed a thru hike of the River-to-River trail (R2R). At this time,...
Latest Trail Guides
Check out the latest trail guides published in the Hiking with Shawn Blog.
Shawnee National Forest Sand Cave Hike
Shawnee National Forest Sand Cave Hike Shawnee National Forest Sand Cave is not only a good hike but the Shawnee National Forest Sand Cave has its roots dug into a historical time when the lives of men, women and children depended on the Shawnee National Forest Sand...
LaRue Pine Hills Snake Road Guide
LaRue Pine Hills Snake Road Guide For those interested in visiting Snake Road in Southern Illinois LaRue Pine Hills Snake Road Guide LaRue Pine Hills Snake Road is a very unique forest road that is a part of the National Forest system of the United States. LaRue Pine...
Shawnee National Forest Trail 049
Shawnee National Forest Trail 049Trail 049 Directions When traveling from Marion, Illinois, you can follow these instructions on Google Maps to get to the East Trigg Trailhead parking lot. The parking lot is on the west side of the road and it large enough for...
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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