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.
National Forest… National Park… Illinois State Park… What’s the difference and does it even matter?
National Forest… National Park… Illinois State Park… What’s the difference and does it even matter?I’m sure you’ve heard all the terms: National Forum, National Park, State Park, Wilderness, Recreation Area, Natural Area, Ecological Area, and so on and so on! A lot of...
Old Stoneface Trail Guide in the Shawnee National Forest
Old Stoneface Trail Guide Shawnee National ForestOld Stoneface is a 1.6-mile out and back moderately rugged trail in Saline County, Illinois. Old Stoneface trail features various bluff, rock formations and scenic overlooks. The trail is most known for its main rock...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: High Knob Area
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: High Knob AreaHigh Knob is a pretty special gem of the Shawnee National Forest to many different user groups. High Knob is very popular to the horseback and mule riding communities. High Knob is also a favorite of hiking and...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Bulge Hole Ecological Area
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Bulge Hole Ecological AreaBulge Hole Ecological Area or Bulge Hole EA for short is a wonderful hidden gem of the Shawnee National Forest. The ecological aspects of Bulge Hole deals with precious plants and flora that could be...
Hiking with Shawn’s Safety Guide Series: Bears, Wolves, Cougars and Others
Hiking with Shawn’s Safety Guide Series: Bears, Wolves, Cougars and OthersShawnee National Forest is a second growth forest. This means that at one time, most of what we know as the forest was once home sites and farming communities until the 1930s-1940s when it...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Packentuck Waterfalls
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Packentuck WaterfallsPackentuck Waterfalls are a series of unofficial trails located in the Shawnee National Forest off Packentuck Road. This area borders private property as well as Camp Ondessonk so a map/app with boundary...
Ultimate Trail Guide: Bell Smith Springs Recreation Area
Hiking with Shawn’s Ultimate Trail Guide Series: Bell Smith Springs Recreation AreaBell Smith Springs Recreation Area is a popular recreation area of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. It contains over 8-miles of various types of hiking trails and many...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Wildcat Bluff
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Wildcat BluffWildcat Bluff is a nestled little gem of the Cache River State Natural Area managed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Located in rural Johnson County, Illinois-this amazing place offers hikers views of...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Heron Pond
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Heron PondHeron Pond Preserve is a special gem of the southern Illinois region. Located in rural Johnson County, Heron Pond provides a look into what the area once looked like before pioneer settlers came in and drained the...
Latest Trail Guides
Check out the latest trail guides published in the Hiking with Shawn Blog.
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Latest Gear Reviews
Check out my latest outdoor gear reviews posted in the Hiking with Shawn Blog.
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Interested in Writing on the Hiking with Shawn Blog?
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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