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.
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Cave-In-Rock State Park
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Cave-In-Rock State ParkCave-In-Rock State Park is a history-rich state park located on the southern Illinois side of the Ohio River. The area has a history for being a popular place used by river pirates and outlaws as early as...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Horse Creek Trail
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Horse Creek TrailHorse Creek Trail is a moderately rugged 5.7-mile loop trail located near McClure, Illinois in Alexander County. This trail is a part of the Shawnee National Forest and is maintained by the Mississippi Springs...
Shawnee Wilderness Designation Act Could Harm Southern Illinois
Shawnee Wilderness Designation Act Could Harm Southern IllinoisThe Shawnee Wilderness Designation Act has recently been in the news. Local politicians are asking the United States Forest Service to review the Shawnee National Forest to see if it fits the criteria for...
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...
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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