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: 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...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: East Trigg to Splatterstone Fall
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: East Trigg to Splatterstone FallSplatterstone Fall is a really scenic waterfall located in Jackson Hollow Ecological Area within the Shawnee National Forest. This area is very wild and scenic all the way from East Trigg...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Dutchman Lake Waterfall Chasing
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Dutchman Lake WaterfallsDutchman Lake is probably one of the best places to go for a quick waterfall chase in the Shawnee National Forest. When most people visit Dutchman Lake, they think it is just that, a lake but it is a...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Blackjack Oak Trail
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Blackjack Oak TrailOne of our favorite fall colors trails is called Blackjack Oak Trail and it’s inside Ferne Clyffe State Park. While the state park has a lot of popular trails, Blackjack Oak Trail is often passed by and never...
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Secret Canyon Loop
Hiking with Shawn’s Trail Guide Series: Secret Canyon LoopDuring the summer, Michelle and I hiked the Secret Canyon Loop in the Shawnee National Forest within Lusk Creek Wilderness. There were so many horseback riders out that day that we didn’t film because of the...
Hiking with Shawn Trail Guides and Resources
Hiking with Shawn Trail Guides and ResourcesArea Hiking Trail GuidesHiking Gear ReviewsMore Hiking ResourcesOne last thing! I provide much of my content free of charge and on a daily basis. If you'd like to support my efforts for doing this, please consider making a...
Finding Southern Illinois Fall Colors without the Crowds
Finding Southern Illinois Fall Colors without the CrowdsFinding southern Illinois fall colors is a popular activity at this very moment. Each transition of summer into fall into winter, southern Illinois fall colors really pop. It is one of those activities many...
A Case Against the Creation of Cairns (Rock Stacking)…
A Case Against the Creation of Cairns (Rock Stacking)…Cairn destroying. If you watch my videos, look at my photos and follow me on social media, you’ll know I’ve written and said the phrase ‘cairn destroying’ many times throughout my Hiking with Shawn adventure. You...
5 Southern Illinois State Parks: To Do List
5 Southern Illinois State Parks: To Do ListSouthern Illinois State Parks are great for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy nature while also getting out with friends and family. While most southern Illinois State Parks offer some kind of hiking trail, there is...
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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