Hiking Tours
Tours in Illinois.

Shawnee Hiking Guides leads guided day hikes and backpacking trips through Shawnee National Forest, the only national forest in Illinois and the southernmost extension of unglaciated hardwood forest in the state. Signature routes climb the wind- and water-sculpted sandstone formations of Garden of the Gods, traverse the cypress-tupelo wetlands and limestone bluffs of LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Area, and follow the River-to-River Trail through the rugged Shawnee Hills between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The forest contains seven wilderness areas including Bald Knob, Garden of the Gods Wilderness, and Bay Creek, and supports flora more characteristic of the southern Appalachians than the surrounding Corn Belt. Guides offer skill-tiered trips from family-friendly observation walks to multi-day backpacking through the most remote Shawnee terrain.

Spoon River Horseback guides trail rides through the Spoon River valley of west-central Illinois, a region of forested ridges, oak savanna remnants, and Illinois River bluff country immortalized in Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology. Routes leave from the Lewistown and Canton areas and climb into the bluff and ravine system above the Spoon River, working through hardwood forest, restored prairie remnants, and the upland farm country that defines this corner of the state. Tours include shorter half-day rides for beginners and full-day rides into the more remote ridge terrain near Dickson Mounds State Memorial and Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge, the largest floodplain restoration project on the Illinois River. The combination of bluff-country trail riding and the cultural geography of the Spoon River corridor makes this a distinctive Illinois horseback experience.