Follow This Abandoned Railroad Trail For One Of The Most Unique Hikes In Illinois
By Melissa Mahoney|Published June 25, 2021
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
All around the nation, abandoned train tracks have been transformed and repurposed into outdoor recreational spaces for walking, hiking, and biking. The Tunnel Hill Trail in Southern Illinois is one such trail that follows the route of a railway that was abandoned long ago. This accessible trail is rated as easy and will take you through some gorgeous scenery along the way.
An abandoned train line between Harrisburg and Karnak was transformed into the Tunnel Hill Trail. In the 19th century, a track was constructed for the Cairo & Vincennes Railroad for freight trains to transport goods like coal and timber between Illinois and Indiana.
Over the years, the tracks changed ownership several times until they were abandoned for good.
In 1998, parts of the Tunnel Hill Trail opened and today it is 47.5 miles from end to end. This easy, lightly trafficked trail is part gravel and partially paved.
At four to eight feet wide along the entire length, it is both wheelchair and stroller friendly except for the steepest section at the 24.6-mile mark when heading south. This is where you'll find a steep 12% incline and may need some help.
Throughout the long trail, you'll traverse through several small towns and ghost towns of Southern Illinois. You'll also cross over at least two dozen trestles found over water and ravines, through parts of the Shawnee National Forest, past bluffs, alongside a river, and through a long railroad tunnel.
The former train tunnel is over 500 feet long with no lighting, so bring a flashlight - or if you're biking, make sure you have bike lights. Otherwise, it's almost pitch dark!
You'll find so much scenic beauty along the way as you picture what it was like in the days when the trains ran along the tracks. It's a truly fascinating place to hike, walk, or bike in the state of Illinois.
Have you traveled along the Tunnel Hill Trail? How many miles did you go and did you make it through the tunnel? Let us know about your experience in the comments.
For trail information, visit the AllTrails webpage. You can read about another long trail, the 535-mile Grand Illinois Trail, in this post.
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