Searching for Fall Colors - Shawnee National Forest

Fall is in the air and so is the search for fall colors.  In Wisconsin for Fall 2013 - colors have been hard to find.  Multiple trips to Kettle Moraine State Forest have left me high and dry.  Lots of yellows, browns and greens.  No eye or breath catching oranges and reds or any of the other colors that make Fall feel like Autumn.

Finally, after weeks of searching and researching online, a perfect opportunity presented itself for me to find fall color.

Shawnee National Forest, Garden of the Gods Wilderness and the River to River Trail

Southern Illinois.  Shawnee National Forest, Garden of the Gods Wilderness and the River to River Trail.  I heard the colors were peaking and the weather was going to be warm after a couple of days of rain.  So on November 1st with a day of vacation, 7 hours of driving, the dogs and I were heading down to the southern tip of Illinois to do a backpack trip on the River to River Trail out of Garden of the Gods Wilderness area.

I visited this area once before in October 2011 and was completely amazed by the landscape.  The Shawnee National Forest is in the Ozark and Shawnee Forest area of southern Illinois and was the southern end of a glacier.  Because of this, there are many hills, valleys and some amazing rock formations in the area. It also lies between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers - thus leading to the River to River Trail.

Garden of the Gods - Shawnee National Forest, IL

Arriving at the backpacker's parking lot, I was one of two cars in the lot - and the other car was camping just inside the wilderness area.  To me, that meant, once I was away from the parking lot - I probably had the forest all to myself (well me and my two dogs of course).  And I was right.  The tranquility of the trail, the beauty of the fall colors and the swampiness conditions of the muddy trail made for a perfect way to welcome in November.  

Fall colors from a side hike into Garden of the Gods Wilderness

After a day of hiking and taking in the beauty around me, I found the perfect camp area on the edge of a bluff overlooking a valley.  And with day light dwindling early, I made dinner and settled in to watch the sun set over the hills of the Shawnee National Forest.

Sun setting on the trees at camp on the River to River Trail

View out over the Hills of Shawnee National Forest from the River to River Trail

After a restful night and watching an incredible sunrise - I packed up camp just as the next round of rain hit.  A quick hike back to the car and we were off to do a little more exploring of the eastern side of the Shawnee National Forest for another day before heading back to Wisconsin.

Finding fall colors, spending a night in the wilderness was just what my soul needed.  

"Going to the woods is going home." John Muir

 

Canyons and Waterfalls in Illinois

Living in the Midwest, sometimes it's hard to believe that the terrain isn't really as flat as one would think when thinking of the Midwest.

This weekend I was reminded again of the beauty left behind by the glaciers that came through centuries ago.  I've visited Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL a couple of times before, but always in the fall for the fall colors.  As you drive up toward the park entrance, you don't think anything of it.  The land is flat all around you with a few hills, but nothing that would make you think you were driving into something amazing.  You drive over the Illinois River and you start to get a glimpse, but really, still no visual clues of what you're going to be experiencing once you enter the park.

Illinois River from Starved Rock State Park

Once you turn off and enter the park, you start to get an idea though.  You drive down a road that is bordered by large rock bluffs overlooking you.  You start to get an idea of what was to come.  But even driving into the main parking lot - still not much of a giveaway to what you just parked your car in the middle of.

Once you get out of the car and hit the first trail that takes you on along the river, you'll start to see the magic of what the glaciers and the Illinois River did to this area.  The glaciers and river carved out some incredible canyons along the river, leaving behind beauty one could never have imagined when driving toward the park.

Being the beginning of spring, this weekend provided even more amazing sights to be seen while hiking through the park to view all the canyons.  The spring melt off of what winter threw at the park left myself and other visitors great views of the waterfalls and remaining ice falls that come to life in the spring.

Ice Fall and Waterfall in French Canyon - Starved Rock State Park

When watching these waterfalls, you get the idea this landscape is still changing and will continue to change with each passing year.  As the ice and snow melt and create these wonderful waterfalls, the rock continues to be carved out and the land below changes with the sediment from the waterfalls and the washout to the Illinois River.

Illinois Canyon at Starved Rock State Park

This is an amazing place to visit in central Illinois.  And if you like waterfalls - don't stop here.  Make sure you check out some other of the amazing places the Midwest has to offer that the glaciers have provided us.  No, the Midwest is not flat.  Here's some great ideas to visit:

• Minnesota's Superior Coast
• Wisconsin's Driftless Area
• Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois

Get out and enjoy what nature has provided you.
"Keep close to Nature's heart, yourself; and break clear away once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods.  Wash your spirit clean."  John Muir.